By Reynaldo Mena
The state senator from Los Angeles is determined to end the exclusion of immigrants from receiving various benefits.
For state senator of Los Angeles and former labor leader, María Elena Durazo, ensuring that California provides unemployment benefits to undocumented immigrants when they lose their jobs is her top priority.
“It’s a priority for me, for the California Senate, and for the Latino caucus,” says Durazo, who has been a state senator since December 2018 and was secretary-treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor from 2006 to 2014.
The senator is the author of Senate Bill 227, which aims to provide unemployment benefits to workers who are currently ineligible to receive this benefit due to their immigration status.
Her proposal includes providing $300 each week to undocumented immigrant workers for 20 weeks.
Undocumented immigrants contribute $3.7 billion annually in state and local taxes to California, while tax contributions on undocumented workers’ wages amount to an estimated $485 million to the Unemployment Insurance (UI) system each year.
Durazo is also promoting a supplementary budget proposal to SB 227 to fund the program. The $356 million investment would provide excluded immigrant workers with economic security similar to other workers in California.
However, the senator is realistic, acknowledging that her unemployment proposal is difficult to pass. “We’re talking about hundreds of millions of dollars, and with California’s (23-24) budget being dramatically impacted, I don’t want to say it’s impossible if we give it the priority it deserves.”
She is banking on the pressure that many organizations can exert through letters to Governor Gavin Newsom. “I hope that together, we can convince the governor to implement unemployment benefits for undocumented workers.”
She reminds us that every day, undocumented immigrants contribute to California’s economic prosperity in agriculture, construction, manufacturing, and other industries. According to the United Farm Workers (UFW) Union, 70% of workers in California’s multi-billion-dollar agricultural industry do not have immigration status in the country.
“California is poised to become the fourth largest economy in the world largely thanks to immigrant labor, but immigrants continue to be excluded from California’s economic success due to unfair safety net exclusions,” says Durazo.
And that’s why she introduced SB 227, the Safety Net for All Workers Act.
“California should include an unemployment benefits program that saves lives for these workers.”
As a senator, she says she is determined to eliminate discrimination, exclusion, and disparities that immigrants face in terms of benefits in California. And that’s what drives her to work every day in the California legislature.
“Last year, we ensured that when a worker requests leave to care for a sick family member or becomes a parent, they can receive 90% of their salary, as previously they were only given 60%.”
She states that this law, SB 951 (signed by Governor Newsom in 2022) which will take effect in 2025, will bring significant benefits, as the current situation prevents workers from taking time off when a family member falls ill.
“They’re earning $13 per hour. With 60% of their salary, they can’t afford to miss work if a family member becomes ill. Given what they earn, they can’t even cover rent or food.”
Practically since arriving in the California Senate, Durazo has been fighting for a more inclusive society for undocumented individuals.
A year after joining the Senate in 2019, she successfully passed SB 225, allowing undocumented immigrants to serve on California state boards and commissions.
And if there’s one thing she feels satisfied and proud of, it’s expanding the MediCal health coverage program to include undocumented individuals.
“That has been my greatest achievement in these five years as a senator, as starting from January 2024, individuals aged 27 to 49 will be covered, and a third of them live in Los Angeles County.
“This has been after many years of struggle. First, we ensured that young people up to 26 years old were covered by MediCal, then individuals over 50, and later those over 65.”
She emphasizes that her plan is for the majority of people in California, including undocumented immigrants, to have access to disease prevention in order to create healthier communities.
“The next step is to work very hard so that people aren’t afraid to use MediCal because they fear using a government program. What we want to do is educate them so they realize it’s their right.”
Durazo is also pushing her SB 525 bill to establish a minimum wage of $25 per hour for health workers such as medical assistants, resident physicians, caregivers in nursing homes, and others, aiming to prevent them from leaving the profession.
“Exhausted and traumatized by the pandemic, an alarming number of healthcare workers are leaving their profession,” she says.
But she also admits they’ve left due to low wages and poor working conditions, which means there aren’t enough new workers willing to join the healthcare workforce.
With Durazo’s SB 525, sponsored by the SEIU California union, she hopes not only to improve workers’ incomes but also to reflect in better patient care in our communities.
Initiative seeks to reward adult immigrants who have worked in California but are undocumented
