It is with great sadness that we learned the news this Easter Monday morning about the death of Pope Francis.

Over the past three years, we, as representatives of the Industrial Areas Foundation, were privileged to meet him three times in his Santa Marta residence at the Vatican, each an encounter of 90 minutes or more. 

Amidst rate hikes and low-income housing tax credits set to expire this year, Valley Interfaith Project continues to urge State lawmakers to incentivize affordable housing development.

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Beating drums and ringing bells, dozens of advocates and religious leaders gathered on the steps of New Orleans City Hall Thursday to urge local officials and Entergy to quickly move forward on a "virtual power plant" plan for backup clean energy during outages and hurricanes.

Together New Orleans (TNO) and the Alliance for Affordable Energy say the plan is crucial to equip the city for disasters and outages, while also lowering electricity costs and providing more clean energy. The nonprofits criticized Entergy New Orleans for not installing “microgrids” around the city that can power facilities when the traditional grid fails, while the advocacy groups have built out a network.

The advocacy groups want to supply batteries for up to 1,500 solar-equipped homes and over 100 facilities – such as shelters and hospitals – over a three-year period using $32 million of Entergy settlement funds.

“We are here today to create a sense of urgency for our city council and our utility system to act to better protect the citizens of this city during the growing dangers of outages,” said Shawn Anglim, a pastor and leader with TNO. 

(Photo Credit: Brett Duke, The Times-Picayune)

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Widespread fear lingers in the immigrant community...after the Trump Administration announced it would allow immigration enforcement arrests in locations including churches and schools.

“In January, when I saw Border Patrol vehicles up here, it got my attention,” says Bishop Joseph Brennan with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno. “It didn’t feel right, it didn’t look right. And my immigration status is good.”

While the uncertainty lingers, the Diocese of Fresno is meeting with government leaders, law enforcement, and the Central Valley Industrial Areas Foundation to brainstorm on how to build – and repair-- community trust....

[Photo Credit: Byron Solorio, FOX26]

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Eddie Anaya, a Catholic lawyer and lifelong resident of a colonia called Las Milpas, got involved as a young man with Valley Interfaith, an affiliate of the West/Southwest Industrial Areas Foundation, because his Mexican immigrant mother, Carmen Anaya, was one of its co-founders. When he was growing up, Anaya said Las Milpas had no water, sewers, street paving or lighting or police force.

Anaya chauffeured his mother around the state and interpreted for her at meetings with other Texas IAF affiliates as they championed 1989 state legislation that provided funding for water and wastewater infrastructure, which Anaya said stimulated other improvements in the community.

In Las Milpas, where the Catholic Church is the center of community life, Anaya said, conversations after Mass shaped a political agenda for the whole community through Valley Interfaith and backed by the Diocese of Brownsville. “ When you organize around Scripture and put it into action, that not only strengthens the community, but also makes people understand the Gospel much better,” said Anaya….

(Photo Credit: Eddie Anaya)

Last year, at a City-wide Action with over 1,100 members, COPS/Metro came out as the first organized opposition to the use of any public funds for a new downtown stadium for the Spurs, or for the creation of a sports and entertainment district surrounding the area, known as Project Marvel. The project has been negotiated largely behind closed doors and is expected to cost between $3-4 billion with a majority of funding likely from public tax dollars.

Leaders turned up the heat this year, publishing an op-ed, and testifying at an Eastside town hall and again before the Bexar County Commissioners Court. “Our tax money is better spent on what the East Side needs — more green spaces, workforce development and opportunities, and affordable housing and access to healthcare facilities and quality health care,” said Stewart Blanton, speaking on behalf of COPS/Metro.

This month, Bexar County Republican Party precinct chairs passed a resolution denouncing the project, similarly opposing the use of public funding. The resolution states: “Be it resolved, we object to any attempt to relocate the San Antonio Spurs to a new arena developed or renovated by public funds,” it continues. “Be it further resolved, that we object to the wasting of public funds to expand the city’s sports and entertainment industry.”

On March 20, 2025 the San Antonio City Council unanimously approved renaming the San Antonio Natatorium to Atanacio Garcia Natatorium, recognizing the determined COPS/Metro leader of Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine Catholic Church who organized his community to create the city’s first Olympic-sized public pool on the West Side.

On March 3, the Colorado State Legislature proposed a bill that would have cut base wages for tipped workers. Coloradans for the Common Good (CCG) fought back! In collaboration with CWA 7777 and the Colorado AFL-CIO, CCG organized a press conference and successfully blocked efforts to mandate that Denver, Boulder, and Edgewater reduce the local minimum wage for thousands of tipped workers. CCG also pushed for legislation to expand the right to collective bargaining as a part of their larger strategy to support workers in Colorado.

In a press statement, they assert: “Hardworking Coloradans deserve the opportunity to earn a good wage, especially as the cost of living continues to rise…The amended version of the bill importantly avoids an immediate wage cut for tipped employees and preserves some local control. However, the bill only gives local control to local governments if they want to vote to keep their tipped minimum wage low, but will not allow them to vote to end the subminimum wage for tipped workers. We will continue to work for fair and livable wages with tips on top for Coloradans at the state and local level.” 

Last week, CCG was back at the Capitol to support the Worker Protection Act and again the next day to stand with educators against cuts to education. CCG's work at the Capitol continues as the legislature considers the Worker Protection Act, the state budget, and other issues important to members.

(Photo Credit: Denver7)

By Barbara Paulsen, Boulder City UMC, Nevadans for the Common Good

In 1974 an organization, grounded in community organizing principles developed by Saul Alinsky in the 1940s, was founded in San Antonio Texas. Communities Organizing for Public Service (COPS) became the first organization of the "modern" IAF and the initial member of what is now known as the West/Southwest IAF (WSWIAF). Today the WSWIAF includes 33 local broad-based institutional members located across 11 states.

In recognition of this 50-year organizing history, a symposium was held in San Antonio on December 8, 2024, to honor WSWIAF's past and to build for its future. The symposium included segments on IAF and WSWIAF history, habits and practices of  organizing as well as presentations by key leaders in education, history, and philosophy who shared their experiences working with WSWIAF and how this interaction impacted them. Ernesto Cortes, Jr. and Sr. Christine Stephens were recognized as the key founders of COPS and WSWIAF. The best part of the symposium, as with all IAF gatherings, was the opportunity to interact and share with leaders and organizers across the network.

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This may look like an ordinary stop sign.

However, for residents of Southeast Fresno, it represents a hard-fought victory in making their community safer.

Before this week, the intersection along South Avenue—a busy road cutting through city and rural farmland—was only a two-way stop. It was a dangerous crossing, and last summer, Alex Burgos, a young parishioner from St. Anthony Mary Claret Catholic church, learned that firsthand when his car was T-boned by another vehicle.

“At first, I thought it was just bad luck,” Burgos said. “Then I started talking to other people in my church, and I realized I wasn’t the only one....”