Stormwater leaves town of Planada community unemployed, and businesses at a loss for revenue

In January, when stormwater breached a levee and forced an evacuation of the entire unincorporated community of Planada in Merced County, most of the community’s agricultural worker population was displaced and unable to work. It was a similar scene a couple of months later in the unincorporated and also largely Latino immigrant farming community of Pajaro in Monterey County, where thousands of residents were evacuated and unable to work after storms caused a nearby levee to breach. In both cases, despite working in some of California’s most vital jobs and contributing to state and local tax revenues, many of the workers were not able to access unemployment benefits.

Why? Because they’re undocumented.

To read the full report from the San Francisco Chronicle, click here.