Dozens of Pajaro residents attended the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, April 4, holding signs in English and Spanish that read “Justicia para Pajaro” [Justice for Pajaro], “Pajaro is Abandoned,” and “Make Pajaro a beautiful and safe place to live.”
About 10 people addressed the board, sharing their frustration and anger over how the flooding impacted their lives.
“Your inaction speaks volumes,” said Ramiro Medrano during public comment. “Your racism and classism are glaringly evident, but we will no longer stand for it.”
Medrano lived in Pajaro for over 30 years; he now lives in Salinas and has organized Pajaro residents, including at a protest in March where over 200 residents marched, asking for a federal disaster declaration and Federal Emergency Management Agency support.
President Joe Biden signed a Declaration of Disaster on Monday, April 3, 23 days after the Pajaro levee was breached.
“That does not absolve the County of Monterey from their responsibility… Taking care of Pajaro has been a very slow response,” Medrano says.
The residents issued a list of demands to the board. These include: A step-by-step plan to prevent flooding in the next five-to-seven years before the levee repair project is completed; District 2 office hours in Pajaro at least once a month with Mixteco and Spanish translators; better management of the distribution of resources; the creation of an oversight committee to ensure resources are given to Pajaro residents; and $12,000 in financial aid per family.
Eva Carrillo shared in Spanish that she doesn’t qualify for most aid because her house wasn’t affected, nor is she a farmworker. But she does need assistance – she spent her savings during the evacuation. Carrillo said her 18-year-old son is now contemplating dropping out of school and finding a job to help her to pay next month’s rent.
“I don’t want my family to be destroyed due to an ineptitude from the government I have representing me,” Carrillo told the board. Carrillo was working in Pajaro and is now unemployed.
“What you’re experiencing is truly systematic and environmental injustice,” Supervisor Wendy Root Askew said during the meeting. “Until we fully address the policies that lead to structural inequalities in our communities, we will never have a better future for our children.”