Half Moon Bay explores more farmworker housing

In the wake of January’s mass shooting in Half Moon Bay and the revelations of farmworker housing conditions, the City Council called for more policy and funding help for better housing for vulnerable people on the coast.

“It’s absolutely essential that we build housing for our farmworkers and our other low-income workers,” Councilmember Harvey Rarback said at a Feb. 7 council meeting. “That’s something I think the council has a vested interest in and will work hard at.”

The city is reeling after a mass shooting on the afternoon of Jan. 23 that killed seven farmworkers and left another seriously injured. Chunli Zhao, a 66-year-old Half Moon Bay farmworker, is accused of allegedly entering Terra California Garden, formerly called Mountain Mushroom Farm, where he worked and shooting four people. Zhao then drove to a nearby location, Concord Farms, where he had worked previously and killed three more people. He is now in custody. The shooting has led to renewed calls to ensure better housing and living conditions for farmworkers in the area after details emerged about the substandard living conditions for many on the farms.

City Manager Matthew Chidester updated the council Tuesday and said all of the displaced families from the shooting have moved from the hotel rooms provided by the county into temporary housing, with support from Airbnb. County officials are working on getting families into better housing in the long term. Around 37 people, including 11 children, making up 18 families, were living on the farm and were housed in hotel rooms in the immediate aftermath.

“This provides them with a more stable place to live and more privacy, comfort and independence as they transition back into their daily lives,” Chidester said.

City and county staff and other nonprofits came together to provide shelter, clothes, food and additional support for people and continue to do so. Chidester said the city needed to double down on its commitment to provide affordable housing to its most vulnerable residents, like service workers and farmworkers and those unhoused. He noted there is a commitment from county and state elected officials to help with funding, presenting an opportunity for changes and more housing available. Chidester said the city must also build an infrastructure to help its growing Chinese population. The city and county are working to identify several housing options.

“The farmworkers and service workers ensure our community thrives,” Chidester said. “They provide services to the tourist economy that provide many of the amenities we enjoy every day.”

Several councilmembers expressed a need to move at a quicker pace than in previous times, given the urgency. Vice Mayor Joaquin Jiménez called for more immediate and decisive action to address substandard housing conditions that have been around for years, noting words were not enough. The council plans to form an emergency ad hoc housing committee that will meet with county and state officials about housing options in the immediate term, like mobile homes at appropriate sites. Mayor Deborah Penrose and Jimenez plan to be on the subcommittee, with meetings set to take place between the two before it becomes official at the next council meeting. The hope is that discussions will culminate in a bigger meeting with the council and other elected officials about housing plans to help farmworkers.

Rarback suggested looking at rent control in the city, noting it could emulate other cities with policies like East Palo Alto. Rarback wanted to make decisive housing steps a priority in March goal-setting meetings. Councilmember Robert Brownstone noted that many people are powerless and need more oversight help from the government, suggesting a Half Moon Bay housing board so people can more easily file complaints about conditions without fear of retaliation. He wanted to reexamine potential city housing sites if money is provided.

“I don’t feel like there is any real oversight where anyone takes responsibility when these complaints come,” Brownstone said.

Several councilmembers said the city faces financial and timing barriers to building housing in Half Moon Bay without financial assistance from the county and state. Councilmember Debbie Ruddock said the city needed more money to build housing itself, given its small budget, requesting city staff advocate the county and state for help.

“It is difficult to build affordable housing,” Ruddock acknowledged. “It’s expensive and often takes multiple funding sources.”