Happy Birthday, Pablo! CNC wishes Founding Executive Director, Pablo Rodriguez, a very happy birthday! Pablo’s leadership, guidance, and heart drives everything CNC does, and we couldn’t be prouder to wish our favorite boss the best this year and every year. We can’t wait to see what the next year holds!
Visalia’s city council proclaims October ‘LGBTQ history month’
In a proclamation this past Monday, the city council paid tribute to The Source LGBTQ+ Center’s work in the Visalia LGBTQ+ community, including Tulare and Kings Counties over the past five years. The council also proclaimed October as LGBTQ+ history month presenting ‘The Source’ a plaque noting the nonprofit’s recent expansion.
“In 5 years, The Source has become the largest LGBT center between Los Angeles and Sacramento,” the plaque reads in part, The Visalia Times-Delta newspaper reported. Read more here.
Redistricting in Fresno
Redistricting? Measure C? Aim of Fresno County leaders is to keep things the same. Keep the power in the hands of the same people. It’s the Fresno County way. Redistricting is happening in Fresno, and this opinion piece in the Bee examines some of the larger struggles going on in the county of Fresno.
Redistricting in Coachella
Imperial County released the final draft of its redistricting map on Monday, Oct. 25, after rejecting the four drafts recommended by a local redistricting advisory commission and writing its own boundaries during a meeting late last week.
The move has at least one community leader irked over the choice by the Imperial County Board of Supervisors to redraw district lines on its own rather than go with the advisory commission’s recommendations, which included four draft maps built through several sparsely attended public meetings...
Comite Civico del Valle Executive Director Luis Olmedo was critical of the decision to reject the recommended maps from the public and commission, asserting that the choices should be made based off where communities of common interests are located, rather than sticking with the traditional districts.
In his organization’s role to help disadvantaged communities through civic engagement and education, Olmedo said he would be contacting Communities for a New California, another grassroots nonprofit that has assisted in other counties on redistricting issues. Read the full story here.
CNC EF Urges Elected Officials to Pass the Build Back Better Plan
The Build Back Better Plan is an important pathway towards tackling our climate crisis and creating jobs. CNC EF recognizes the historic moment that we are in as the nation prepares for the largest investment in the environment ever proposed. The Build Back Better legislation is critical for neighborhoods in the Central and San Joaquin Valley as we grow our economy and fight for environmental justice. Our families have been suffering from the impacts of environmental contamination in addition to the ramifications of climate change whether it be from wildfires, droughts, flooding, or other extreme weather conditions.
We urge our elected officials to take the necessary steps to ensure that this legislation passes immediately and remind them that our Central and San Joaquin Valley families are watching closely. Read the full statement here.
City of Fresno Certified Election Results: An emphatic 12 point NO to Gubernatorial Recall
The recall election of Governor Gavin Newsom failed by a 12 point margin, almost exactly as indicated by the Fresno Speaks 2021 survey data prior to the September 14 election.
CNC shares our analysis of how voters of color are proving to be an election firewall to traditional local conservative politics in Fresno.
The accuracy of the results of the Fresno Speaks survey substantiates the importance of grassroots organizations as trusted messengers in Fresno, and proves that campaigns and organizers have a lot to gain from communicating with voters and engaging in the issues that they identify in their neighborhoods. Organizers have stressed the importance of year-round outreach to constituents and continued two-way communication.
COVID-19 Booster Shots are Here!
Millions of people are now eligible to receive a booster shot and will benefit from additional protection.
There are now booster recommendations for all three available COVID-19 vaccines in the United States. Eligible individuals may choose which vaccine they receive as a booster dose. Some people may have a preference for the vaccine type that they originally received, and others may prefer to get a different booster. CDC’s recommendations now allow for this type of mix and match dosing for booster shots.
Hatzune Aguilar, a mother of two and CNC team member, recently received her booster shot. She reflected, “I know that my risk of being hospitalized from getting COVID-19 is reduced by being fully vaccinated with 2 shots. That’s amazing! I also know that if I have a breakthrough case, I am still able to pass it on to others. My 7-year-old daughter is immunocompromised and I will reduce any and all possibilities of infecting her with any illness whenever I have the opportunity. I consider a booster shot a tremendous opportunity to keep my family safe and healthy.
“My daughter will have a chance to be vaccinated soon and our entire family will breathe a sigh of relief when that happens. She’ll be able to finally return to in-person school! In the meantime, my 18-month old son will remain unvaccinated and that means we will all continue to be mindful of our choices to expose him to COVID-19.”
Get more information and sign up for your booster shot at myturn.ca.gov
Día de Los Muertos: CNC participated in a Día de Los Muertos and COVID-19 creative event at the Multicultural Center of Merced with Lalo Alcaraz. The event recognized his career and his work in Hollywood, his most recent film Coco, featured new cartoons, and had a presentation of Dr. López, promoting the COVID-19 vaccine. Art has an incredibly powerful way of connecting with our families.
After almost two years with CNC, Sarah Martinez Peña is graduating onto the next step of her career journey as she pursues her dream of being a hairstylist at The Coterie in Sacramento, CA! In her time at CNC, Sarah’s creativity, passion, incredible energy, and work ethic were evident in all that she did. Sarah supported our neighborhoods in the greatest of ways providing critical information on
- The 2020 Census
- Historic presidential election
- 2021 Gubernatorial recall election,
- COVID-19 and vaccines
- Specialized LGBTQ+ campaigns
Sarah has truly seen it all in a short amount of time!
Sarah has been an invaluable member of our team, and while we’ll miss her, we’re so excited to see how she continues to grow and the creative projects she’ll take on. Thank you for sharing your talents and light with CNC. We can’t wait to see how you shine next!
Stand up for what you believe in with CNC: Take action towards creating a new California for all by attending any of our upcoming meetings. Follow CNC on Facebook for more updates on ways to create change in your neighborhood by getting involved with us.