Here’s what’s in Biden’s infrastructure proposal [CNN]
… He is set to unveil the effort, dubbed the American Jobs Plan, on Wednesday at an event in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — the opening move in what’s expected to be a months-long negotiation with Congress. … The President plans to pay for this part of his recovery package by raising corporate taxes — a core campaign promise the administration says would raise more than $2 trillion over the next 15 years. … The proposal would upgrade the country’s drinking water, wastewater and stormwater systems, tackle new contaminants and support clean water infrastructure in rural parts of the country. … Biden wants to invest $100 billion in order to give every American access to affordable, reliable and high-speed broadband.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/31/politics/infrastructure-proposal-biden-explainer/index.html
Newsom sets aside $80 million for more firefighters, anticipating another bad year for wildfires [San Francisco Chronicle]
… The $80.74 million includes funding to hire a surge of nearly 1,400 Cal Fire firefighters, with most of the funding going toward crews building fuel breaks and defensible spaces in vulnerable communities before the peak of the fire season later this year, Newsom’s office said. The bulk of the funding will provide for 1,256 seasonal firefighters through June 30, Newsom’s office said … Experts have raised concerns that wildfires may soon be a year-round reality for California because of the state’s warming and drier climate.
Two Fresno-area ag companies agree to settlement in LGBTQ discrimination complaint [Fresno Bee]
Two central San Joaquin Valley farming companies have agreed to settle an LGBTQ discrimination complaint involving two women who say they were singled out because of their sexual orientation. … The EEOC investigated the allegations and found reasonable cause to believe that farm labor contractor Family Ranch Inc., a Central Valley company, and fruit grower Family Tree Farms violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Without admitting liability, Family Tree Farms in Reedley agreed to enter into a two-year conciliation agreement with the EEOC.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article250324751.html
Local organizations vaccinate 200 farmworkers, promise more vaccine equity to come [KOVR TV, Sacramento]
On the eve of Cesar Chavez Day a local organization is making a major push to get farmworkers vaccinated in Sacramento County. La Familia Council Center with help from several local partners hosted their first drive-thru vaccination clinic in Isleton, with more than 200 people showing up to get a shot. … Executive Director of La Familia, Rachel Rios, says they are hoping to break barriers by bringing more vaccines to rural communities in Sacramento County.
https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2021/03/31/organizations-vaccinate-farmworkers-equity/
Hispanic leaders see political symbolism in first lady’s visit to Delano [Bakersfield Californian]
First lady Jill Biden plans to visit Delano Wednesday as part of a Democratic Party tradition local Hispanic leaders say pays appropriate tribute to the Central Valley’s disenfranchised poor while underscoring the continuing relevance of labor unions in national politics. Biden’s Cesar Chavez Day stop at Forty Acres, birthplace of the United Farm Workers union, follows visits in recent years by a series of former presidents and presidential candidates anxious to show their support for the late civil rights icon and the work that continues under the union’s banner.
Opinion: Who will fulfill the vision of Cesar Chavez? [New York Times]
More than three decades ago, Cesar Chavez, founder of the first successful union for farmworkers, predicted a future in which the cities of California would be run by people who looked like him. … His bittersweet vision proved prophetic: The legacy of the man born 94 years ago this week is in the cities, not the fields. … It will be up to the next generation, the one Mr. Chavez presciently foresaw, to make change, not just in the cities but also in the fields. Not to re-create failed guest worker programs, but to find ways to bring dignity and a living wage to the millions of American farmworkers.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/31/opinion/cesar-chavez-farmworkers.html?searchResultPosition=2
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