One Woman's Journey to Help Farm Workers Get Medical Care

has been improving lives of agriculture workers in the Pajaro Valley for a decade.

Inda has won national accolades, such as the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award, which Inda was bestowed with in 2011. The social worker-turned-attorney has been striving to improve farm workers' access to medical care and financial assistance. Here, Inda shares about her motivations, goals and even her favorite book.

1. What made you start the and do you think it has been successful?

I started the law center because during law school at Santa Clara, the first client I was assigned as a student was from Watsonville. I was commuting from Watsonville to school at the time, and this low income laborer and father of five had to go all the way to Santa Clara to access legal assistance. This made me aware of the serious gap in legal services in our area. Two years of assessment, planning and development, lots of help, interest and support, led to the opening of WLC in 2002.

I believe it has been successful. Fast forward 10 years and we now have innovative programs, some even considered models for other regions in the state, and have served thousands of individuals and brought millions of dollars back to the community. We have an amazing team of dedicated staff and board, over 40 attorneys that volunteer time and expertise, and a network of community partners that include non-profit, government, private and elected representatives from throughout the state, all who help leverage our work and ensure access to justice. The legal assistance we provide is part of a more comprehensive support that more effectively addresses the root causes of the problems faced by our community. Ultimately, I believe our success is that WLC has strengthened our community and improved the lives of the individuals we serve.

2. What are the goals for the future? Will there be a point where that legal gap has been erased?

Our goals are to continue to strengthen the work we do, and to be responsive to the changing needs of the community. For example, this year we will shift some of our foreclosure work to foreclosure recovery. With partners in the Central Coast Foreclosure Collaborative we plan to help those who lost their homes early in the foreclosure crisis to repair their credit and strengthen their financial and consumer knowledge so they can become eligible for the low and moderate income home buyer programs in our county. If we can help people move back to home ownership, we will strengthen families and stabilize our local economy and community. 

3. You work has brought you into contact with a lot of influential people, such as labor and civil rights leader Dolores Huerta. Who has impacted you most and why?

It is exciting to meet an individual who has changed history, like Dolores Huerta. But to be honest, I am most impacted by my staff, our clients and the partners we work with every day. These are individuals in diverse professions whose dedication goes beyond their own work and overflows into mentoring, teaching, advising, and assisting. They are board members, community partners, advisors, donors and funders, etc. and their generous spirits, innovative minds and visions of righting wrongs and improving systems is inspiring and impactful and makes WLC's succcess possible. 

4. Other than the new manual about providing medical care to low-wage workers, what is your favorite book and why?

I don’t think I have a favorite book although I really enjoyed The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. I enjoyed them because they take you away to an entirely different part of the world and another culture, yet the values they highlight are those I share and admire. The main character and the stories focus on helping others and they are guided by what is right and fair.   

5. If there was one thing that you can do to make employment in Watsonville and the Pajaro Valley more equitable, what would it be?

I think knowledge is probably the most powerful tool. If workers and employers are both aware of the laws that ensure fair and healthy workplaces, and understand, while not always easiest to follow day to day, these practices contribute to a stable workforce, a successful and sustainable business and a healthy and economically viable community, employment is more likely to be equitable. 

Editor's Note: Who are the movers and shakers making a difference in Watsonville? Those who lead by example, change things around and make us better by challenging the status quo and having integrity? This is one installment in our .