At its meeting on October 30, the Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB) approved a decision to sublease office space from the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE), a radical self-appointed environmental justice and unionization advocacy group known for proposing to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors a $26/hour minimum wage for agricultural workers in the county, and for staging a so-called “toxic tour” with local and state officials pushing a narrative that agricultural use of crop protection materials poses a “toxic” risk.

Agricultural employer stakeholders expressed concern that subleasing space for an office in Santa Maria will compromise what impartiality remains in the ALRB’s dealings with agricultural employers and the principal union seeking to unionize California farms and ranches, the United Farm Workers (UFW).

The Board voted unanimously to approve the decision.