Sacramento-Assemblymember Pedro Nava, Chair of the Assembly Transportation Committee, announced today the award of $6 million in state grants to Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties for the Agricultural Worker Transportation Program (AWTP).

“This program will be a great benefit to not only agricultural workers who are in need of safe and reliable transportation, but to everyone in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties,” said Nava. “It will take more than 600 cars a day off our roads, improve air quality, and increase traffic safety by ensuring that drivers follow safety regulations.”

Each county will receive $3 million in state grants to implement a local transportation program for agricultural workers to get to and from their job sites. In 2006, as Chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 5 on Transportation and Information Technology, Assemblymember Nava allocated $20 million for state administered grants so that local counties can establish AWTP in their regions.

The Agricultural Worker Transportation Program was originally created in response to numerous horrific traffic accidents involving farmworkers, including the death of 13 field laborers in Fresno.  It is estimated that close to 100 deaths have occurred in the last decade.  Safety concerns include untrained drivers, lack of seat belts, poor vehicle safety, and improper storage of tools.