Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Activists Ask Coachella Festival Goers To Support Local Farmworkers
Activists are seeking donations to support their work on behalf of Coachella Valley farmworkers.
(
FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images
/
AFP
)
While many Californians might envision a bohemian-glam music festival when they think of Coachella, a few organizations are working to show another side of the Coachella Valley community.
Farmworker rights groups want music fans coming to the desert for the second Coachella concert weekend to know what it's like for those who work the fields there all year.
They're asking Coachella fans to support their work with donations.
Elvira Herrera is an organizer with Líderes Campesinas, an organization that advocates for farmworkers who face harassment and domestic violence and works to increase their standard of living.
Support for LAist comes from
Líderes Campesinas is working with Alianza Coachella Valley, Pueblo Unido, and other groups on an Instagram campaign about living conditions for farmworkers and their families.
“We have one-on-one talks with these families. We hear their pain and we see their tears when they're telling us the water they're drinking is contaminated,” Herrera said. “We see their children walking in the dust or in the mud going to school, depending on the weather. So a lot of work needs to be done here.”
Herrera said many farmworkers work at Coachella Fest to make extra money since fieldwork doesn't pay much. Farmworkers sell tacos and other food for vendors or will pick up trash at the event.
However, she points out that while the festival brings jobs for farmworkers, the financial impact is not being felt in the surrounding areas. In return, Herrera said the community would like to see the money put into Coachella Fest be invested in the surrounding low-income communities.
“Kind of take a look at our cities, we have Coachella, we have Mecca, we're the most needed right now,” Herrera said. “If you walk or drive in those areas, you go to Mecca, you'll see people sleeping there, parked in their cars, you see their kids next to the car sitting there.”
Support for LAist comes from
The festival, which is in its second weekend, earned a record $114 million in 2017. However, the median income for Mecca is $25,179; nearly 29% of its residents live in poverty.
“And maybe part of that money can be invested here to better ourselves, have a better place to live, or even the water or better streets for our kids to walk to schools,” Herrera said.”You go to a lot of these places where they live on — they don't even have a tree, they don't have a shade where their kids could play. They don't even have a park for these kids to go play.”
She urges Coachella Fest goers to experience the Coachella Valley outside of the music festival to see how residents are truly living.
“They need to come and drive, and we're more than happy to have conversations with them and you know, drive them down to our cities where the need is," Herrera said. "Not just focus on where they're gonna go and listen to the music [and] have a good time."
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
After rising for years, the number of residential installations in the city of Los Angeles began to drop in 2023. The city isn’t subject to recent changes in state incentives, but other factors may be contributing to the decline. -
The L.A. City Council approved the venue change Wednesday, which organizers say will save $12 million in infrastructure costs.
-
Taxes on the sale of some newer apartment buildings would be lowered under a plan by Sacramento lawmakers to partially rein in city Measure ULA.
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons after suddenly shutting down six months ago.
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
Best of LAist