Working full-time picking strawberries and watering trees for minimum wage wasn’t enough to put food on his family’s table, so Pescadero farmworker Margarito Gomez said he decided to grow his own. “The word minimum says it all,” said Gomez, a husband and father of four who moved to the ar ea 25 years ago. “It’s the minimum to survive.”  When Gomez wraps up his day job every afternoon, he heads over to Gavilanes Farm, the farm he owns and operates with friends on land they lease from a neighbor. The farm – which mostly grows beans and tomatoes – helps guarantee his family will have healthy food to eat.  “We’re taking it very seriously,” he said. “Right now we’re farming four acres.” But so far, the farm isn’t making a profit and Gomez said he also does maintenance work for his landlord in exchange for a discount on the rent.  He’s not the only one feeling the squeeze. The coastal towns that house many of the county’s farmworkers may feel worlds away from Silicon Valley, but the cost of living is still in line with the Bay Area. The annual per-capita income in San Mateo County is roughly $84,000, according to recent U.S. Census data, but the number dips to roughly $59,000 in Pescadero and significantly less than that for the region’s minimum wage workers. Housing costs alone quickly eat up earnings. Three-bedroom homes like the one rented by Gomez and his family are listed for $4,000 or more on sites such as Zillow.  Then there’s everything else. “Right now, the money coming in just isn’t enough.” said Irma Flores, who should be retired but works caring for an elderly adult to help make ends meet. “Everything is so expensive.” Like many in the community, Flores relies on outside help to get by. She was among dozens of people – mostly mothers – lined up outside a Pescadero school to load up on groceries provided for free by ALAS, a local nonprofit that serves coastal farmworkers in Northern California.  “We’re just really grateful to be able to provide culturally appropriate foods that we know our families are going to use in their kitchens,” said ALAS Farmworker and Essential Worker Program Director Sandra Sencion. Volunteers pack food into bags alongside the organization’s Farmworker Equity Express Bus, which travels the area providing free resources, from food and basic necessities to educational and mental health services.  Some of the produce was purchased directly from Gavilanes Farm, the farm operated by Margarito Gomez.  “It’s a very special bus,” Sencion said. “Really connecting with our community to be able to bring them the services that are really challenging to get for some of our farmworkers and essential workers.” For people like Flores, the program helps relieve some of that economic stress. “This helps us because every week they bring something different,” she said. “One week it’s food. Another week, it’s clothing, soap or other essentials.” Leydi Cervantes was also in line. She arrived in Pescadero nearly 32 years ago as a teenager and is now married with four children. “Both parents have to work and sometimes that’s still not enough,” said Cervantes, who earns a living packing lettuce. “So, one of them has to take a second job. My husband finishes work here, then goes to another job at a horse ranch.” Sometimes it’s still not enough. “When we just can’t make it, we apply for financial assistance programs that help us pay the rent,” she said.  Like many farmworkers here, Cervantes rents her home and said she has given up hope of owning her own. According to Zillow, the average home price in Pescadero currently hovers north of $1 million. San Mateo County officials have identified a shortage of affordable housing in Pescadero and in neighboring Half Moon Bay, which now faces a lawsuit from the state for failing to comply with mandated housing plans. One of the proposed developments at the center of this battle is the 555 Kelly Avenue project, a landmark 40-unit affordable housing complex for elderly farmworkers. It was originally proposed in 2022 and propelled forward after the 2023 mass shooting in Half Moon Bay that exposed the substandard living conditions of local farmworkers.  Despite the lack of affordable housing in the area, there’s been local opposition to the project from some residents and city leaders regarding density and traffic concerns. Following a successful local petition drive, the project’s fate now rests in the hands of voters on the upcoming November ballot.  In the meantime, Cervantes and other farmworkers say they’ll keep pushing forward, leaning on the community for help when necessary. “Keep going,” Cervantes said. “Anything is possible. And don’t be ashamed to ask for help.” ...read more read less