Lawsuits filed against Half Moon Bay mushroom farm and landlord

HALF MOON BAY, Calif. - In Half Moon Bay on Friday, the sole survivor of a workplace mass shooting announced through his lawyers a lawsuit against California Terra Garden and its owner. 

In his claim, Perez is asking for compensation for the physical and emotional trauma he’s enduring and his financial losses because of not being able to work. 

Pedro Felix Romero Perez, 24, was shot five times but survived the mass shooting at two mushroom farms in Half Moon Bay on Jan. 23, 2023. 

His brother, Jose Romero Perez, was killed by the gunman, along with four other men and two women. 

The assailant was 66-year-old Chunli Zhao from China. Zhao was taken into custody after the incident after he was parked in front of the sheriff’s office. 

Attorneys and Belinda Arriaga of ALAS address the press, and announce a lawsuit against the landlord of mushroom farm in Half Moon Bay where a January 2023 mass shooting occurred.

Joe Cotchett and Duffy Magilligan of the law firm of Cotchett, Pitre & Mccarthy sat with their client, and Belinda Arriaga of Ayundando Latinos A Señore, who translated for Perez as they sat at a table in front of reporters, with a mural of farmworkers as a backdrop on the wall behind them.

Perez’s attorneys filed the lawsuit claiming the employer California Terra Gardens failed to safeguard their farmworkers from numerous dangers.

A second lawsuit is for the family of Perez’s brother Jose, who the gunman killed. His wife and four children were dependent on Jose Perez as he would send money home to Mexico to support them, from his farm job. 

Magilligan said, "In California, everyone has a right to feel safe where they live. We will hold the landlords accountable for this tragic incident. Not only did Terra Gardens not provide those rights and instead provided squalid living conditions, but they violated those rights by not providing tenants a place where they felt safe." 

Cotchett pointed out this was a traumatic act of workplace violence that should not have happened, denouncing the uninhabitable living conditions the Perez brothers and other farmworkers lived in. 

He said, "One would think after forty years, after Cesar Chavez, we would be able to house people in something better than a container!" 

Perez was in the container he lived in when he was shot five times.

Arriaga of ALAS said she would like to see more state and federal support for farmworkers everywhere who endure the same type of conditions. 

Cotchett agreed, saying "It's the same situation all over the state. It's at the so-called containers if you can call them that. It is shocking. It's all over the state… This is a much bigger problem than just Half Moon Bay. That's the issue." 

Magilligan said, "It’s the landlords and the farms that will be held accountable for the harm that Pedro and his family are suffering." 

Outside the bright yellow house that is the headquarters for ALAS, a sculpture of a large gold heart with wings stands as a memorial to the victims of the Half Moon Bay mass shooting. 

A bouquet of yellow and white flowers was placed in the center of the heart this week. 

A traditional corazon (heart) sculpture with wings, roots and flames is a memorial to victims and survivors of the Half Moon Bay mass shooting on January 23, 2023.

A nearby plaque explains the meaning of the sculpture. It serves as a symbol of the heart of a farmer, roots in the earth, wings to migrate and fire for passion. 

The plaque also reads, "Let us honor the still-alive farmers and continue to fight, preserving their hearts that beat with passion and love for the earth." 

Alice Wertz is a freelance reporter with KTVU Fox 2 News. She can be reached at Alice.Wertz@Fox.com