Investigation into unincorporated San Mateo County farmworker housing finds one-third needs updates

“That’s not a passable grade. We have to do much better,” he said. “This also belies the fact that we have to have a good monitoring system, so that once we improve it, we never slip back to that again.” 

The task force intended to identify and inspect all farmworker housing in unincorporated San Mateo County, beginning the work of addressing long-standing structural issues, Deputy County Executive Justin Mates said. 

“We now have that baseline. We know where the farms are, which farms are providing [housing] and what the condition is,” he said. “As far as we know, this has never been done at the county level. Having that knowledge, we believe, will help inform policy discussions.” 

Of 145 farmworker housing units identified, 49 units required corrective action to meet health and safety standards — which ranged from installation of smoke detectors to larger foundational and repair issues. All of those repairs have since been completed or are in the process of completion, Mates said. 

One unit, operated by Contreras Farms, was deemed imminently dangerous. The family living in it was relocated to different housing, Mates said. However, the majority of housing units — around 65% — were deemed livable. 

“While we found a lot of what I would say illegal or unpermitted units, what we did not find were a lot of units that were simply uninhabitable,” Mates said. “In some ways, that was a relief.” 

Six operations housing more than five farmworkers were discovered to be unregistered and referred to the State Employee Housing Program for registration, according to the report. 

The Jan. 23, 2023, mass shooting on two separate mushroom farms created a tragic backdrop into the investigation and updates to farmworker housing.

Squalid and untenable living conditions were revealed in the wake of the shooting, culminating in the displacement of 19 families. 

The task force investigation was integral to San Mateo County improving farmworker living conditions, Mueller said.

“We certainly learned a lot about the present state of housing on the coast for farmworkers and now comes the work of both continuing to monitor, and then for the 30% that was substandard, to improve,” he said. 

To continue to rectify San Mateo County’s farmworker housing issues, the task force recommended the legalization of all existing farmworker units and construction of new units. Specific policy changes could include a local coastal development amendment to make construction easier and reducing minimum size requirements for onsite wastewater treatment systems, the report said. 

“[This is the] most effective way to ensure that farmworker units are constructed safely, are designed to the durability standards of permanent dwellings, and are built to protect and support healthy conditions for farmworker residents, the community, and the surrounding environment,” the report reads. 

Supporting safe, habitable housing must also include support for city-sponsored housing projects — like senior farmworker housing planned for downtown Half Moon Bay at 555 Kelly Ave. — some advocates say. 

While monitoring on-site farmworker housing is one solution, dreaming bigger and centering farmworkers in their own communities is the long-term goal, Dr. Belinda Hernandez Arriaga, Ayudando Latinos A Soñar executive director, said. She expressed disappointment around community sentiment that encouraged farmworker housing to be built out of town and out of sight. 

“What can be, what we can dream of, what elevates our farmworkers and their housing conditions, their housing opportunities,” she said. “Why are we still asking the question of, ‘why do they need to be here?’” 

As 555 Kelly faces planning roadblocks, another farmworker housing development, 880 Stone Pine, is set to open in May. Despite concerns around the Trump administration not deploying $3 million in earmarked funds for the development, the county will continue to press forward, Mueller said. 

“We’re not entirely confident we’re ever gonna see that money,” he said. “Nonetheless it’s not going to stop the project from moving forward.” 

To keep existing farmworker housing safe, the report also recommended increased compliance measures for safe drinking water and exploring financial support measures for construction and compliance action. 

The task force also found that approximately 356 farmworkers were living in 145 housing units identified. Though the exact number of farmworkers living in San Mateo County has long been disputed, Mates insisted that the work of the task force didn’t amount to any official census because it couldn’t account for farmworkers living off property. 

“That number is not meant to contradict or support any other estimate,” he said. 

The county has work ahead of it, Mueller said, both to make financing and upkeep of farmworker housing more attainable and in creating trust with the farmer and farmworker community. 

“There’s a number of things we will be taking up from a policy perspective in order to make it easier to do this,” he said.