Farm worker families put at risk while Governor Schwarzenegger's bureaucrats ignore the situation

[Omaha Steve]

Back in early September we told you about the approximately 200 farm workers and their families who live in government housing in Los Banos CA, who don’t have access to safe drinking water. Their current water supply is contaminated with arsenic, copper and radionuclide.

The Department of Fish and Game has a pipeline that could immediately provide safe water to these families, but they refuse to allow these families to use it.

More than 5,000 activists like you responded by contacting these bureaucrats, telling them to allow the community to connect to the city water supply. On Sept 11, Fish and Game responded they would commit to immediately start making the connection. However, nothing has happened.

Fish and Game is again inventing political roadblocks to stall the process.

These families continue to be put at risk by having no alternative but to use the contaminated water. Families do get a ration of bottled water. However, the amount is not enough to have clean water for household chores and practice good hygiene.

This toxic situation has to end. The migrant housing center is in the process of closing for the season, marking three years that the health of these farm worker families has been ignored by Gov. Schwarzenegger’s administration.

Sign the online petition today and tell the Governor that we won’t stand for this anymore. The Governor needs to tell his Department of Fish and Game to be a good neighbor and stop forcing kids and their families to use contaminated water. Ask him to assure the public and the farm workers that there will finally be safe water for the residents when this migrant camp opens for the season again in April 2009.

Worker representatives will hand in this petition to the Governor’s office on December 1, right after the Thanksgiving holidays.

http://www.ufwaction.org/campaign/losbanos1108

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