Latest news with #CentralValley
France 24
4 hours ago
- Politics
- France 24
Famed union leader Dolores Huerta urges US to mobilize against Trump
With the administration of US President Donald Trump ramping up immigration raids targeting farmworkers, the veteran activist -- who co-founded the country's largest agricultural union more than 60 years ago -- is a galvanizing figure for those seeking to fight back. "People are reaching out because they want to do something," she told AFP during an interview at the headquarters of her Dolores Huerta Foundation in Bakersfield, an agricultural nexus in California's Central Valley. Born in New Mexico and raised in California, Huerta took the reins of the US farmworker movement in the 1960s along with the late activist Cesar Chavez. They created what is now United Farm Workers, launching an unprecedented fight for the rights of marginalized laborers who toil in the fields that feed America every day. At the time, Huerta was raising seven children -- she later had four more -- while going through a divorce. Finding the time to organize and mobilize workers remains as crucial as ever today, she said. "We've got to be a lot more active, because what's happening right now is so huge. I liken it to what was happening in Germany before Hitler took power," Huerta said. She argues that it is essential to prepare the electorate to vote in the 2026 midterms, which could reshape the US Congress. Both its chambers currently have Republican majorities. "This is the only way that this can be solved," she said. 'Si se puede' slogan Much has changed since her time as a young union leader, but one thing that has never gone away is racism, Huerta said. "I believe that that illness of racism is what has really contaminated our political system," said Huerta. "Trump is actually playing out that racism when he is again putting immigrants, and mostly people of color, into the detention centers" with "inhumane conditions," she said. Many have been sent to countries with which they have no connection, Huerta noted, such as the 252 Venezuelans who were sent to a notorious El Salvador prison, before eventually being repatriated to their homeland as part of a political deal. For Huerta, the Republican-led crackdown is "absolutely atrocious... our people have been caught off guard." Huerta believes that the swell of Latino support for Trump that aided his victory in November was driven by religious interests. Church leaders and lobbyists who are influential with Hispanic communities used issues like abortion and LGBTQ+ rights to "intimidate" Hispanic communities, who traditionally favor Democrats, into voting Republican, she said. But Huerta -- whose famous "Si se puede" slogan was mirrored by Barack Obama's "Yes, we can" rallying cry in 2008 -- believes Trump's promise to carry out the largest deportation operation in US history could yet backfire. In various sectors ranging from agriculture to hospitality and services, employers are realizing how much they need hard-working immigrants, she said. 'Fear' The risks have sharply risen for many in her community since Trump came to power, but for Huerta personally, activism has long had perilous consequences. When she was 58, Huerta was arrested and brutally beaten by police at a San Francisco protest. Her commitment to the union movement also meant she was an absent mother -- and even today, she spends more time on her work than with her many children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Huerta has often been the only woman in male-dominated spaces, and is renowned by many for her ability to face down corporate power. In February, her foundation helped drive an ongoing boycott against the retail giant Target over its decision to end pro-diversity programs following Trump's election. "Trump instilled fear in all these corporations," she said. Using tactics like boycotts to influence billionaire business owners who can "pull Trump's strings," she said, "we finally are able to move them in the right direction."
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump Cuts ‘Lifeline' for 80,000 California Migrant Students
This article was originally published in CalMatters. This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. When Yvette Medina was growing up in the labor camps of California's Central Valley, she'd often accompany her father to the bank to cash checks. 'He'd tell me, 'You should be a bank teller. You're inside all day, out of the sun,'' Medina recalled. 'For me, growing up, there weren't a lot of options or things to aspire to. My parents just didn't know what was out there.' Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter A program called Mini-Corps changed all that. Mini-Corps, part of the state's Migrant Education program, sends bilingual tutors to schools and labor camps to help children whose parents work in California's agricultural fields, dairies, fisheries and timberlands. Medina credits Mini-Corps tutors with getting her through high school and helping her enroll in college, where she ultimately earned a teaching credential. But now the Migrant Education program is defunded, at least temporarily, after President Donald Trump withheld its grant money on July 1. Several other education programs were also halted, including after-school centers, English learner programs and professional development for teachers. In California, the cuts totaled more than $810 million. The U.S. Department of Education said it would not release the money until it completed a review of the programs to ensure 'taxpayer resources are spent in accordance with the President's priorities and the Department's statutory responsibilities.' Last week it released the after-school grants, but nothing else. The department didn't say when that review would happen. Meanwhile, California and 23 other states have sued, saying that Trump had no right to withhold the money because it had already been appropriated by Congress. Almost every county in California has Migrant Education programs. Kern has the largest number of migrant students — nearly 5,000 — but even urban counties like San Francisco have at least a few dozen. Now, programs for those students have been put on hold or cut back. Some school districts scraped together money to keep the programs running through summer, but others canceled programs altogether and laid off staff. The Butte County Office of Education, which oversees the Mini-Corps program for the state, laid off more than 400 employees as a result of the cuts. The Santa Clara County Office of Education laid off 22 staff and shuttered many services for migrant students, including college visits, a math and science program, a debate tournament and summer programs. 'Our hope is that we find some other finding source,' said Tad Alexander, deputy superintendent of the Butte County Office of Education. 'But right now it feels like they're trying to bleed it out.' On the move with the harvest Nearly 80,000 students in California are migrants, moving every few months with their parents for work, according to a recent report by West Ed, an educational research and development organization. That could mean winter in Porterville for the orange harvest, spring in Salinas for strawberries, summer in Madera for peaches, fall in Oroville for almonds. Some families even venture to Washington for cherry season, or to Mexico between harvests. The majority of migrant farm workers are legally authorized to live and work in the U.S., according to WestEd. Although most migrant students are in school at least part of the time, some aren't enrolled in school at all. They're either working in the fields themselves, caring for younger siblings or otherwise helping their families. Migrant students, many of whom are English learners, tend to struggle academically. Of those who are enrolled in school, only 16% met the state's math standard and 24% met the English language arts standard last year. But migrant students had relatively high graduation and college-going rates – primarily community college – in part thanks to the Migrant Education program. Students can get help with reading, math, science, English language skills, one-on-one tutoring, health and social-emotional support, and help enrolling in college and navigating life after high school. For nearly a century, the U.S. has offered services and protections to farm laborers from other countries. The Bracero program, an agreement between the U.S. and Mexico starting in 1942, allowed Mexican laborers to legally work in U.S. agricultural fields. That program ended in 1964, but President Lyndon Johnson stepped in to enact a host of other programs that benefitted migrant laborers, including the landmark Immigration and Nationality Act and the Migrant Education program. Early in his career, Johnson had worked as a teacher at a school along the Texas-Mexico border where most of his students were the children of immigrants. He helped teach them English, started sports and literary clubs and drove them to nearby towns for athletic and speech competitions. He used his first paycheck to buy playground equipment. That experience was the inspiration for the Migrant Education program as well as Johnson's other anti-poverty programs from that era, according to the National Archives. The Migrant Education program served about 270,000 students nationwide last year, and is among the smallest of the federal education grants. Of all the programs Trump defunded on July 1, Migrant Education has the lowest price tag: $121 million for California, $375 million nationwide. 'Dark times' De-funding the program has had a chilling effect on migrant families everywhere, said Debra Benitez, director of migrant education services for WestEd. Most migrant families deeply value education, she said, and are willing to make extraordinary sacrifices for their children to go to school. The Migrant Education program allows that to happen, she said. 'This is a population of individuals who've dedicated their lives to agricultural labor, very difficult work which we know historically no one else is willing to do,' said Benitez, whose grandparents were migrant laborers in the San Joaquin Valley. 'All they want is for their children to be educated.' She believes that defunding Migrant Education will ultimately hurt the economy because immigrants play such a crucial role in farming, dairy, fishing and other industries. 'These families who have historically worked as migratory farm laborers, their plight has long been hard and arduous. But they're proud to contribute to California's economy,' Benitez said. 'And then there's the human side of it. It's painful. These feel like dark times.' Bilingual teacher pipeline Mini-Corps works with 28 colleges and universities in the state to train tutors to work in schools and camps. Tutors earn $17.25 an hour and gain classroom experience that can give them a leg up for a teaching career. Most are bilingual Spanish speakers, but some speak Punjabi, Chinese, Hmong and other languages of California migrants. The idea is to help migrant children while also creating a pipeline of bilingual teachers. Daniel Martinez-Osornio worked as a Mini-Corps tutor for migrant children when he was a student at Cal State San Marcos. He spent his time at schools in Vista and San Marcos, helping students with classwork but also 'building connections, helping kids so they didn't feel called out or uncomfortable,' he said. Having grown up in Salinas, Martinez-Osornio understood the challenges that migrant students faced. Although his family didn't move frequently for work, many of his cousins and friends did. With more than 4,300 migrant students, Monterey County has one of the highest percentages of migrant students in the state. 'I know it's tough. The parents are working all day, and kids have to be home to take care of their siblings — or be taken care of by siblings,' he said. 'The kids just want someone to talk to about their day, what's going on, express their feelings. They just want to have some happiness.' Martinez-Osornio was so inspired by his work in the Mini-Corps program that he decided to become a teacher. He recently earned his credential at Stanford and hopes to be a bilingual elementary teacher in Salinas. He was shocked when he heard that the federal government stopped funding the program. 'It breaks my heart,' he said. 'I just couldn't believe it, considering the impact it has on kids and families. It's generational impact.' Waiting and hoping Some counties have been able to salvage their summer migrant programs without laying off staff, at least for now. The Fresno County Office of Education, which has the state's third-largest migrant program with 6,300 students, has converted half of its summer programming to a hybrid virtual format. Instead of two weeks at an outdoor education camp called Scout Island, students will spend one week there and one week on other activities, including online learning. Fresno County Superintendent of Schools Michele Cantwell-Copher said her office would continue to help migrant students as best it can, but it will likely have to make deep program cuts. '(This program) is a lifeline for thousands of students in Fresno County,' she said. 'The students who are impacted by cuts to migrant services are the same students whose families put food on our tables. We will continue to advocate fiercely to ensure these young people get the support they deserve.' Imperial County, which has 3,543 migrant students, received nearly $5 million last year for its migrant education program. Nonetheless, the county doesn't plan any layoffs or program cuts, in part because County Superintendent of Schools Todd Finnell said he's confident that the federal money will come through eventually. Also, the program is worth keeping even without the federal resources, he said. 'Our students and families benefit significantly from the program and any reduction or elimination would certainly be a loss in our mission to improve the quality of life in Imperial County,' Finnell said. 'Hope that you didn't have before' Yvette Medina, whose parents are laborers from Mexico, moved every few months as a child. Her parents picked cherries, tomatoes, watermelon, asparagus and apricots, sometimes working in packing plants in Stockton or Tracy. Medina didn't spend an entire year at one school until her senior year in high school, when she stayed with an aunt in Manteca. Mentors in the Migrant Education program helped her enroll at Sacramento State, and inspired her to become a Mini-Corps tutor herself. 'In a world where you feel lost, it's another person who speaks your language, reflects your culture,' Medina said. 'They're in college, they're role models. You think, oh my gosh, I want to be like that too.' Medina worked as an elementary school teacher for several years after graduating, and now runs the Mini-Corps program at the Butte County Office of Education. In addition to running that program, the office oversees Migrant Education for 22 counties between Sacramento and the Oregon border. 'Mini-Corps changed my life, it changed my family's life,' Medina said. 'It introduced me to a profession where I'd have access to a salary, benefits, networks. It gives you hope that you didn't have before.' This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license. Solve the daily Crossword
Associated Press
6 days ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Key player in California's water wars embraces controversial pact
After decades of deterioration and ecological collapse in the heart of California's water system, state regulators embraced the Newsom administration's controversial plan to overhaul how farms and cities take water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and rivers that feed it. It's a major development in a long-running battle over how much water must flow through the Delta for the survival of iconic Chinook salmon, sturgeon and other species — and how much can be tapped for tens of millions of Californians and vast tracts of Central Valley farmland. On one side are conservationists, the fishing industry, Delta communities and Native tribes: They want stringent rules requiring cities and farms to take less water from the imperiled watershed. On the other are Gov. Gavin Newsom, major urban and agricultural water suppliers, and the state and federal agencies tasked with exporting Delta water to farms and cities further south. They back a $2.9 billion pact reached three years ago that would allow water users to help restore fish habitat and forgo some water, rather than face strict requirements mandating how much water must remain in the rivers. On Thursday, staff with the State Water Resources Control Board threw their support behind the pact as the major path forward in a long-awaited update. Next comes a period of public comment and hearings before the water board's five governor-appointed members will consider adopting the plan. The pact, backed by $1.5 billion in state funding, is called the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes program but better known as the 'voluntary agreements.' Under the plan, if adopted, those who don't sign on to the deal would face minimum flow requirements, which the water board may also consider adopting if the voluntary agreements fail to show 'sufficient benefits' at the end of an eight year term. The stakes are high for revamping the Delta's rulebook as fish populations plummet, commercial salmon fishing faces an unprecedented third year of shutdowns, and farmers struggle with unpredictable water supplies and restrictions on groundwater pumping. Participants in the deal — including Westlands Water District, the nation's largest agricultural supplier — say the Newsom-backed voluntary agreements will keep water flowing for farms and cities, and promote restoration of floodplains and other river features. 'It's a false narrative that it's people in cities, against agriculture, against fish. I think we as Californians need all of that to be able to function,' said Allison Febbo, general manager of Westlands Water District. 'We can actually maintain water delivery for our cities and our farms, but we can actually also be pretty thoughtful for our ecological systems.' But opponents are dismayed. They say that the voluntary agreements provide too little water and too little habitat to protect the fragile Delta ecosystem and the fish, industries and residents that rely on it. 'This latest plan is a shocking display of cowardice,' said Jon Rosenfield, science director of San Francisco Baykeeper. 'Even if the pledged water is delivered as promised, which is a big if, it barely moves the needle on the lack of adequate flows for fish, wildlife, fisheries and the communities that depend on those things,' Rosenfield said. Newsom also said today that he intended to use the budget process to push through a bill that would waive requirements under the landmark California Environmental Quality Act for water quality control plans like this one. Lawmakers punted on Newsom's bill earlier this summer during the thick of budget negotiations, but could still take it up before the end of session. Environmental groups fear that, if the bill passes, it could limit disclosures about how the plan would affect the Bay-Delta, and their ability to sue. Ashley Overhouse, water policy advisor for Defenders of Wildlife, said the exemption is 'bordering on undemocratic because you are cutting out the public in an important process … For the Bay-Delta, that is particularly important.' Rosenfield added: 'If it's such a great plan, why would you want to hide the results from the public?' Epicenter of water wars California's Bay-Delta has long been the epicenter of the state's water wars. The watershed, formed by the Sacramento and San Joaquin river systems, stretches from about Fresno to beyond the Oregon border and drains about 40% of California. It's the core of the state's water supply, supports much of the state's imperiled commercial salmon fishery, and is home to hundreds of native plant and animal species. For years, state regulators have warned that the Delta is experiencing an 'ecological crisis' with a 'prolonged and precipitous decline in numerous native species,' including endangered winter-run Chinook salmon and the tiny Delta smelt. Current requirements have 'failed to protect fish and wildlife' and must be updated 'in an expedited manner to halt and reverse the ecosystem collapse,' according to a 2017 fact sheet from the water board. But the rulebook hasn't been meaningfully updated in 30 years. State regulators adopted new flow requirements in 2018 for portions of the Lower San Joaquin River and its major tributaries, but they have been tied up by litigation and, according to the Legislative Analyst's Office, by 'consideration of (voluntary agreements).' They have not yet been implemented. Now, regulators are considering updates for the rest of the watershed. This much larger portion includes the Sacramento River and its tributaries as well as the Calaveras, Cosumnes, and Mokelumne Rivers and the San Francisco Bay-Delta. Newsom has long pushed for a deal with water-users over mandates. 'Our first task is to cross the finish line on real agreements to save the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta,' he said in his first State of the State address. 'We must get this done — for the resilience of our mighty rivers, the stability of our agriculture sector, and the millions who depend on this water every day.' State officials say that they expect this approach will engender more cooperation and avoid lawsuits that could delay action. 'Sometimes people say, 'Well, isn't it just politics and not science that's driving this?'' Wade Crowfoot, California Secretary of Natural Resources, which supports the agreements, told CalMatters in April 2024 before a series of workshops about the agreements. 'And I say, 'Well, ultimately, in California water, the decisions are often validated through legal challenge.'' The voluntary agreements are the culmination of years of negotiations with powerful urban and agricultural suppliers such as the Westlands Water District and the agencies that make up the State Water Contractors. Though called 'voluntary,' water board executive director Eric Oppenheimer says they would still be legally enforceable. The proposal meters out an average of up to 700,000 acre-feet of water in certain years, according to state officials — enough to supply up to 2.5 million households for a year. The amount varies, though depending on how wet or dry the year. Water users have not committed to leaving any additional water in several rivers including the Sacramento, Yuba, and Feather in critically dry years. It also calls for restoration of around 45,000 acres of spawning, rearing and floodplain habitats, backed by about $1.5 billion in state funding, $600 million from the water providers, and $740 million expected from federal funds, according to Jennifer Pierre, general manager for the State Water Contractors. By also promoting habitat restoration under the voluntary agreements, 'we think we can achieve significant ecosystem improvements, and we think it can be done with a lower water supply impact,' said Eric Oppenheimer, executive director of the State Water Resources Control Board. But, he said, at the end of eight years, if the 'board made a determination that the voluntary agreement pathway wasn't achieving sufficient benefits, it could then start a process to shift over to the regulatory pathway.' The regulatory pathway, by contrast, calls for maintaining flows of 35% to 55% of the amount of water that the rivers would have carried were they not dammed or diverted — an amount called unimpaired flow. For some, rain-fed tributaries that provide municipal supplies, there would be no flow requirement at all in the driest conditions. Water suppliers say such mandates would strike a major blow to their ability to provide water for cities and farms, and touted the habitat projects supported by the voluntary agreements. 'We're talking … about significant reductions in delivery to the San Joaquin Valley during dry years,' Pierre said. 'I would never argue that fish don't need water. They of course do. But in that water are things like refuge and food and adequate temperatures that are really being promoted.' Like a fish needs water Opponents, however, say there is far too little water provided in the voluntary agreements, and that the updated flow requirements are also far weaker than previous proposals. State officials did not provide a comparison between the two pathways. Oppenheimer said that the comparison is not 'apples to apples' because of the inclusion of habitat restoration efforts under the voluntary agreements. 'I know everybody wants to know how the two compare when you compare flow. But you know, from my perspective, it's not a valid comparison,' he said. 'There is no translation between habitat and water.' That, environmentalists say, is the problem. Fish habitat, they say, needs to be wet. 'For fish, flow is the habitat. There is no evidence that restoring floodplains or tidal marshes, in the absence of adequate flow, produces any benefit,' Rosenfield said. Conservationists and fishing organizations also fear that the voluntary agreements would pave the way for more water to be diverted from the Delta by future water projects such as Sites Reservoir and the deeply controversial Delta tunnel. A state analysis, published in 2023, reported that without additional protections, 'existing flows may be reduced in the future, particularly with climate change and additional water development.' Opponents have also warned that thousands of acres of the habitat restoration promised under the voluntary agreements are already in the works, which they say reduces how much the deal would benefit fish species. (Pierre counters that this is a plus of the agreements, and reflects early action during negotiations.) And critics say that the voluntary agreements require money and cooperation from a federal government that has slashed environmental programs and called for 'Putting People over Fish' in a memorandum issued on President Trump's first day in office. 'This is a sad day for the State Water Board and one more on a long list of bad days for salmon,' Scott Artis, executive director, Golden State Salmon Association, said in a statement. 'Commercial fishing in California has been closed for three years because of unsustainable water diversions. This looks like a plan to kill California's most important wild salmon runs and fishing jobs.' ___ This story was originally published by CalMatters and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
Yahoo
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
As 2026 pool for CD-22 heats up, Democrat Asm. Dr. Jasmeet Bains touts endorsements
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The 2026 race for the California's 22nd Congressional District is heating up quickly. Last week, Assemblywoman Dr. Jasmeet Bains (D-Delano) declared her candidacy to unseat incumbent Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford). The Bains for Congress campaign announced the congresswoman-hopeful has received dozens of notable endorsements, just days after throwing her hat in the ring. One credible name, Kern Democratic State Senator Melissa Hurtado — a fellow moderate Democrat and close political ally. SEIU California endorses Asm. Dr. Jasmeet Bains in congressional run for CD-22 The campaign also said numerous city leaders from Arvin, Shafter, Delano, McFarland and Wasco are backing Bains in her fight to unseat Valadao, following his vote for Republicans' 'Big, Beautiful Bill.' Bains, a family doctor, has pushed her agenda to focus on health care, arguing that by voting for the budget bill, the sitting congressman voted for cuts to federal assistance programs such as Medicaid and Medicare. At the state level, California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, State Treasurer Fiona Ma and State Controller Malia Cohen are behind Bains. California congressmembers have also announced their endorsements. Especially noteworthy is the endorsement by Democratic Congressman Adam Gray, who beat incumbent Republican Rep. John Duarte in the 2024 election by just 187 votes, flipping a purple district. Gray's 13th Congressional District is just as contentious and swing of a district as Valadao's 22nd Congressional District has been, without fail, in each election cycle. SEIU California – a group of local unions of those in health care and public service jobs – as well as IBEW Local 428, a labor union in Bakersfield have endorsed Bains as well. Support for Democratic candidates in pivotal CD-22 race takes shape Democratic infighting has presented itself, as candidates approach the June primary. Fellow Democrat Randy Villegas announced his candidacy for CD-22 in April. Villegas, a school board trustee in Visalia, is known as the more progressive candidate in the race, compared to Bains, who's made a name for herself as a more moderate Democrat in the California Legislature. On Monday, Villegas received the endorsement of a progressive Democratic organization Working Families Party (WFP), further differentiating his campaign and platform from that of Bains'. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Villegas stated he's collected over 4,000 individual donations amounting to over $250,000 of campaign cash. Bains stated she's has raised over $175,000 since her launch. 'This early show of grassroots support is a powerful affirmation of our message: families across the Central Valley want real leadership on health care affordability and a representative with the courage to act,' Bains stated in a press release. It still remains to be seen how Democrats will perform in June, and if any splitting of the blue vote between the two could allow for Valadao to advance to the November general election, taking him one step closer to another term on Capitol Hill. Click here for the full candidate profile of Jasmeet Bains. Click here for the full interview with Jasmeet Bains. Click here for the full candidate profile of Randy Villegas. Click here for the full interview with Randy Villegas. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
23-07-2025
- CBS News
California mother, 8-month-old daughter missing for over a week, last seen in Fresno
Authorities in the Central Valley are seeking information after a Sacramento County woman and her infant daughter went missing more than a week ago. According to the Fresno County Sheriff's Office, 36-year-old Whisper Owen of Elk Grove was last seen with her daughter, 8-month-old Sandra McCarthy around 5 p.m. on July 15 in Fresno. Deputies said the pair were driving from Fresno to go back home and have not been seen since. Owen is described by deputies as 5'6" tall, weighing 145 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. McCarthy is about 22 inches tall, weighing 17 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes. Deputies said she may have been wearing a pink onesie at the time she was last seen. The pair are believed to be traveling in a silver 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer SUV with California license plate number 9LKH008. The California Highway Patrol has issued an Endangered Missing Advisory in the case. Anyone who may see Owen or McCarthy is asked to call 911.
