Abel Maldonado’s bid to win a full term as California’s lieutenant governor is being complicated by a family business whose transgressions conflict with his description of himself as the son of an immigrant farmhand who learned about personal sacrifice working in the fields.
Agro-Jal Farming Enterprises, which is owned by Maldonado’s family, has a long record of regulatory violations, the Los Angeles Times reports. Maldonado, a Republican former state senator who was appointed lieutentant governor by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger this year, still draws a six-figure salary to serve as Agro-Jal’s controller.
The most serious Agro-Jal violations stem from a 2007 incident when an employee was crushed by a tractor. Cal/OSHA, the state workplace safety regulatory agency, subsequently cited the farm for failing to have a spotter direct the tractor and neglecting to have someone on hand who was certified in first aid.
While the death of the farmhand was a singular tragedy, it was not the only incident at Agro-Jal that caught authorities’ attention. Cal/OSHA has cited the firm for 28 workplace safety violations since 1990. The issues include exposing employees to toxic pesticides, violating clean-water regulations, and, in four separate instances, inspectors found tractors rumbling across the fields with nobody in the driver’s seat. Crews were relying on furrows in the ground to keep the tractors running straight.
Maldonado told the Times in an email that the violations were the product of overly strict regulators, and says that his history demonstrates his commitment to farm safety.
“My family never forgets that we started out as field workers, and we pride ourselves on providing a safe and healthy work environment for our employees,” he wrote.
A spokesman for Cal/OSHA told the Times that the farm’s record was far from extraordinary, saying “the record we have with Agro-Jal is not extreme. I would say it’s average, or a little better.”
Federal, state and local tax officials have filed liens totaling more than $100,000 against Agro-Jal for back taxes nine times since 1992, but a Maldonado campaign spokesman said all have now been paid.
A report released last month by the U.S. Department of Labor criticized Cal/OSHA for insufficiently rigorous investigations into workplace deaths, as well as for not defending its findings during the subsequent appeal process.
Maldonado’s opponent in next month’s election is San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat. While California’s lieutenant governor position is largely ceremonial, it often serves as a pathway to more prestigious posts.
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