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VISALIA (California) DELTA-TIMES
Assembly approves legislation to allow growers to build farmworker
housing
BY JAKE HENSHAW
SACRAMENTO - The Assembly Monday approved revised legislation to
increase the opportunity for growers to build farmworker housing on
their land.
But Assembly Bill 494 would retain a key provision that for the first
time would prohibit cities or counties from denying approval of such
developments on agricultural land.
Overcoming resistance
Assemblywoman Anna Caballero, D-Salinas, the bill's author, has argued
that such a step is necessary to overcome resistance that sometimes
occurs to housing for farmworkers who may be forced to live in cars,
garages, attics or outside.
"Quite frankly, there are some individuals who feel 'Únot in my
backyard' when it comes to farmworker housing," Caballero said. "It's
got to be all in our backyards. We've got to be willing to house poor
people."
AB 494 targets land zoned for agriculture, including tracts in the
Williamson Act program, which gives farmers a tax break to keep their
crops in farmland instead of selling out to developers. The state
traditionally backfills counties for lost property taxes.
A 1999 bill allows growers to use up to 5 acres of land in the
Williamson Act land preservation program for farmworker housing.
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