California Spends $49 Million on Illegal Alien Freebies
California is pouring taxpayer money into a farmworker weatherization program that looks a lot bigger than it should. The official name is the Farmworker Housing Component of the Low-Income Weatherization Program, or LIWP Farmworker. It covers things like solar photovoltaic systems, refrigerators, water heaters, windows, and insulation. The upgrades are free to the people who get them.
According to a report from City Journal, the state’s Department of Community Services and Development says non-citizens can qualify. The program also accepts foreign government IDs, including the Mexican matrícula consular card used by many migrants. Contractors even said on Spanish-language radio that “Participants do not need ‘legal status’ in the United States.” That is a big deal in a state where so many legal residents are already struggling to keep up.
The money comes from California’s cap-and-trade setup. That system adds costs to carbon producers and helps feed a pot of roughly $3 billion a year for “green energy” and other spending. So far, $49 million has been set aside for this farmworker weatherization effort. After nearly seven years, only about 2,000 families have gotten upgrades. That works out to about $23,000 per household.
The state tapped La Cooperativa Campesina de California as the administrator. It was given an initial award of at least $10.7 million. La Cooperativa then teamed up with MAROMA Energy Services, a self-described “minority owned” company that has received nearly $34 million since 2017 for “weatherization services.” MAROMA’s contractors do the actual installations. The outreach is direct, too. Crews go into farmworker communities. Spanish-language radio ads help spread the word and confirm who can apply.
Meanwhile, California households keep dealing with some of the highest electricity rates in the country. Rolling blackouts, higher bills, and nonstop green mandates hit ordinary families every month. Veterans, seniors on fixed incomes, and working-class taxpayers often do not get anything close to the same treatment. That is why this program is getting attention. It is not just about solar panels. It is about who pays and who gets the perks.