The Border Organization Challenges Candidates
In a weekend accountability session, leaders from The Border Organization leveraged commitments from Sheriff, state District Judge and County Commissioner candidates about immigration, crime and an underground water district. Institutional leaders committed to turning out 2,700 voters in advance of the election.
"We inform and educate the people about the candidates..." said organization co-chair Marta Gonzalez-Stitts. "We are committed to getting out the vote."
Read moreCOPA Wins Hiring Fight in Central California
Leaders created additional economic opportunities for workers by pushing through a "preference policy" prioritizing local bids for contracts and vending with the City of Santa Cruz and Monterey County. This is part of COPA's regional strategy to promote hiring by municipal and school district entities from within Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey.
COPA Secures $300K for DREAMers
With the promise of the California DREAM Act still a year away, COPA leaders launched a 2012 campaign to bring financial help to undocumented college students in their community. $150,000 raised from businesses leveraged an additional $150,000 from UC Santa Cruz, allowing COPA and its partners to provide $300,000 in assistance in advance of the law.
Jeremiah Launches 3-Pronged GOTV Campaign
To ensure that all eligible voters reach the polls, Jeremiah Group leaders launched a citywide absentee and voter education / registration campaign working with the staff of nursing and independent living homes, high school and college campuses, and neighborhood congregations and businesses. Jeremiah trained home care staff to identify eligible voters, schools and nonprofits to conduct voter registration drives and congregations to mobilize voters in this non-partisan campaign.
Read moreCortes Honored at Harvard for Restoring American Democracy
"Ernesto Cortés Jr. has spent nearly 40 years teaching the disenfranchised how to communicate their stories in ways that assert their place in the world.
As co-director of the Industrial Areas Foundation...he has taught thousands of people how to harness and direct their anger by helping them to organize with others to change conditions around them.... For those efforts, the Phillips Brooks House Association (PBHA) presented its annual Robert Coles "Call of Service" Award to Cortés on Friday in the Memorial Church.
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