COPA leaders and their young children celebrated the breaking of ground at Acosta Plaza with shovels, stories and speeches. The story, the way Bibiana Alcala tells it, involved an important first phone call. "Once our residents said they wanted a basketball court....we contacted COPA."

Youth and community leaders of Acosta Plaza, in collaboration with other congregations of COPA, lobbied neighborhood associations, Mayor Gunter of Salinas and statewide community foundations to identify funding for the construction of a basketball court. The $100,000 construction project is the result of negotiation: Residents will assist COPA-member and affordable housing provider CHISPA in building the court while the City of Salinas and the California Endowment will help shoulder the costs.

Read more

Marin Organizing Committee (MOC) leaders are fighting to expand a seasonal Rotating Emergency Shelter program to a year-long program benefiting people that need emergency shelter. Leaders propose that the initiative be funded and supported not just by Marin County but by municipalities within county lines. More than 40 congregations participated in the program last year, taking turns sheltering and feeding homeless families overnight at their facilities; about 360 men and women benefited from the collaboration.

MOC leaders presented their proposal to the San Anselmo Town Council Tuesday night, asking for the city's support. "We feel strongly that homelessness is a countywide issue and needs a countywide solution," said Meredith Parnell, leader from Congregation Rodef Sholom and MOC. She is part of team of leaders who will be making similar presentations to the cities of Tiburon and Fairfax.

Read more

When Santa Cruz County threatened to cut a program that insures just under 1,000 unauthorized children, COPA leaders swung into action, organizing a public action with County Supervisors and testifying at budget hearings to secure $300K in funding, in collaboration with United Way, First 5 and Community Foundation. Leaders additionally secured commitments from Monterey County Supervisors to expand coverage for unauthorized residents and publicize expanded services in Spanish.

Plan to Save Santa Cruz County's Healthy Kids in Place, Santa Cruz Sentinel

"After thanking board of supervisors members for their commitment to support heath care for Los Angeles County's poor, Jim Mangia, president and CEO of St. John's Well Child and Family Center, asked the people who came with him to the May 20 public meeting "to support health care for all" to stand up.

Hundreds upon hundreds of "women and men from across the county rose — cheering, clapping, shouting and raising their hands high in the air. The grass-roots commotion went on for almost a minute."

Read more

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