BHC Sites Say Community, Advocacy, and Democracy Go Hand-in-Hand

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1 Spring 2016 BHC Sites Say Community, Advocacy, and Democracy Go Hand-in-Hand COACHELLA Before the band took the stage, Building Healthy Communities Youth Coordinator Victor Gonzalez checked the sound system one last time. It was important for everything to go right. To Gonzalez and other BHC Eastern Coachella Valley leaders, the Hue Music and Arts Festival is more than a concert, it is also one of the area s biggest civic engagement opportunities of the year. While the bands played and the audience danced, Gonzalez and his BHC action team fanned out to talk with local residents about the issues of the day and, just as importantly, listen to their ideas about how to make Coachella a healthier place. The concert is a gathering point and conversation starter. We use the arts as a medium to bring the community together, Gonzalez said. CONTINUES ON PAGE 4 As part of a ten-year statewide initiative, The California Endowment is working in partnership with local communities to create places where children and youth are healthy, safe, and ready to learn. This Health Happens Here newsletter lifts up successful work 1 underway THE in CALIFORNIA our Building ENDOWMENT Healthy Communities health sites happens and throughout here California, effective models that can influence and shape policy at the local, state, and national level.

2 Editor s Note: Health Happens with Democracy Signs in hand and voices raised, some 500 advocates participating the Building Healthy Communities convening spilled on to Century Boulevard in Los Angeles the afternoon of April 17, chanting Get Loud!!Vota! and!si Se Puede! It was an unforgettable afternoon, not just for the energy, but also for what was and wasn t said. There were no chants for childhood immunizations or better primary care, even though both are essential for promoting health. Anthony Iton Anthony Iton is Senior Vice President for Healthy Communities at The California Endowment. Instead the advocates gathered were determined to build power. I agree that s the most urgent priority and it is the subject of this issue of Health Happens Here: The Building Healthy Communities Newsletter. Building power isn t easy. Often, the most vulnerable residents feel so isolated from local decisionmakers that they have trouble finding their own voice. That s the lesson described in our cover story, which focuses on Building Healthy Communities Eastern Coachella Valley. For years, residents felt disconnected, as their priorities were ignored, while local leaders catered to the needs of wealthy out-of-towners visiting the famous music festival. Coachella organizers decided to stage their own show, featuring local bands with musical styles that tapped into the cultural heritage of the region. For many, the music festival was a breakthrough moment. It built new ties between residents and their communities and led some to change their whole attitude: This is my neighborhood. And I have a right to fight for a brighter future for my children. Our center interview profiles BHC supporter Anthony Thigpenn, CEO of California Calls, a nonprofit organization working to increase voter registration in traditionally underserved communities. Anthony generously shared lessons from his life experience and offers some great tips for organizers. Thank you for reading this issue, and thank you for Getting Loud! with us. Let s work together to make our communities healthier and more democratic places to live, learn, and work. 2 THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT health happens here

3 BHC Communities #GetLoud! Hundreds of Building Health Communities advocates rallied near Los Angeles International Airport last month, demanding democracy, equity, and progress for all California communities. Here are a few images from an unforgettable weekend. 3 THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT health happens here

4 BHC Sites Boost Advocacy Campaigns by Fostering Close Connections Between People and Their Communities CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The Hue festival, now in its fifth year, began as a populist alternative to the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival held each spring in nearby Indio. The Indio bash, celebrated nationwide for attracting headline performers, is widely seen outside the community as a grand chance to trek to the desert for entertainment that is decidedly raucous and pricey. But for many of the low-income residents of Coachella, Thermal, Mecca, and North Shore, the festival left them feeling left out. It s a festival in our community, but our community did not feel it had access to it, Gonzalez said. To change that, Building Healthy Communities, in partnership with the city of Coachella and other organizations, decided to produce an alternative festival, featuring local groups and artists that reflect the cultural traditions of the region. The Hue Festival has become a point of local pride. Our goal is simple: to show people that they have value as a community and can help shape how Coachella develops, Gonzalez said. The festival strengthens connections between neighbors and helps foster a sense of community, he added. As that sense of local connection grew, BHC leaders worked closely with local residents to make their collective voice heard and bring healthy changes to Coachella through civic engagement, education, and power-building. As part of the process, residents explored how the local power structure really works, and how pulling different levers could make a big difference. This kind of organizing can be a long and arduous process, said Silvia Paz, Hub director for BHC Eastern Coachella Valley. It can also generate opposition from the local power structure when voices are raised from neighborhoods that have traditionally been silent. There is backlash, Paz said, that s the reality of the political system. Paz cited the local #Agua4All campaign as an example of a project transformed when members of the community found their voice. Numerous low-income residents of the Coachella Valley lack access to clean, safe drinking water, frequently because their homes are not connected to the public water grid. Mobile home parks where farmworkers live are especially likely to be affected. The Coachella Valley Water District did not act aggressively to solve the problem, in part because those most affected were not organized. Many were undocumented and lived far away from the city s power centers. BHC advocates note with irony that the district had little time to address the needs of residents without water access, but managed to form a special advisory committee to ensure that the needs of local golf courses are met. Because the water district had not been A band takes the stage at the Hue festival in the Coachella Valley. Our goal is simple: to show people that they have value as a community and can help shape how Coachella develops Victor Gonzalez, BHC Youth Coordinator responsive, BHC and other activists worked to change the way members are elected. Under pressure, the board agreed to elect representatives to specific districts, instead of at large seats that encompass the entire area. This change increased the likelihood that some board members would focus especially hard on the needs of communities that lack access to safe 4 THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT health happens here

5 district to approve offering halal meals prepared in accordance with Islamic tradition at two high schools. While considerable work lies ahead on issues including school discipline policies and access to public transit, among other things San Diego Councilwoman Marti Emerald, who represents the district that includes City Heights, is impressed with Mid- City CAN, particularly its dozens of youthful volunteers. Within a few days of becoming the City Heights representative, a delegation was in her office with a list of priorities, she said. Youth organizers ready to talk with local residents at the Hue Festival. We are Here! We Matter! And we re willing to work to make Coachella a healthier community drinking water. Victor Gonzalez, BHC Youth Coordinator At the urging of BHC and other activist groups, the water board also created a Disadvantaged Communities Infrastructure Committee, which is working to promote more equitable access to safe water. For example, the board is working now to develop a loan program to help landowners connect to the district s water lines. In too many locations, residents are dependent on faulty water wells and septic tanks, said Paz. It s been a long, long road. The next step is to get money for infrastructure for low-income communities. The work of advocacy, of course, never ends. A youth leadership academy was held in Coachella last summer to teach young people how to communicate effectively with their elected leaders. A trip to Sacramento allowed students to see the legislative process in action and to discuss legislation involving health care for the undocumented, school financing, and criminal justice reform. All BHC sites use some variation on this organizing-to-action strategy. For example, in the San Diego neighborhood of City Heights, local advocates have sponsored voterregistration drives based in local high schools, as well as creating action committees to champion key issues, and mobilizing local summits to help residents understand the sometimes byzantine ways of government. As residents learn about problems and how they can help, they learn who to talk to and how to exercise power to improve lives, said Diana Ross, executive director of Mid-City CAN (Community Advocacy Network), which is supported by The California Endowment. Mid-City CAN volunteers were essential to getting the City Council to approve construction of a skateboard park and the school These kids are more engaged than any kids I ve seen, she said. We need them. They help us get focused. We could guess what City Heights needs. But they know: they live there. Emerald is retiring after two terms. This fall, just before the election, Mid-City CAN plans a candidates forum where Emerald s would-be successors will be quizzed on their commitment to City Heights and their willingness to listen to local advocates. It is all designed to ensure that the voices of local residents are heard in the corridors of power. In all the BHC communities throughout California, work continues apace, organizing neighborhoods, registering voters, setting agendas, and bringing elected officials in contact with constituents they may have overlooked in the past. In Coachella, where many residents have long felt disconnected, progress can be heard just as surely as the musical groups at the Hue festival. We re saying, We are Here! We Matter! And we re willing to work to make Coachella a healthier community, said Gonzalez. 5 THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT health happens here

6 Focus on Merced: How a Swimming Pool Changed An Electoral Process Forever For Building Healthy Communities organizers, the catalyst for social activism that results in lasting change can come in many forms. In Merced, a community of 82,000 in the San Joaquin Valley, that catalyst was a closed swimming pool in the southern portion of the city. When city leaders made the decision to close the pool, South Side advocates backed by BHC Merced refused to accept the official explanation that blamed everything on budget woes. Many residents believed South Merced absorbed a disproportionate share of the cuts because it lacked influence on the city council. The council finally agreed to put the issue before voters, and reform passed narrowly in November As a result, council members, except for the mayor, will be elected in six separate districts beginning this year. Advocates see electoral reform as a key step toward the goal of a more equitable distribution of city resources. However, they expect the supporters of the status quo to continue to fight. We re in the transitional process for this community, Mimura said. There is a healthy tension in Merced that is really a positive sign. South Merced launched a major campaign to reopen the pool, and the city ultimately relented. However, the new sense of South Side pride, activism and power did not disappear just because kids were again able to splash and swim. Advocates demanded that city council members represent specific districts, instead of being elected to at-large seats. The swimming pool fight catalyzed a broader campaign to ensure that South Merced was better represented in city decisions. Advocates demanded that city council members represent specific districts, instead of being elected to atlarge seats. Though they are supposed to represent the entire city, at-large representatives tend to gravitate toward traditional political power centers, not the low-income communities that need the most attention. In Merced s case the majority of the City Council members lived within a short distance of each other in the northern part of the city. Merced community advocates collected signatures urging a shift to district-based representation. The work that BHC is doing has simply not been done before in Merced, said Brian Lee Mimura, executive director for BHC Merced. The status quo is very powerful here. To do the work necessary for a power shift takes courage. 6 THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT health happens here

7 There are no shortcuts, only detours An Interview with Anthony Thigpenn California Calls, a non-profit organization based in Los Angeles, oversees a growing alliance of 31 local organizations in 12 counties working to improve voter registration and engagement in historically poor and underserved neighborhoods. The organization is a longtime partner of The California Endowment and the Building Healthy Communities Initiative. The group s aims are bold: to change an inequitable taxation system that disadvantages poor people, to improve support for neighborhood schools, and help Californians successfully reenter their communities after being released from jail or prison. Anthony Thigpenn, California Calls president, has worked to help communities build power for more than three decades. We sat down with Thigpenn to learn more about his experience and get some tips for promoting democracy. CONTINUES ON NEXT PAGE 7 THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT health happens here

8 It really is about building power, so these communities that are not considered when decisions are made both have a seat at the table and a voice at the table. Anthony Thigpenn The California Endowment: Tell us about California Calls. What do you do, and how does the organization work? Anthony Thigpenn: California Calls is a state alliance of local social justice organizations. We basically try to do two things. We work with local organizations throughout the state to implement something called integrated voter engagement. That means focusing on increasing voters in low-income communities, poor communities and communities of color with ongoing community organizing and advocacy. It helps them build greater voice and power around decisions that affect their lives. TCE: The California Endowment focuses on health, but increasingly, we also focus on democracy-building. Why do you think those issues are linked? AT: From a practical point of view, there are policy decisions that are being made that directly affect health. An example is the development and implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Funding for health care programs and safety net programs are other examples. And then, there are also a set of policies that affect health further upstream things like poverty, education, criminal justice, and the environment. And those communities that are more organized and vote in higher numbers, they get their issues addressed and their voices heard in more profound ways. And so typically, low-income communities of color, poor people because they re not as organized and they vote at lower rates when policy decisions are being made, their concerns are oftentimes not addressed when the big policy decisions are being made. TCE: Does California Calls work alone on single issues, or in partnership with other groups for more broad-based change? AT: We approach it in a very systematic way. We are happy to be working with Building Healthy Communities and other health-focused projects and organizations to try to change that for the people of California. TCE: When California Calls begins a campaign in a community, how do you start? AT: The first thing that we do is work with local organizations that are rooted there. They don t disappear after any given election. They have a track record, or at least a sense of familiarity and trust with the residents of those communities. And then we try to work with them to be more self-conscious and direct about building civic participation in general and voter participation in particular. And one of the key elements is not just through an election time, but year Communities with low levels of civic participation and voting don t have issues and interests heard in the same way when policy decisions are made. round, so that people are building a relationship, they re being educated on issues, they re providing avenues for those residents to become involved not just in voting but other things, like community organizing or public policy, public hearings. TCE: Sometimes, change takes time. How do you stay patient and how do you help others stay patient? AT: There s an old community organizing saying: there are no shortcuts, only detours. And we always remind people of the urgency of the moment. TCE: Do you ever get discouraged? AT: You know, there are certainly moments like that. But two things give me perspective. One is that there are these huge, persistent problems around health, poverty, income and the environment. They won t go away, they won t get better without some kind of conscious intervention. The second thing to remember, is the thing about 8 THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT health happens here

9 Advocates working to reform California s property tax system and increase funding for health, education and public safety have joined forces with Anthony Thigpenn and California Calls. no shortcuts; only detours. We have won some victories. There are now, for example, 31 organizations involved in California Calls. We started with seven. We re working now in 12 counties. We started in four. TCE: Do you ever worry about the response of the power structure in the community? Do you have to be careful not scare them? AT: Rather than just be careful not to scare them, we strive to develop programs and relationships and intersections where we re interacting with them and building a relationship with them. We don t want them to see us in a completely adversarial relationship. TCE: Any last thoughts we haven t covered? AT: I would just reiterate a couple of things. Communities with low levels of civic participation and voting don t have issues and interests heard in the same way when policy decisions are made. Our commitment is to try, from the bottom up, working with local organizations and communities, to change that. It s not necessarily an adversarial relationship. But it really is about building power, so that these communities who are not considered when these decisions are made both have a seat at the table and a voice at the table to make their issue heard. THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT health happens here 9