A Week In July – by Christopher Valadez

by Christopher Valadez
When I became President of the Grower Shipper Association of Central California (GSA), if anyone had told me that in the course of a week I would spend a morning with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and be quoted alongside Metallica’s James Hetfield, I would have been stunned at that diversity and asked “how would that happen?” But it did happen and I am humbled as I reflect on that week and all that it represents.

Let’s start with Metallica. On July 27, Metallica’s All Within My Hands nonprofit announced Hartnell College was awarded $100,000 to help prepare Monterey County veterans for careers in the local agriculture industry. Hartnell College is partnering with GSA and the Veteran’s Transition Center of Monterey County to work with 20 formerly homeless veterans, who will be known as “Metallica Scholars.” These Metallica Scholars will complete Hartnell courses in diesel mechanics and related skills while receiving paid on-the-job training with Taylor Farms, Automated Harvesting LLC, Dole Fresh Vegetables, Tanimura & Antle and Braga Fresh. All companies are GSA members. The veterans who successfully complete the program will have an opportunity to access employment opportunities with participating agricultural employers.

The All Within My Hands’ Metallica Scholars Initiative supports students while promoting the importance of technical education and training.

“As a touring entity, we are in direct involvement with multiple essential career choices along our path. From electrical, professional driving, culinary, mechanical maintenance, public safety, logistical organizers,” said Hetfield, Metallica’s vocalist/guitarist and co-founder. “And that just scratches the surface. Those, along with a multitude of other technical careers, make our touring and our performances possible. We are passionate and grateful to these trades and trades people.”

My accompanying quote: “There’s a whole set of skills there that aligns really well with the needs of multifaceted employers. We believe this can be the beginning of a new and lasting relationship that connects the Salinas Valley agricultural sector with our local veteran community.”

Just four days prior to the Metallica grant announcement, Secretary Becerra toured and observed a farm worker vaccination clinic conducted by GSA and Clinica de Salud del Valle de Salinas (CSVS) at the Rodeo Grounds in Salinas. This clinic is part of the ongoing vaccination effort by GSA and CSVS, which was initiated in late February and has administered more than 40,000 vaccines to farm workers in the region.

Secretary Becerra was accompanied by Congressman Jimmy Panetta as well as our local elected officials. The secretary visited with farm workers receiving the vaccine and urged other industries to encourage their workforce to be vaccinated.

“I want to put a challenge out there to all the employers in America, whether you have workers in an office, on a real estate development site, in a gig economy, I want to challenge all the employers out there to match the growers’ companies in Monterey County that have gotten their workers vaccinated. It’s not difficult, it’s good for business, and it saves lives.”

Secretary Becerra added: “The Grower-Shipper Association took on the task of making sure that the employers helped workers understand and it was the Clinica de Salud that made it possible for the shots to get in arms,” Becerra said. “That partnership, with the help of all the folks who are here, made it possible for farm workers in this county to have a higher rate of vaccination than the general population.”

The Secretary’s visit and his recognition of the work of GSA and CSVS staff, ag employers, clinic volunteers and local elected officials motivated all us of to continue this important work. GSA and CSVS have begun an onsite education effort conducted by health care professionals to help encourage hesitant ag employees