Breaking Barriers to Justice
Kelsey L. Campbell, Dolores Huerta Justice Day 2026
more toxins relative to their size. The long-term effects on the neurological system and vital organs can be more pronounced for young people. California law permits children as young as 12 years old to work in the agricultural industry up to 40 hours a week when school is not in session. A November 2025 investigation by Capital & Main estimated that there may be 5,000–10,000 underage youths working in California’s agricultural industry. And these youths are suffering from headaches, skin rashes, and burning eyes due to chemical exposures in the fields. The state agencies charged with child labor law enforcement and workplace safety inspections are missing in action. Enforcement of pesticide safety rules is splintered among dozens of county agriculture commissioners and citations are scant. Due to the climate of fear from ongoing immigration raids, impacted workers are afraid to contact authorities to report unsafe working conditions. During my summer in the Valley, I learned that effective advocacy for environmental justice requires a multi-pronged approach. Much of environmental justice litigation involves challenges to administrative
decisions and agency actions—these are long, tough fights with many roadblocks. Establishing a prima facie case that a government action, such as issuance of a regulation or registration of a pesticide, has a discriminatory motive on communities of color is particularly difficult due to high burdens of proof. Through my work, I also learned about regulatory capture—the systemic influence of major agricultural, fossil fuel, and water industries over the regional and local agencies and boards tasked with regulating these same industries. To counter this, advocacy groups, like the group I externed with, organize and train members of impacted communities to attend local board meetings to give public comment on pending matters of concern. Raising issues during public hearings is also, often, a prerequisite before initiating litigation challenging an administrative action. Like CAOC, these advocacy groups also make annual trips to Sacramento to speak with legislators.
The Ongoing Fight
Despite decades of organizing, advocacy, and some legislative wins, the labor movement is as necessary
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Consumer Attorneys of California
FORUM July/August 2026
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