While California’s housing crisis is often seen as an urban issue, rural areas have been hit just as hard and face unique challenges. Farmworkers in particular bear the brunt, with many living in overcrowded conditions and aging, substandard housing that often has serious health and safety issues.
Assembly Bill 457 Tackles Farmworker Housing Challenges
AB 457 makes safe, affordable housing more accessible for farmworkers by streamlining approval for qualified housing projects in California’s farming regions in Merced, Madera, and Fresno Counties. Building on past bills like:
AB 1783 (Rivas 2019) and AB 3035 (Pellerin 2024), it raises the housing limit from 36 to 150 units and extends this easier approval process to Fresno, Madera, and Merced Counties-- areas with some of the state’s largest farmworker populations.
By allowing new homes to be built within 15 miles of farms or grazing land, AB 457 helps bring housing closer to jobs and community resources. This reduces costs, speeds up development, and addresses the urgent need for stable housing for farmworkers.
Supporting Materials