Newsom Signs AB 1890, Doubling State Farmworker Housing Funds for Napa County

SACRAMENTO: Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1890 on Sept. 30, according to the governor's Sept. 30 legislative update published the same day. The bill, by Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, D-Winters, doubles the state annual matching contribution for the Napa County Housing Authority farmworker housing centers from $250,000 to $500,000, according to the Assembly floor analysis.

The bill carries the official title "County of Napa: farmworker housing: funding." It was among the measures Newsom signed in his Sept. 30 legislative update.

Official photograph: Office of the Lieutenant Governor (public domain)

How the money moves

Under AB 1890, the increased state match flows through the Napa County Farmworker Centers Account administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development, for year-round use, according to the bill text.

The added funding is contingent on an appropriation in the state budget. The bill also prohibits using the funds for housing for H-2A guest workers, and requires employers that use the centers to house H-2A workers to reimburse the state.

What it means for Napa County

The Napa County Housing Authority operates the farmworker centers that will be eligible for the larger match. The doubled contribution gives the county a bigger state partner in keeping the centers funded through the budget process.

Photograph by Pedro Xing / via Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

Photograph by Sarah Stierch / via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)