Before being targeted by gun violence, farmworkers in Half Moon Bay were already living in what one San Mateo County official described as “deplorable” conditions. As multiple agencies conduct investigations into the matter, officials say they’re focused on finding temporary and, eventually, permanent housing for them.
“Those conditions were substandard at best,” County Executive Officer Mike Callagy said. “We can do better. We can do better as a society, as owners, as a county to really create safe and healthy living conditions for people who are out there providing a service to all of us.”
A mass shooting at two farms in Half Moon Bay, California Terra Garden and Concord Farms, left seven dead and dozens without homes last Monday, Jan. 23. Even if the residents wanted to return, Callagy said the county couldn’t in good conscience allow them to.
Having toured the sites last Thursday, Callagy said some units looked more livable than others but questioned whether any would pass code inspections. Neither site had obtained the necessary permits to establish farmworker housing, county spokesperson Michelle Durand confirmed. Without the permits, a standard inspection hadn’t been triggered. Callagy said he wasn’t aware of any complaints that would have led to an inspection.
Ray Mueller, the District 3 county supervisor, toured the sites with Callagy and shared similar details about deplorable living conditions. One unit, Mueller said, looked like a converted shed with a bed and hot plate but no running water. Both officials said they didn’t see operable electricity or running water in multiple units.
Some RV units in better condition were on site, both acknowledged, but Callagy said even they weren’t livable and Mueller shared concerns trailers propped up on concrete blocks would not be secure during an earthquake.
“One area they said was a community gathering place. That is not a healthy gathering place. That outdoor kitchen was not a healthy place to be preparing food,” said Mueller, who campaigned on improving living conditions for farmworkers on the coast.
In an announcement Monday, Terra Garden said it plans to construct new permanent homes on a separate portion of the property for employees and their families. That decision, they said, was born out of “collaborative discussions” with local officials that revealed “a series of code and permitted requirements unknown before the tragic shooting that occurred last week.”
Disputing claims
David Oates, spokesperson for California Terra Garden, disputes conditions were as bad as officials described before last Monday’s shooting. Both in a phone interview and in email, Oates said all living quarters at the farm had water and electricity.
“No one lived in quarters without those amenities,” Oates wrote in an email Monday.
Secondary outdoor kitchenettes and bathrooms, Oates said, were also installed by the company at the request of employees who, he said, wanted more space to host visitors given that their homes would be too small for gatherings.
No residents lived in shipping containers, he said, asserting those units were only used for storage, including one photographed and shared on Twitter by Mueller. A person familiar with providing case management on the farm disputes Oates’ claim that a unit photographed by Mueller, a gray shipping container with two visible front windows and an air conditioner on the side, was a storage unit. Instead, they assert it was used for housing.
Oates confirmed a second unit photographed and shared by Mueller was a residential unit and home to the shooter and his wife.
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That unit sat on pallets, protecting it from flooding during recent storms, Oates said. Mueller said a resident of another unit told him her unit flooded despite her attempts to scoop water out using a pot and she ultimately decided to sleep on a mattress on the floor.
In separate photos shared by Oates, a unit is shown with what look like wood floors, a fully operable bathroom, a half-bath with indoor laundry facilities, a large living room and multiple bathrooms.
“I can’t speak for any other farms but California Terra Garden residents are living in mobile homes or RV. No one is living in shipping containers or tents,” Oates said in an interview on Friday, Jan. 27.
Oates also pushed back on statements made by elected officials about employees earning $9 an hour — more than $6 short of state minimum wage — saying all employees earn a base pay of $16.50 an hour and north of $20 an hour. From that pay, some employees were paying roughly $300 in rent for their on-site units.
In addition to the wages, Oates said employees are provided paid vacations, company sponsored health benefits, life insurance, disability insurance, workers’ compensation insurance and access to 401(k) plan.
Assessing facts
Callagy said property owners from both sites have said they are willing to open their books to county officials to prove they properly pay their employees. A nonprofit worker who works with the farm employees and regularly looks at pay stubs also told Callagy they make at least minimum wage, if not, slightly above, he said.
However, a number of investigations are still ongoing. The state Department of Industrial Relations said in an email statement that the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health and the Labor Commissioner’s Office are looking into potential labor and workforce safety and health violations. Fact findings for that investigation began last week after the Sheriff’s Office reopened the site.
“Both Cal/OSHA and the Labor Commissioner’s Office want to ensure that employees are being afforded all the protections of California labor laws,” read the statement. “In California, workers in agriculture and most other industries are protected by California’s labor laws and workplace safety and health regulations, regardless of their immigration status.”
Callagy said county departments will fully comply with all investigations. Once state and local investigations near completion, county District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said his office will consider whether civil or criminal cases against the property owners should be brought forward.
Meanwhile, Callagy and Mueller said the county’s focus is on providing housing to those displaced. Since last Monday’s shooting, the county has been housing residents in hotel rooms but the solution isn’t a long-term one though, Callagy said.
“We’ve got to get these families housing,” Callagy said. “They want to get back to their normal lives, so we’ve got to do that.”
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