Image: Mecca, California (15036234813)

Description: Mecca is an unincorporated community located in Riverside County, California, United States. The desert community lies on the North shore of the Eastern Coachella Valley's Salton Sea and is surrounded by agricultural land. Situated within the Colorado Desert, Mecca's climate is that of an arid desert, which experiences an average 90 degree temperature. Low temperatures can reach into the 20s. The community sits at less than 150 feet below sea level on the edge of the Salton Sea, formerly the Salton Sink. Land developers intending to irrigate the desert with water from the Colorado River did not foresee excess snow melt and for two years from 1905-1906 accidentally re-routed the entirety of the river to the Salton Sink, flooding the salt mines that had been a source of salt for perhaps centuries and giving rise to the Salton Sea. Groundwater and water transported via the Coachella Canal have transformed the desert environment into large swaths of agricultural land. The focal point of the community is the Mecca Family and Farm Worker's Service Center. In 1999, California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. filed 30 complaints of discrimination against Riverside County. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development investigated the complaints and determined that Riverside County's housing policies and code enforcement activities demonstrated a pattern of discrimination against Latino renters and homeowners. The County agreed to construct the Farmworker Service Center as part of a multi-million dollar settlement agreement entered into to avoid further litigation. The Farmworker Service Center was inaugurated in 2005 and houses a health clinic, day care facility, offices for the Economic Development Department, and provides information and referrals to government services that can be accessed by the community's largely farmworker population. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mecca,_California en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_Creative_Commons_...
Title: Mecca, California (15036234813)
Credit: Mecca, California
Author: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0
License: CC BY-SA 2.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Attribution Required?: Yes