Suspected arson at farmworker housing isn’t a reflection of Nipomo’s values

My family and I have been part of the community of Nipomo for eight years and the broader Santa Maria Valley community for over 25 years. I want to express how saddened we are about the fire at the homes we purchased on Mads Place in Nipomo that would have housed guest workers from Mexico. I want to reiterate how thankful we are that no other properties were damaged and no one was hurt.

The neighbors expressed concern and frustration that they were not informed about plans for housing our workers in these new homes on the Mads Place cul-de-sac. My wife, Donna, and I are sorry for this frustration. While we had met with local officials and told them about our plans for these homes a few months ago, we realized we needed to do a better job of addressing neighbors’ concerns directly and communicating our commitment to maintaining a peaceful environment for the neighbors and our workers.

Ironically, when this fire occurred, we were in the process of organizing an open house for residents as well as planning to walk the neighborhood to meet with residents one-on-one. We have resumed these outreach plans, but we also want to share some of the information we are providing to the neighbors with the broader community.

We are family farmers trying to do the right thing by providing quality housing for our workers who are visitors to this country. Because of a severe labor shortage throughout California, farmers increasingly rely on the H-2A program, which allows employers to bring in foreign-born workers to harvest our crops. This is a government program that requires ag employers to be certified before they are allowed to participate and employ workers from other countries. Foreign-born workers who apply for employment in the United States must be vetted by Homeland Security before work visas are issued. The U.S. Department of Labor provides oversight of the H-2A program to ensure workers are treated fairly and with dignity.

Farmers who employ workers under the H-2A program are required to:

▪  Abide by the applicable hourly wage rate.

▪  Provide free housing to workers with H-2A visas (housing must be inspected and meet Department of Labor safety standards).

▪  Either provide three meals per day to H-2A workers or the housing must include kitchen facilities.

▪  Provide daily transportation to and from job sites for H-2A workers (most workers will not have cars so traffic impact is anticipated to be minimal).

▪  Hire any and all qualified U.S.-born workers who apply for employment.

Many industries rely on similar government programs when labor shortages arise, including construction, nursing, high tech, manufacturing and tourism. While the government doesn’t require housing for those guest-worker programs, many employers from those industries do provide living arrangements, as well.

By purchasing seven new homes on a cul-de-sac, we believed we were providing our workers with a positive home environment to return to each day. We have heard criticisms about the amount of men living in the homes (16 in each); however, the space is consistent with what students experience in college dorms. We are also providing housekeeping and yard service for each home.

To ensure safety and to promote a peaceful environment, we worked with a local firm to install security systems to protect our workers and the neighborhood. This security plan has been revisited and tightened since the fires.

While this crime has shaken my wife and I to the core, we love our community and know that the person(s) responsible for setting this fire is not at all representative of this neighborhood or Nipomo. We sincerely hope the individual(s) responsible is caught or comes forward for the peace of mind of the entire neighborhood.

This story was originally published April 9, 2016 at 11:14 AM with the headline "Suspected arson at farmworker housing isn’t a reflection of Nipomo’s values."