a commentary forum aiming to broaden our understanding of the state and spotlight Californians directly impacted by policy or its absence. Learn moreSilvia Paz is the executive director of Alianza Coachella Valley, and served as the chair of California’s Lithium Valley Commission.
This is a story all too real to the farm laborers and low-wage tourism workers who call this region home. Growing up in a small mobile home park near the Salton Sea, I saw the economic and health challenges my family and neighbors faced. I witnessed the perseverance of farmworkers toiling in the fields to produce food for other people’s families, and communities left
I’m not asking for a favor or charity. I’m asking that our communities receive their fair share because California’s future is inexorably tied to the Salton Sea’s future.