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County reports progress on agricultural worker housing effort; survey finds language and location needs
Summary
Deputy County Executive Sylvia Gallegos updated the committee on agricultural worker housing work: 373 farmworker survey responses (91% in Spanish), eight applicants for a new senior planner position, county coordination with San Jose on AB 3035 implementation, and a congressional earmark in development.
Deputy County Executive Sylvia Gallegos updated the Housing, Land Use, Environment and Transportation Committee on May 29 about multiple county efforts to support agricultural worker housing.
Gallegos said staff will present preliminary recommendations in June for changes to the permitting process to better support ag-worker housing developments and noted the county has received eight applications for a newly funded senior planner position (the "ag ally" role), with interviews tentatively scheduled for the week of June 9.
She reported preliminary results from a farmworker survey being conducted by the county and partner SEPA: the survey has 373 respondents to date, 91% of whom answered in Spanish; 64% said they live in Santa Clara County, and about half of those live in Gilroy. Gallegos said survey respondents cited education services as a top need, including English-learning supports, school supplies for children and help applying for financial aid. "That tells me when we developed the Ag Resource Center that we need to have bilingual staff," she said.
Gallegos also described ongoing interjurisdictional work: she said the county and the City of San Jose are negotiating an agreement related to AB 3035 (a 2024 bill amending the Farmworker Housing Act) so the two jurisdictions can coordinate communications about projects sited within San Jose's boundaries. She said staff expect to bring a proposed agreement to the board in August.
Gallegos noted the county is working with congressional staff on an earmark request: she said Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren has included a request to contribute funding for the county's proposed resource center. The office is supporting outreach to local partners and expects to continue developing the program once the senior planner is hired.
There were no public speakers. Committee members praised the outreach and asked staff to continue coordination with community partners and cities in South County.
No formal committee action was required on the informational item.
