In September 2022, our client the Farmworkers Institute of Education and Leadership Development (FIELD) celebrated a major milestone — the receipt of $8 million in state funding to expand its programs and services at a newly acquired Career Technical Education (CTE) Training Center on South Union Avenue in southeast Bakersfield.

The funding, allocated through the state budget with the leadership of California District 32 Assemblymember Rudy Salas (D-Kern County), was celebrated at an event at the new facility where Assemblymember Salas presented a ceremonial check to FIELD President and CEO David Villarino-González. Local government, education, and business leaders joined staff and corps members for the occasion, along with members of the press.

FIELD has long been a vital resource for farmworkers and underserved families in the San Joaquin Valley, providing hands-on career training, environmental corps work, education, and workforce development services to communities that are often overlooked in state policy conversations. The new CTE Training Center expands FIELD’s capacity to deliver those programs at a greater scale — and with greater impact.

“By working closely with Assemblymember Salas on this initiative, we were able to realize a long-held dream of expanding our offerings,” said President Villarino-González. “This investment by the state will allow FIELD and our students to foster real economic and social prosperity for generations to come.”

The event drew coverage from local media including ABC 23 and BakersfieldNow, both of which toured the facility and spoke with corps members and leadership about the range of services FIELD provides to the region’s most vulnerable families.

We were proud to work alongside FIELD and support their mission to empower the underserved communities that are the backbone of California’s agricultural economy.