Pajaro farmworker housing project gets the OK from majority of supervisors.

A farmworker housing project in Pajaro got the green light from a majority of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Sept. 10.

The 3-2 vote paves the way for the project, consisting of two three-story buildings to house up to 250 seasonal farmworkers on a 1.3-acre site at 124 Gonda St. Supervisors Mary Adams and Glenn Church cast the dissenting votes.

The board previously looked at the project on July 9, but it was a member short whose vote would have broken a tie. It decided to push its decision to Sept. 10.

The planning commission’s 3-3 tie vote on April 10 essentially denied the project, prompting property owner Anthony Nicola to appeal the decision to the supervisors.

Pajaro residents spoke during the meeting, urging the property owner to instead open the housing units to everyone, not just restricted to farmworkers under the H2A visa program.

Sister Rosa Dolores, founder of Casa de la Cultura and chair of the Pajaro Disaster Long-Term Recovery Alliance, urged Nicola to “be a hero to our Pajaro community” by opening up even half of the units to the community.

“We have a wonderful opportunity to bring something beautiful to Pajaro,” she said. “Most of our community in Pajaro are farmworker families in need of housing.”

Attorney Anthony Lombardo, representing Nicola, said if there is not a demand for H2A housing, the units would open up for other tenants. However, he said it was unlikely, pointing to a 2018 California Institute of Rural Studies report that found the region needs more than 33,000 more units of farmworker housing to alleviate overcrowding situations.

Access to the development on the narrow Gonda Street, where vehicles illegally park on sidewalks and in red curb zones, have been a point of concern among neighbors, questioning the safety of people walking in the area.

Supervisor Luis Alejo said such projects will always have their opponents, who will cite stereotypes and say the farmworkers will bring an increase of crime in the area. But that has not shown to be true from the other farmworker housing projects built in the county, he said, with Sheriff Tina Nieto adding that farmworker housing tends to be safer than other parts of the county based on crime reporting data.

“We know when things are not true because we’ve seen the examples,” Alejo said. “We know these workers are coming here to make an honest living to support their families back home. They’re economic drivers too. These men will shop and eat in Pajaro, they’re going to be buying and supporting small businesses.”

Church said he couldn’t support the project because it will not be open to all.

“This community is in desperate need of housing,” he said. “I’m not going to vote for it because I feel the need to make that statement for the people of Pajaro and their need for housing. They are losing another lot that’s not going to be made available to them.”