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ELIZABETH ARKELIAN, HOST: As a brutal heat wave bears down on the Valley, thousands of farmworkers remain out in fields – where temperatures could reach 115 degrees this weekend. State officials say they are sending agents out to help protect workers by enforcing the state’s heat regulations. KVPR’s Joshua Yeager reports.
JOSHUA YEAGER: Nausea. Dizziness. Headaches. Those are the early signs of heat stroke, and Jesus Zuñiga says he’s experienced them all this week while picking tomatoes.
[JESUS ZUÑIGA SPEAKING SPANISH]
YEAGER: He says "For us, working in the fields outdoors, right in the sun, it’s oppressive." California law requires employers to provide drinking water, shade and breaks for workers. But United Farm Workers spokesman Antonio De Loera says compliance remains an issue.
ANTONIO DE LOERA: We say there’s one law on the books and there’s another law in the fields.
YEAGER: State officials say they’ve fined more than 500 employers this year for violating heat regulations. For KVPR News, I’m Joshua Yeager in Bakersfield.