7 Dead. 1 Still Alive.

Unlike the tragedy of the 11 dead and 9 wounded in the mass shooting in the Monterey Park ballroom dance hall, the Half Moon Bay mass shooting of farm workers has been deemed a workplace incident.

Assembly Member Marc Berman was quoted in the San Jose Mercury News stating, “I used to think that protecting our farm workers was about protection from the sun or from wage theft. But now it’s from gun violence, too.”

The Mercury News reported, “Monday’s rampage echoes the Bay Area’s deadliest mass shooting when a disgruntled Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority employee shot and killed nine of his coworkers in 2021. The attack left deep scars among the victims’ families and transit agency workers.

“State Senator Josh Becker, who represents Half Moon Bay, said he was speaking with an attorney involved in the VTA shooting aftermath.

“Farm workers may not be aware of all their rights, and under workers’ comp we take care of workers here. We’re here to make sure they’re aware of all their rights,’ Becker said during a visit to a farm worker aid center.”

Nothing will ever make these farm worker families whole… no injured worker ever is. But Applicants’ Attorneys have dedicated their professional lives to achieving a measure of justice for victims and their families… even when they are undocumented farm workers.

Many in the California Applicants’ Attorneys Association remember when Assembly Majority Leader Eloise Reyes went into battle for the victims of the mass shooting in San Bernardino County. As an Applicants’ Attorney herself, Eloise used her knowledge and skills to win for those injured workers being denied Comp.

Senator Becker will have Eloise Reyes and CAAA as resources in the battles that lie ahead for the Half Moon Bay farm workers.