Lofgren Presents $850k Check to Establish Agricultural Resource Center in Santa Clara County

SAN JOSÉ, CA — Yesterday, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (CA-18) visited the Santa Clara County Government Center to deliver a check for $850,000 as one of her 13 community projects she submitted for the Fiscal Year 2026 congressional appropriations cycle. This funding for the County of Santa Clara will be used to establish an Agricultural Resource Center in Gilroy that will provide personal and professional supportive services that address the needs of agricultural workers and their families.

“Agriculture is such a vital part of our regional economy, and it’s important that we’re doing all that we can to support the people working day after day to put food on our tables,” said Rep. Lofgren. “This new resource center in Gilroy is going to help expand opportunity for our ag workforce. I’m proud to select this project for funding this year, and I applaud Santa Clara County for taking the initiative to make sure resources are reaching ag workers."

“Funding for the new Agricultural Resource Center will help our current generation of farmers thrive in delivering locally sourced foods that better serve our communities and our environment,” said Santa Clara County Executive James Williams. "This endeavor by Representative Lofgren demonstrates what is possible when a strong partnership exists between federal elected officials and local governments,” said James R. Williams, County Executive for the County of Santa Clara. “We thank Representative Lofgren for her commitment to the more than 8,000 agriculture workers in Santa Clara County who ensure we have a safe and bountiful food supply, both locally and across the nation.”

“For too long, local farmworkers have been left to fend for themselves in terrible living conditions, without proper health care, and without equal access to the support services that our tax dollars already pay for,” said Supervisor Sylvia Arenas, who represents Santa Clara County’s agricultural heartland in District 1. "That’s why I'm so appreciative of Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren’s partnership and leadership in securing $850,000 in federal funding that will allow us to create an Agricultural Resource Center and provide a lifeline for the farmworkers facing housing insecurity, health inequities, and social hardship in Santa Clara County. As the daughter of farmworkers – I cannot express enough my appreciation for the Congresswoman making this happen for these families.”

The agricultural industry in Santa Clara County employs over 8,000 workers and contributes around $830 million annually to the national economy. Most of the farmland is concentrated in the southern portion of the county, around Gilroy, Morgan Hill, and south San José. This funding will be used to acquire a fixed asset to support the establishment of an Agricultural Resource Center. Services offered at the resource center may include: referrals to external service providers; assistance with completing and filing applications for government programs; and information regarding programs related to labor and employment rights, education, housing, utilities, mental health, immigration, food security, workforce training and education, or childcare assistance.

In addition to securing this funding, Rep. Lofgren has led on agricultural labor issues by introducing the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, a bipartisan bill that reforms the H-2A program to provide more flexibility for employers, while ensuring critical protections for agricultural workers. This legislation was negotiated over nine months with input from employers and the United Farm Workers union, and it passed the House with strong bipartisan support in 2019 and 2021.

Rep. Lofgren has delivered multiple checks this year to community project funding recipients, totaling $64,006,000 across California’s 18th district.

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