September 27, 2006 - Top Stories
The issue of illegal immigration is a touchy, emotional subject. It may be the touchiest political subject of the day.
Growers are no less concerned about border security than most of us. But without workers from South of the Border, their businesses may die.
Most VC growers already see a drop in the workforce caused by increased border enforcement.
Recently San Diego County Farm Bureau executive director Eric Larson wrote: “Few pieces of legislation have polarized elected officials and neighbors in the past several years as has the debate on immigration reform. The extremes range from massive fence construction and armed troops on the border to having free and open immigration. If we can all agree on one thing it is likely to be that the final remedy will lie somewhere in between. Farmers are no less concerned about national security than everyone else, but the fact is farmers rely on a foreign-born workforce.”
That is a long way of saying that he favors “comprehensive immigration reform.” No fence without a guest worker program.
Many local growers share that view.
Al Stehly, a VC resident who manages 400 acres of avocados and citrus for 35 growers, agrees.
“With enforcement only and no comprehensive reform, there will be no work force for agriculture,” says Stehly.
Why?
“The INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service) has said that forty to fifty percent of documented workers are using fraudulent documents. So, if that gets all cleaned up at once, we lose a huge work force. And there’s no plan B,” says Stehly.
“They haven’t addressed what’s going to happen when there’s massive work shortages.”
Randy Haskell, who retired in 2001 from managing Sierra Pacific, now consults for about 1,500 acres of groves.
“I’m kinda torn,” he says. “I wish honestly that we had the old bracero program where we could pick up people at the the border. It would solve a lot of issues. We don’t want a fence but we don’t want terrorists either. That’s the direction I would like. Where people could be certified, but not for extended periods.”
Stehly disagrees with those who say that illegals take jobs from legal residents. “There’s shortages right now because of increased enforcement. If that argument was true we wouldn’t have shortages.”
He adds, “Right now, I need twenty percent more people than I have. We’ve been working a lot of overtime and postponing jobs. We haven’t even started pruning.”
VC egg rancher August Fluegge, who owns two ranches with 190,000 chickens, was raised in the poultry business.
“We’re a little short of workers right now. They are just making the borders strong. We’re getting by but we are short because some left and went to other places,” he says.
Citrus grower Gary Broomell is experiencing the same problem.
“We’ve been picking oranges and we can’t get as many guys. We used to have twenty-five to thirty and now we are working with fifteen. We’re short.”
Michael Babineau, vice president of Southern Operations for Village Nurseries says, “Yes, we have had a reduction and had to use temporary labor services in some of our nurseries. We’re experiencing reductions in Orange county and Riverside although we are OK in San Diego right now.”
“What I’m finding is not so much the worker force I have, which is legal, but I’m starting to have people who are starting to look,” says Haskell.
“They are finding better jobs elsewhere. I had a call from a grower who had an irrigator who was making $10 an hour, who can now make $12. Power and water costs have risen quite radically. You wonder to yourself at what point the growers won’t be able to stay in business.”
Which invites the question: How did these jobs get done in the days before there were so many illegals?
“As far as I can remember there has always been a Mexican work force in Southern California ag,” says Stehly. “Prior to 1985 they were all illegal with very few green cards. Amnesty and employer sanctions were supposed to end that.”
Won’t legalizing illegal workers encourage others to cross?
“That's why there has to be the balance. You can’t have amnesty without some sort of controls at the workplace,” says Stehly.
He doesn’t employ illegals. “We refuse to use people who don’t provide us with documents. We’ve got too much at stake to risk it,” he says.
But his workforce IS diverse.
“We have entry level workers picking, pruning, irrigating, and we have supervisors. I’m just talking about the workforce. We have ag workers who bought their own property. They are leasing farms, becoming property owners, buying houses. One got his citizenship. You’ve got the whole gamut.”
Regarding the charge that workers who wave Mexican flags are not loyal to the U.S., Stehly replies, “I heard a good point made by one of the activists, who said, nobody criticizes the Irish flags that are carried in the New York St. Patrick’s Day parade.”
He adds, “A daughter of one of my employees is in the army. I think she has been there four years now.”
Stehly understands the passion of the opposition. “I understand where they are coming from when they see overcrowding of schools. Probably most of those people are not farm workers. Most farm workers are making a good living and can pay their own way.”
As far as a guest worker program is concerned: “There’s some people, all they do is come here to work. Others want to come here year round, especially in South California. They are not commuters, they are permanent.”
“Americans won’t do this kind of work,” says Broomell. “The big problem is with the young Mexicans who are here now, especially second generation. The first generation came up and did the ag work. The second generation doesn’t want anything to do with it. They head into construction. We keep losing workers. The only way to do it is to bring them in with a bracero program. That way they don’t impact our schools. They take the money and improve their lot down in Mexico.”
Fluegge says all of the talk about workers needing to learn English is wrongheaded. “Farm workers don’t need to speak English. One reason they can do farm work is that they haven’t gone through the same schooling we have. When you have been schooled through high school and college and try to pick eggs, you just don’t last. It’s too repetitive.
“I’ve had workers I’ve told to do a different chicken house first get upset because they like repetitive work. Can you imagine working eight hours a day doing that same thing? I wouldn’t be able to take it!” says Fluegge.
Bottom line for Stehly: “If we don’t get comprehensive immigration reform and get enforcement only you’re not only going to move a lot of the illegal people out, you will also move a lot of the production of agriculture out of the U.S.
“I tell my congressman comprehensive reform and some kind of guest worker program. Whatever you do, phase it in,” says Stehly.
“Farmers should have the ability to hire people from another country,” says Fluegge. “But to hire without them becoming citizens. The main thing I agree with is that need to keep the border strong.”
Babineau wants comprehensive reform: “We ought to pass an immigration reform that addresses the need of growers, as well as homeland security. We need something that doesn’t penalize employers that need labor that they can’t get here.”
“They obviously need to tighten up the border, that’s a given,” says Broomell. “Years ago they had the bracero program, that let the guys come in and do ag work for six works and they would go home. To me that’s the solution.”
“We need a program for people to harvest our ag products,” says Haskell. “I’ve seen some reports from in Washington state where sixty percent of the crop was lost through inability to pick. I wish there was some way to legally get people in here. That would be the right way.”
One of the fastest growing churches in Valley Center has decided to “stage” its services at the Maxine Theater.
The $2,000 a month rent that Valley Center Community Church will contribute to the Maxine will help out the theater with upkeep and provide a meeting place for the church until it can build its new church off Cole Grade Road.
“It’s a jewel of the community that people should be aware of,” says Mike Adams, administrator of VCCC, which will begin meeting at the Maxine and some classrooms at the high school beginning Oct. 1.
“Our needs at the church have been great for a long time for space,” says Senior Pastor John Sale. “As we continue to grow and were looking at moving back inside the sanctuary this fall, we said we need to reinvestigate this matter of looking in the community for a place to rent.”
They held their Easter service there and found it to be an ideal facility.
“This allows us to expand our children’s ministry and youth ministry on Sundays with the additional space we are able to rent at the high school.”
The church will only meet at the Maxine on Sunday mornings. It will continue to hold other activities, including evening services and weekday services, at the existing church on Valley Center Road. “It will continue to be actively used,” says Adams.
“First we went to the Maxine because it was the critical piece in the puzzle. They have been very kind and generous to dialogue with us and work through the logistics,” says Adams.
In addition to the main auditorium, they will use the black box theater for a nursery and a couple of the downstairs room. They will also rent ten classrooms at the high school.
They are renting the sound system, lighting system and technician.
Up to 600 members attend each Sunday morning, in two services: 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m.
The choir will sing up on stage, which can also accommodate the church orchestra and handbells.
“We’re really grateful to be able to be in what we believe to be one of the nicest facilities in VC, that allows us to better serve the people of our church as well as the community,” says Sale.
“This allows us to have a transition between our present facilities and our new property,” he says.
They have been working for four years to obtain the major use permit they need to start work on the new church.
“We hope to have this by the end of the year,” says Adams. “From that point on we will work with the architect and builder, finalizing the design.”
“It’s been a tough process with the County,” says Sale. “The local planning group has been wonderful in how they have encouraged us, and given us good suggestions along the way.”
Dennis Hollingsworth is running for a second four-year term in the California Senate.
The senator dropped by The Roadrunner last week to talk about the upcoming election.
He has three major goals:
1) Continuing with his efforts on Project Kidsafe, the purpose of which is to strengthen laws against child predators.
2) Continue the fight for private property rights.
3) Revamp the tax system to eliminate personal income tax.
“Over the next four years I’m going to continue to pursue traditional conservative Republican values and concerns, but more specifically I’m going to continue my efforts on Project Kidsafe.”
Its purpose is to strengthen laws against child predators.
Such laws are difficult to pass in a Democrat-controlled legislature.
He supports Jessica’s Law, Prop. 83 on the November ballot. Note: To find out more about Jessica’s law, visit www.83yes.com.
Hollingsworth co-authored that initiative with Senator George Runner and his wife, Sharon, who is in the assembly. Much of what is in this initiative was killed in the legislature.
“Jessica’s law puts California at the forefront of combating sexual predators rather than lagging behind as we do today,” he says.
It requires lifetime GPS monitoring of sexual predators, and creates 2,000 ft. safety zones around schools and parks. It has a one-strike provision for sexual violent predators. It makes possession of child porn a felony.
“Project Kidsafe will continue to be one of my top priorities and given my expectation that Jessica’s law will pass and go a long way towards fixing the loopholes I’ll continue to address the issue of group homes for sexual offenders,” he says.
Hollingsworth says there is a lack of oversight in the location and running of group homes for sexual predators who are transitioning back into society.
“I had bills that prevent felon ownership, that allows locals to be notified, that allows local government to zone them like an adult business,” he says.
A second priority is to fight for private property rights. “That’s the issue that made me mad enough to run for public office in the first place,” he says.
He’s strongly supports the Protect Our Homes initiative (Prop. 90), which would:
1) Reverse the Kelo decision at the state level by forbidding local governments from condemning private property to give to another private party, or to increase a tax base.
2) Require compensation for government actions that substantially reduce the value of private property, unless for health and safety reasons.
This could protect many homeowners from having their property rights diminished for environmental purposes.
The senator is aware that most water districts in the state, including Valley Center’s, opposes this issue, but he says that’s because they misread it.
“Water districts and public utilities districts are taken care of,” he says. “It just changes the terminology of what they can condemn for from ‘public benefit’ to ‘public use.’ ”
“The term ‘public benefit’ has been broadly interpreted by the courts,” he says.
“Utility and water districts really have no reason to oppose the language and the definitions have been agreed to as to what the language means. Their legitimate purposes are taken care of.
“Redevelopment agencies are the strongest opponents. They make a practice of deciding that they don’t like what you are doing with your property,” he says.
“I will continue to place public safety above restrictions of things like CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) and the state endangered species act and try to protect private property rights in other ways that are restricted.”
He had some success in this direction with SB 84, his bill that allowed for 300 ft. of clearance around institutions like hospitals, schools and above ground storage for fire protection. That was signed into law.”
The final thing he wants to do is revamp California’s tax system.
“Every two years I introduce my bill to repeal the personal income tax. I think it’s important to do that even though it barely survives the first hearing before the Democrats kill it.
“You look at states where the personal income tax is low or nonexistent and personal income growth. Prosperity is greater in those states compared to states with confiscatory tax rates.
“Look at states like Texas. It has no personal income tax, and it has an over $20 million budget surplus!”
VC fire board is getting the idea that a long term public education campaign is needed before it asks the public to up benefit fees.
However, there may be a source it can tap almost immediately: fees from developers (see below).
Directors had hoped to ask the public next year to authorize new funds. That may not be possible their consultant told them Thursday night.
Directors saw a preliminary assessment of property in the fire district and were disappointed at how little SCI Consulting Group believes they can raise.
Gerald van Steyn of SCI said that voters usually don’t support raising fees much higher than $60-$100 a year/acre.
An increase of $60 would bring in an additional $363,339 a year.
Director Dan Thornton, chairman of the board’s budget committee, was disappointed.
“None of these numbers really solves our problem,” he said. “If your survey says the public won’t support anything more than sixty dollars, that tells me we need to educate the community about what we need.”
He feels that SCI is taking the wrong approach. The public should be informed what the district needs, and then educated to support it, rather than being surveyed to find out what they will support.
“That amount won’t even cover the new station we want to build,” said Thornton. “That’s nothing. I don’t feel like I’m in the driver’s seat. I feel like we are chasing the number instead of driving it to where we need it.”
The board voted Thursday to accept County funds to pay for an extra firefighter per engine company for three years. This will bring the firefighters on each engine up to four.
However, Weaver Simonsen said the funding is temporary.
“We are looking at the County’s funding as supplementary, augmenting our needs. Once it goes away we must return to three firefighters per engine. We are getting a windfall for this amount of time,” said Simonsen.
“We plan on three years, probably two years and then it’s going to be gone,” said Thornton. “They have to understand that it is purely pass through. It does nothing for our bottom line. Personnel costs continue to point into the red.”
“One of your big challenges is that it will be a more difficult message,” said van Steyn. The public will remember that the district is getting money. It may not remember that the money could go away in three years.
“These issues are probably more challenging for your district than in other districts that we have worked with.”
His analysis looked at the parcel base and projected how much they could able to raise if a ballot measure passes.
Van Steyn said, “You have two different issues: 1) the amount you would ideally need and 2) what the public will support.
“Regardless of your needs, every community has a threshold for what it will actually pay. In many cases those numbers align. Sometimes they won’t.”
SCI has done similar elections for districts all over the state, including Deer Springs Fire Protection District, and, most recently, Santa Barbara.
Some directors were unhappy with what SCI has done so far.
“We had a lot of lead time and it seems like we haven’t done anything in that lead time,” said board president Mel Schuler. “We are now in September and I don’t know where we need to be in January.”
He would rather tell the public the district’s needs and see if the public would support them.
“It almost sounds like it doesn’t make any difference what our needs are, you’ve got a pretty preconceived idea. It doesn’t sound like a survey, it sounds like that based on previous surveys you already know what people will agree to,” said Schuler.
SCI recommends mailing the surveys in January and having a response by February.
They may not recommend that the board go forward with an election without a public education period of a year or more, said van Steyn.
“We really advise against going to the public that quickly,” he said. ‘Your need to communicate what the county money does or does not do will take some time. That’s why we have been unwilling to go that quickly.”
Simonsen was unhappy to hear that. “We are looking at three years before we see this money,” he said. “We are potentially in a difficult situation to even provide what we do today.”
The surveys will include an information sheet and a page designed to look like a ballot.
There was some encouraging news from van Steyn. The district can adopt an Annual Change in Parcels and Dwelling Units.
Property owners would pay an annual levy to build new homes.
“It’s very straight-forward to establish this funding vehicle,” said van Steyn. “It becomes a condition of building approval. It is borne by the future homeowners who will be demanding the additional service.”
It could generate $156,026 a year.
“We have several projects online. Now is the time to get involved with this,” said Thornton.
“From an urgency standpoint, every time a map gets approved its too late to capture that revenue,” van Steyn.
The board appointed a subcommittee to work with van Steyn on the survey and the new possible funding source.
The Roadrunner intends to introduce a Kids Page in the paper soon, and we need your help—and the help of the kids in town—to do it!
We want this to be a page that the kids of VC will read and enjoy, because they will write it! In some cases, when they are young enough, it’ll be OK for the parents to help their kids write the pieces.
This won’t be a school-related page. We already carry school news. What we want to accomplish is to get local kids, ages 5 up to high school age, to write about what interests them. Whatever that may be. The page will appear once a month.
The first thing is to come up with a name for the page. Send us your suggestions. We’ll pay $25 to the kid who comes up with the name we use.
Send your ideas to editor@valleycenter.com or call the editor at 749-1112.
The Valley Roadrunner
P.O.B. 1529, Valley Center, CA 92082
Tel. 760.749.1112 Fax 760.749.1688
Website: www.valleycenter.com
Email: editor@valleycenter.com
Copyright © 2006, Palomar Community Newspapers, dba Valley Roadrunner. All rights reserved. This content may not be archived, retransmitted, saved in a database, or used for any commercial purpose without the express written permission of the Valley Roadrunner.