SR 132: Relative to Landscapers Appreciation Day.

WHEREAS, Landscapers provide essential services to ensure that lawns and commercial and residential outdoor spaces are well maintained, healthy, and visually appealing, contributing to the overall beauty and functionality of public and private outdoor spaces in the State of California; and

WHEREAS, Landscapers Appreciation Day recognizes the essential contributions of the workers whose daily labor maintains and sustains our shared outdoor spaces; and

WHEREAS, An estimated 1,200,000 people work in landscaping and groundskeeping in the United States, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. In California, 88 percent of landscapers are Latino and 68 percent of landscapers are immigrants, according to the Public Policy Institute of California, and many have entered the landscaping industry as workers, entrepreneurs, and small business owners because they have been locked out of the formal economy, seeking opportunities to build better lives for themselves and their families; and

WHEREAS, Landscapers face unique challenges as they perform in some of the most strenuous labor work environments, including high heat and extended working hours, often without the benefit of overtime compensation, while balancing an evolving industry; and

WHEREAS, Landscapers, particularly those in the informal sector, face numerous workforce challenges, including working with informal arrangements, limited opportunities for career advancement, the transition to electric equipment, equipment theft, concerns regarding fair pay and compensation, job security, and barriers to accessing essential workplace benefits and protections; and

WHEREAS, According to data from Inclusive Action for the City’s “Under the Palms” report, in the County of Los Angeles alone there is a landscaping field workforce of an estimated 38,000 formal and informal workers who earn an estimated average of $44,463; and

WHEREAS, Landscapers have been pivotal in supporting California’s environmental goals through plant selection, planting strategies, proper maintenance, and clearing flammable vegetation, and landscapers contribute to the reduction of fire risk in fire-prone neighborhoods and the rate at which wildfires spread; and

WHEREAS, In response to the 2025 Altadena fires in southern California, hundreds of landscapers with the National Day Laborer Organizing Network mobilized to aid the community in cleanups and established a fire relief brigade to advocate for national support; and

WHEREAS, Establishing a day to recognize the vital contributions of landscapers to the State of California serves to honor their essential role within our communities and acknowledges the challenges they encounter; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, That the Senate formally supports policies and programs that uplift landscapers in the formal and informal workforce, including as entrepreneurs, and that protect the health and safety of landscapers. The Senate supports a commitment to assist landscapers as the landscaping industry evolves; and be it further

Resolved, That the Senate hereby recognizes September 21, 2026, and every September 21 thereafter, as Landscapers Appreciation Day in California, acknowledges the contributions landscapers make to beautify our communities across the state, and urges the Governor to issue a proclamation calling on the people of the great State of California to observe the day with appropriate programs and educational activities; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.