Pointing out that Pomona has had two significant fires this year that started at waste processing centers, ICON leader Lisa Engdahl testified before the Pomona City Council asserting that the CIty should develop an action plan that incorporates the concerns of neighborhood residents. Reverend Julie Roberts-Fronk argued that the City should establish greater oversight over recycling and waste management businesses.

Read more

Building on a program they created 7 years ago to provide emergency shelter for Marin residents during winter months, 250 MOC leaders succeeded in persuading both leading candidates for Marin County District 1 Supervisor to commit to finding money to expand the program to year round. Candidates Susan Adams and Damon Connolly both said yes to the crowd gathered at Congregation Rodef Sholom.

The Rotating Emergency Shelter Team (REST) program operates during five winter months each year, housing and feeding 40 men at rotating congregations -- as well as 20 women housed at the County Wellness Center and served by congregations.

Read more

After identifying $11 million in otherwise sunsetting County funds, One LA-IAF leaders testified to the Board of Supervisors about their year long enrollment effort and the the gaps that remain even after the implementation of the Affordable Care Act -- gaps that will have serious consequences for families throughout the county.

They demanded that the $11M be used to help cover the remaining uninsured in LA County. After the press conference, Rabbi Dara Frimmer asserted that she was "proud to stand with OneLA leaders outside the county supervisors meeting because as of today, 1 million residents of LA remain uninsured...Time to ensure that the image of God, imprinted on the face of every human being, is lifted up."

Read more

When confronted by Everett High School youth leaders about whether he would pitch in to help clean up Acosta Plaza, Salinas Mayor Joe Gunter didn't skip a beat. "Yes," he said to a group of presumptuous, yet polite, youth that had already successfully shaken down $500 from a neighborhood association for a basketball court. The campaign to clean up Acosta Plaza is led by East Salinan youth and recent college graduates eager to improve their neighborhood's image.

The Californian.com notes that Plaza cleanup is "going to do a lot of good."

Read more

"Diane Vanette, a volunteer with OneLA who screens people at Obamacare enrollment events, recently informed a couple with deferred-action status that they were both eligible for Medi-Cal. "He was shocked, she was shocked," Vanette said.

Read more

Since last year's victory in busting through political blockage to resurrect the Low Income Health Plan, Viacare, over 3,000 Monterey County residents have enrolled, doubling last year's projections. In addition to this, and in partnership with the Monterey Bay Central Labor Council, COPA institutions reached over 2500 people through civic academies about the Affordable Care Act.

County Extends Health Insurance Bridge Program, Obamacare Enrollment Kicks In, Monterey County Weekly

Since February, One LA has enrolled over 3,000 eligible for Medicaid expansion through its mobile enrollment clinics held in local congregations. In the process, they discovered thousands of low wage taxpayers left out of Obamacare due to their immigration status. Hundreds of One LA leaders assembled mid-October to call on veteran County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky to create and fund a County-based health coverage program for 1 million undocumented residents. The Supervisor agreed to meet with One LA within 30 days to begin discussion of the plan.

Leaders also testified to the challenges experienced when trying to enroll people on Covered California, the state based health exchange that opened October 1. A board member and staff member of Covered California agreed to meet with One LA before the end of the year to discuss changes needed in the health exchanges outreach strategy.

Read more

At least 70 leaders from Communities Organized for Relational Power (COPA) organized a meeting with the Santa Cruz County Sheriff to address immigrants' fears about reporting crime and the preponderance of racial profiling.

Participants included people like Johnny Delmar, a UCSC student who shared his story about being profiled recently by rifle-armed police looking for robbery suspects.

Read more

"An enthusiastic crowd of about 1,500 people filled a Vallejo high school gym Sunday afternoon to welcome a new multi-county organization to the community.

Read more

"L.A. County is teaming with OneLA to hold enrollment events in places where those needing healthcare coverage naturally congregate, such as churches and schools....Volunteers are identifying people through the church parishes and doing pre-screening so the enrollment can occur on the spot. Some of the people are eligible for Medi-Cal, and others are being enrolled in Healthy Way LA, a temporary coverage program until the Medi-Cal expansion takes place in 2014.

The effort relies on trained volunteers, with help from Neighborhood Legal Services and the L.A. County Department of Health Services. The volunteers are also working to link people with clinics near their homes."

Read more