Thread: VENTURA CA: Vote on plan for van pool for illegal workers

County panel set to vote on plan for van pool

The program would provide farmworker transportation
By Tony Biasotti (Contact)

Friday, September 14, 2007

If you go
What: Ventura County Transportation Commission meeting.

When: 10 a.m. today.

Where: Camarillo City Hall, 601 Carmen Drive, Camarillo.
Photos

The commission will vote today on a van pool program that would carry up to 450 farmworkers a day from their homes to their jobs in the county's fields and packinghouses.

County transportation officials hope to get a $3 million state grant to launch the program. Farmworkers would pay $4 per day, round trip, to fund the ongoing operations.

The program is modeled after one that's been running for about five years in Kings County. If the project is approved and the state funding comes through, the Ventura County van pool would start running in about July 2008, said Ginger Gherardi, the Transportation Commission's executive director.

The commission would buy 30 vans, each with room for 15 people. They would be driven by volunteer farmworkers who have valid driver's licenses and have undergone background checks and medical examinations. In exchange for driving, the volunteers could ride for free and use the vans for personal use as long as they don't drive outside of the county.

The average Ventura County farmworker works about seven miles from home, according to a Transportation Commission survey of 790 workers at 35 agricultural businesses. Those who don't own cars have no easy way to get to work, since buses don't usually stop near the fields.

"The most common way that problem is solved is to pay somebody else working at the same site to drive them," said Ellen Brokaw, a co-owner of a nursery in Saticoy and an orchard near Santa Paula. "Sometimes those payments are excessive, and sometimes the vehicle might not be in very good shape."

Then there's the licensing issue. Many farmworkers are illegal immigrants, so they can't get driver's licenses. Some of them drive anyway.

Not every immigrant without a driver's license is here illegally, but "they are highly correlated," said Bob Dane, the press secretary for the Federation for American Immigration Reform. The group supports tighter controls on both legal and illegal immigration.

Dane said the van pool program is "a terrible idea" and using public funds makes it even worse.

"It's against the law to hire illegal workers in the U.S., and facilitating any part of the transaction between an employer and an illegal worker, including transportation, is aiding and abetting that illegal transaction," he said.

It's true that some of the riders will probably be illegal immigrants, but providing a van pool is no different from letting them ride the bus, Gherardi said.

In fact, the van pool will rely less on public funds, she said. After the three-year start-up phase, it would pay for itself.

"We provide public transportation, and this is public transportation," Gherardi said. "We're not going to get involved in who's being provided transportation."

Brokaw, who wrote a letter to the Transportation Commission supporting the proposal, said she might split the cost with her workers. Employers can save on payroll taxes for providing transportation, and the benefit is tax-free for the workers.

"I certainly understand the argument (against the program), but in realistic, practical terms it's against the interest of the community to have these unlicensed drivers on the road," she said.

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2 ... -van-pool/

I do not want one cent of my tax dollars to be spent on people in this country illegally.

The program is modeled after one that's been running for about five years in Kings County.

Here's the one they're modeling it on. And I can tell you I see these vans all the time!!

Welcome to AITS, the program designed to provide qualified agricultural workers in Kings, Tulare and Fresno Counties with safe, affordable vans they can use to drive themselves and others to work.

WHAT IS AITS?
It's the Agricultural Industries Transportation Services project, or AITS for short.

Who is the AITS program sponsored by?
Sponsored by the Kings County Area Public Transit Agency.

What is the purpose/goal of AITS?
AITS has one simple goal: to provide qualified agricultural workers in Kings, Tulare and Fresno Counties with safe, affordable vans they can use to drive themselves and others to work.

What is the cost to employers?
Participation in the program is free to employers.

What is the cost to the drivers and workers?
A one-time start-up grant provided money to set-up the AITS program and purchase the 15-passenger vans. The money to sustain and expand the program comes from the riders themselves. Workers pay a modest fee to ride an AITS vanpool. Far less than the $5 per day most workers must pay to ride in an unsafe, unreliable vehicle. The payments cover the AgencyÕs cost of maintaining and insuring the vans, as well as the cost of replacing them when they wear out. The drivers receive no pay -- theyÕre simply farm workers who volunteer to operate a vanpool. And enjoy the benefits of a safe, affordable, reliable commute to work.

How does the program ensure safety behind the wheel?
Vanpool drivers must have a Class C licenseÉpass a required physicalÉand provide a DMV printout showing proof of a clean driving record. The vans themselves are also equipped for safety. Each one is outfitted with a Global Positioning System, so the driver can locate help should an emergency arise. The vans also carry first aid kits, fire extinguishers and roadside safety items. And for maximum peace of mind, every van in the program is fully covered by a $2 million insurance policy.

What about the processors now using the AITS program?
They say it's making a big difference to their bottom line.

(Paramount Farms Testimony) Click Photo to Play Video

As more employers and workers learn about AITS, the program is growing in both size and popularity.

The program is seeking to reach workers who are having trouble getting to work, or may be paying for rides that are unsafe. Through radio announcements and information booths, the Agency is actively spreading the word about the program. As you stated earlier, the AITS program costs employers nothing. It's a no-profit transit organization.

If you'd like to bring the benefits of AITS to your operation, contact the Kings County Area Public Transit Agency at 866-655-5444.

Don't let worker absenteeism take a toll on your nerves or your bottom line. Get your employees to work safely and reliably at no cost to you. Get them into the AITS program!



http://www.kartaits.com/aitsframeset.html

I am all in favor of it- provided the vans are heading for the Mexican border.

Illegal means illegal and transporting illegals is aiding and abetting.

On a recent trip to the Napa Valley, we toured a winery and a smalll orchard where our host explained the technique for growing a grape vine and how the stem must be 18 inches to two feet above ground making it easier for the pickers OR machines to harvest the grapes.

I wanted to ask about machinery picking the grapes, as I'd never heard of this before, sadly I was not given the opportunity my husband was in a rush.

Is anyone going to this? I don't live far if I attend any suggestions for what my sign should say, I already have stop illegal immigration,.