Disadvantaged communities: farmworker communities

The law aims to determine whether low-income farmworker communities face barriers to receiving Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund-related investments and to incorporate those findings into the state’s community designations.

What the law does ​

• Requires the California Environmental Protection Agency to assess whether designating farmworker communities as disadvantaged would improve their access to investment opportunities.
• Requires the agency to determine, with the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, whether statewide data can reliably locate communities with significant farmworker populations, especially seasonal and migrant workers.
• Requires the agency to identify funding-access barriers for low-income farmworker communities, including eligibility rules and lack of technical support.
• Requires the agency to publish its findings online and consider them when identifying disadvantaged communities.
• Requires the two agencies to develop and implement a strategy to engage farmworker communities about environmental, health, and socioeconomic burdens.

Who it affects ​

• Low-income farmworker communities, including seasonal and migrant farmworkers.
• Community organizations, researchers, and government entities that serve or study farmworker communities.
• State programs distributing investment opportunities tied to the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.

Context ​

California Environmental Protection Agency must hold at least one public workshop before identifying disadvantaged communities.