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The FOGHORN
ROTARY CLUB OF HALF MOON BAY
July 22, 2021
Sustainable Agriculture on the Coastside
Half Moon Bay City Council Member Joaquin Jimenez
Article by Dianne Bobko
Photos by Dianne Bobko
Joaquin is an active and popular community organizer with extensive experience with Puente and ALAS. he grew up in this community and he is dedicated to making it a better place. He will be speaking of his program to further agriculture on the Coast. It is a terribly important program to insure its future by working in the community with land owners and laborers. His program encompasses a broad spectrum of efforts including education, means and methods, health issues, Science, conservation and social integration. The goal is one that ‘lifts all boats”; that of food security, sustainability and economic success. Joaquin also serves on the HMB City Council and actively supports numerous community projects.
Joaquin talked in more detail about what he is doing in the community basically his work with ALAS and Puente (previously) and as a member of the community and the City Council.
He showed a picture of farm workers in the field. They have been working in our community for over 30 years. The picture showed them harvesting English peas from last year’s harvest. His parents were farm workers in US and Mexico. His heart is in the preservation of farms and farm labor in our community.
He was a founding member of the farm workers community. He introduced it to the city. It’s about not just farming but running a business and has evolved into a farming core. There is a group in Davis interested in this model to offer it statewide. The model has a lot of history, and took a lot of research, and education programs to put it together. In US 98% of farms are owned by white farmers and they are in what is call the age of the Silver Sunami. White farmers are retiring, and their families are not interested in continuing to be farmers; so, they are selling to big corporate farms. His model is of farming as a co-op where farmworkers to take over the business of farming for food security.
At first the goal was to help the farmworkers get more income after work and on weekends and has now evolved to include education, mental health, protecting the environment, and climate change. He hopes to get it implemented in HMB in next few months and is currently working with private owners about the concept. He is ready to get started and show the community how Latino farmworkers are taking initiative to assure the heritage of farming and ranching on our coast and educate community on what they are trying to accomplish.
The HMB coast is the only farmland in San Mateo County, and we can lose it to developers etc.; and then we will not have any more farming on the coast. They are working with Food Justice coalitions on the coast and trying to keep the 1000 acres that are not being farmed from becoming wetlands and other uses. As a result, food security here on the coast is being jeopardized. In the last 10 years, Farm workers have been moving out of the Coast and going to the Central Valley and out of State. 25K is their average income with the highest only 35 -37K a year. Part of their mission is also to work with City and County about providing affordable housing.
Some sobering facts: 1) in 10 years the field behind him (in the original slide photo of the farmworkers) won’t be there; 2) One field of artichokes couldn’t be harvested this year because there were no people to harvest them.
His hope is that the C0-Ops will mean there will continue to be farms here and farmworkers to harvest them. This is basically a program to develop the farm worker to the Farmer, and now has developed beyond that. It should be of interest to us that one of the farmworker families who have been here for 20 years became an owner about 1+ years ago before pandemic. They were hoping for a really good year for him and his family. But the pandemic changed all that. Since he didn’t qualify for government help, he was ready to give up. ALAS become active working with him to market his beans which is his prime crop. Got him a spot in the Farmers Market. All family members helped him since they also had lost their jobs in the pandemic. Now from a webinar, he has been contacted by U of C Health and Wellness Dept who are interested in buying his beans. He will be making a presentation to them to get a contract in time for the harvest in September and October. He and his family are very happy. He was 28 when he came to US as a farmworker and is now an independent farmer and is very happy. He and brothers and in-law bought a few cattle and are starting a cattle ranch here on the coast, within a year they could see some benefit. They are meeting with local restaurants and Mid-Pen to work with them on this.
They are implementing a program to reverse greenhouse and erosion effects on our coast through carbon sequestration. His grandparents in Mexico lived this way. They had the 3 Sisters approach to farming - corn, beans, and pumpkin, the 3 sisters. Those 3 seeds help build the soil. He used to help his grandparents as a young boy. This approach helped the soil to stay productive and healthy. When he was 10, he then worked with the horses and plow; so, farming is in his blood, and he wants to continue this himself and give those youths coming up to have this opportunity and for the coast to continue to have farming here
Need different groups here and in the county to join in to support this. And have young and new farmers take pride in this and have the opportunity to farm.
Q&A.
Susan - Troubled about the lack of documentation for people; such a roadblock. What can be done.
Ans. Looking for possible amnesty - hoping for help from the government.
Community members who have been here for 20 plus years children have gone through the schools and graduated and ready to go on to college.
Some come across the border illegally because it is a federal offence. But working with lawyers to change this.
Avg of 10 years to become legal and even more. They pay taxes and have an ID number. But it still takes 10 years.
Rosi - Concerned about the cost for the legal help. And her friend who is an immigration attorney says it takes a long, long time.
Sometime the costs are even as much as 100K eventually. Start out at 10K and more.
Cost for final citizenship is around $750 after you have made it through all the delay and costs before.
EJ - Great presentation. In reference to ALAS and Puente, Rotary has been donating to them.
Are they helping with the legal side?
Ans. Yes, Puente has a program that helps with people to become legal/or gain citizenship.
Both Puete and ALAS have attorneys who help them. Also, Coastside Hope has an attorney who helps them with paperwork. Others outside of community periodically help too.
Larkin – I applaud your dedication and work for farmworkers and all the people in the community. Tell us more about what ALAS is doing.
Ans. (Larkin was his teacher in HS and he enjoyed being her student. When he does talks, he mentions about her support for him that continues. He thanked her for everything.) ALAS Has a Council for Education, Mental Health for everyone in the community, children students, farmworkers. They visit the fields weekly, have a Food Pantry, Resources for Community. Ongoing every Saturday, they give food to the community and everyone is welcome. There is a Summer camp program this year in conjunction with UCSF, High school students, School District, and community. Sixty (60) students are in program from 5 to 17 years old. The joy on their faces when he sees them is so wonderful. It includes music, voice, guitar, drums, dancing, movement, and physical activity.
They have green shirts, and you see them out around the city and library etc. Volunteers make lunch for them - organizations and individuals.
Last week was the recital from all their programs at the community center and afterward there was a taco truck and ice cream truck for all involved. A great event. He took videos he asked the questions: What is Joy? What is Happiness?
His phone is on all day, every day. This is not just an ALAS program but a whole community program. People donate food and there has been a Breath for Life program where parents made masks for workers and anyone else who needed them - masks, hand sanitizers, shields.
People came from as far as the Modesto area to get them. Last April what he saw in the fields in addition to needing masks for farmworkers, they also said they were cold in this climate. Within a few months, his group came up with Hoodies for Farmworkers (they are green). ALAS provides lunch on Fridays to workers. They rotate farms and get donations from the restaurants here and even from Santa Cruz and families cook food for the workers also.
You can buy a hoodie or donate a hoodie for a farmworker. Green Sweater = Farm Worker
John E - John was visiting with Jaoquin by Taco Truck, and every kid who came by gave Joaquin a big hug. They all know who he is.
Ans. He was at the Bank and he heard overheard a Mom and little girl who said to her Mom. “Hey Mom , there’s Joaquin.” He was very touched that even the little girl knew who he was.
Sean - Thanked him and Belinda and looking forward to partnering with them on several programs.
Ans. A program coming up he is very proud of is putting education, science and health in the fields using a mobile program. It is a bus with WIFI and computers, private area for farmworkers to meet with Doctor , mental health staff, tutors. They have the funding in collaboration with school district and an Adult School using Zoom.
Joe - Iinvited him to join. He certain embodies our motto of “Service Above Self”. Joe gave him a certificate of appreciation donating money to the Rotary International Polio Plus program.
Joaquin in response commends Rotary Club for what we do here and in the world. He is considering becoming a member and thanks Stacy for inviting him. Happy to have been able to present to us
Email. jjimenez0973@gmail.com personal. ALAS. Joaquin@alasdreams.com
Club Meeting - July 22 , 2021
Pres. Joe B. called the meeting to order.
Pledge of Allegiance - Kevin O'Brien
Inspirational Thought - EP sent the thoughts for today and Warren read them. (Editor's NOTE - The transcript could not be copied into this site due to sizing and words cut off. Sorry, the thoughts were very appropriate for today's world and our responsibilities as Rotarians.). Thank you EP
Announcements
Joe Thank you to Rose for the wonderful evening and the luminarias she and Renee put in a lot of time dedication.
Rose reported that we raised over 11K and expect more coming in. That evening alone over 1K was donated. It was a very emotional evening thank you to all who supported this
Susan mentioned that Ken Paul Lozada passed away.
Joe and Paul attended meeting about Pumpkin Festival. We will hear on Aug 9th if we will be one of the organizations participating. Joe will be meeting with Warren to get forms filled out for the food.
Mitone got email from Coastside Seniors about the need for volunteers to paint a railing. She will send out email for volunteers through Club Runner. It will take a couple of hours of your time.
Mitone and Warren will head our efforts for the International Coastside Cleanup.
Joe attended a ZOOM meeting and saw videos about other club’s plans for the new environmental focus area.
Pacifica showed a project of theirs and have offered to team with us on a project.
The joint meeting with Pacifica is in the planning stage, and we have all agreed to invite Milbrae as we have sometimes in the past. We are hosting. In looking at calendars for a date, Pacifica’s preference is early 2022. Going to get with Milbrae for their possible dates
Warren When will we be back at the Library? Joe doesn’t have any new information, other than late August. Warren has reached out to Patty, our caterer. We are planning to continue with the 2 options for lunch or no lunch. Library County masks rules to wear masks inside. Warren hope we will be back by Sept.
Pres. Joe's Weekly Quiz Featuring the States of the USA - This week it's Washington State's turn.
State of Washington is known as Washington State vs Washington DC
Joe thought at first about one state each week and to take us on an Imaginary Visit.
First question today is whether anyone is from there. Kevin, not from there, but lived there; but his father was from there and he worked as a lumber jack, so everyday he woke up and saw Mt Rainier - it was surreal.
Joe told of being in England and while visiting a church, the vicar showed him the coat of arms of George Washington’s family. Washington State was ceded by Great Briton in 1886 and admitted to Union in 1889 as one of the last states to join. Joe has sailed there a lot. He told the story of a somewhat famous border dispute in the San Juan Islands area - Us and Canada. There were soldiers from both sides there, and a big pig went to Canadian side and got into a potato farm and ate the potatoes; a week later the same thing happened, and Canadians shot the pig – the shortest war between the US and Canada
There will be the Wooden Boat Festival in Wash. in Sept. and Joe will be there. Culturally the State is one of the most educated and healthiest. 7.7 million population; #13 largest state in Union; most live in the greater Seattle area. Mt Rainier is the 3rd highest peak in US. Mt Rainier most topographically prominent in the contiguous US.
Kevin mentioned that he stayed at a hotel in Washington State visiting family and discovered the Lake Union Wooden Boat Museum. Also lots of boats there to rent and sail. Washington State is like 2 states - one part dry and sunny; the other wet and overcast a lot. East of the Cascades the dry part; West of the Cascades the rainforest climatic zone.
Warren State was named after George Washington.
Next Week's Speaker
Rod Diridon will be our next speaker. Former Head of Transit Authority. Founder of light rail. Working on high speed. Diridon Station in San Jose named in honor of him. Very interested in Climate Issues.
Marble Draw 
Too bad Joe! Green again!
Too bad Joe! Green again! Keep on Rotating!
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