Dear Senators Jackson and Stern, and Assemblymembers Irwin, Limón, and Cunningham,
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe economic hardship in our community, showing us that everyone deserves a strong safety net they can count on to support their families through difficult times. However, thousands of local immigrant families are losing their livelihoods every day and are struggling for survival while excluded from basic safety net programs like unemployment insurance and federal stimulus support.
One in 10 California workers is undocumented, with an even greater share in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties in key industries like agriculture and hospitality that depend on immigrant workers. While Californians remain committed to socially isolate and do everything possible to protect lives, many immigrant workers such as hotel and restaurant workers, housekeepers, gardeners and farmworkers work in jobs that simply cannot be done remotely, causing detrimental impacts on immigrant families and their livelihoods.