The crops and their paychecks went up in flames: How the Mountain fire hammered farms and farmworkers
When the Mountain fire broke out more than two weeks ago, Samuel and Florentino witnessed the all-too familiar hazy, gray sky and the smell of smoke as they harvested strawberries in an Oxnard field.
The men were more than 25 miles from the blaze but a combination of high winds and smoke was enough to foul the air. Despite having N95 masks, they could endure work for only about two hours before they were sent home because of worsening air quality.
The men provided only their first names to The Times, citing job security concerns.
It was not the first time that a wildfire has kept field workers from earning a living.
Samuel said he experienced a similar episode while picking fruit in Ventura County during the Thomas fire of 2017-2018.
“The smoke affected me so much that I had to be taken to the hospital because I was having trouble breathing. It felt like I couldn’t breathe,” he said.
The nearly 20,000-acre Mountain fire was 98% contained as of Tuesday and has already destroyed 240 structures, damaged an additional 125 and scorched about 3,000 acres of agricultural land.
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Another problem caused by the fire is the loss of wages for field hands in Ventura County’s fruit and vegetable farms.
Samuel and Florentino lost two full days of pay, straining them both financially.
“Who can make money for you to pay everything that’s needed in order to live if it isn’t you,” Samuel said.
Ventura County officials are gathering information and resources for residents and farmers who have lost their property or suffered damage, but there isn’t a financial safety net for field workers because of their undocumented immigration status, according to local nonprofit groups.
Preliminary findings estimated more than $7 million in agriculture losses from the fire, which scorched avocado, citrus, raspberry and other fields as well as rangeland, said Korinne Bell, Ventura County’s agricultural commissioner.
A majority of farming operations in Ventura County are smaller growers that might not have crop insurance or are underinsured because fire coverage is not available for all farms. California’s basic fire insurance program is limited to coverage for farm structures and is prohibitively expensive, said Maureen McGuire, executive officer for the Farm Bureau of Ventura County.
“People are really scared and they’re assessing whether or not they’re going to return to farming,” McGuire said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture operates natural disaster relief programs for eligible farmers that aim to help repair damage to farmlands, provide financial assistance or offer emergency loans, depending on their situation.
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Even with some type of disaster relief, Bell said loss of land, crops and infrastructure, such as sprinkler heads, valves, pipe fittings and hoses, can set a farmer back about six years or more.
The effect on field workers can also be devastating.
Without crops to harvest, more than 42,000 field workers in Ventura County are without a paycheck in such disasters, said Primitiva Hernández, executive director of 805 Undocufund, a joint effort of immigrant-serving organizations in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.
Three days after the fire started, 805 Undocufund launched a needs assessment of field and domestic workers affected by the Mountain fire.
More than 2,800 people responded as of Thursday, with 91% of those responses coming from field workers. Of the total responses, 72% stated they lost wages because of air quality or school closures that forced them to leave their jobs to pick up their children, and 14% were evacuated from their homes.
The organization raised $150,000 to provide each of the 300 evacuated households or farmworkers who lost wages with $500 in financial relief assistance, “which is not even close to the level of need,” said Hernández.
On average an undocumented worker makes approximately $16 an hour, according to the California Immigrant Data Portal. A study on the economic contributions of undocumented workers in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties found that 20% of the immigrants in Ventura County live below the poverty line.
Unlike U.S. citizens or green card holders, undocumented farmworkers do not qualify for federal unemployment or disaster benefits.
“They [can’t] afford not [to] work, even in incredibly dangerous situations,” said Lucas Zucker, co-executive director at Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy.
Hernández said she learned from the 805 Undocfund needs assessment that some farmworkers were told by their employers it was optional for them to work the three days after the start of the fire. The workers, however, were not provided with any information about air quality, health risks or protective measures to help them make an informed decision for themselves, she said.
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Some job sites, including Samuel and Florentino’s, provided them with masks and a paper to sign, acknowledging they were given a face covering.
Working with a face mask is difficult and slows down his regular pace, Florentino said. “The mask doesn’t fit correctly, falls and sometimes the smoke still feels like it’s coming through,” he said.
The men feel they can’t miss a day’s work. “It doesn’t matter if there is a fire or a storm” because without a paycheck they won’t be able to pay rent or utilities or for childcare, food and other basic necessities and then “we’ll be taken out of our homes if we can’t pay our bills,” Samuel said. “Even if we don’t want to work in these conditions, your [financial] need, it pushes you to continue working.”
In September, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed Senate Bill 227, which would have created a program that resembles unemployment insurance for workers who are undocumented.
On the first two days of the Mountain fire, the worst days for air quality, advocate groups, the county agriculture commissioner and the Farm Bureau of Ventura County gave many farmworkers N95 masks.
But Florentino and Samuel said there is still a lack of support to help recover their lost wages.
“I want people to understand where help is going and where it’s still needed,” Florentino said.
“I think a boss should take care of his [employees] so his people can continue to work for him because if he doesn’t support his people then he’ll lose his harvest,” he said.
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