Home About Us Calendar Resources Contact Us | Bienvenidos

Accomplishments

General

In all three communities, the Concilios have created Health Action Plans, long term road maps to help guide the work in each group toward reaching goals established to help improve the health and well being of residents.

Salinas

The main focus of the work of the Concilio in Salinas is creating a healthy, clean and safe community. Among the strategies that were identified are improving relations with the City of Salinas/Police Department, increasing police response to resident calls, reducing prostitution and graffiti, increasing the number of clean street and the number of functioning street lights.
Thus far, the Concilio has built solid relationships with residents in the Roosevelt Neighborhood, the area selected by the group as its primary focus due to its serious problems with prostitution, public drug sale and usage, graffiti and violence. The Concilio now has deep relationships with residents in two apartment complexes, with a combined total of 87 apartments.

The Concilio has also deepened its relationships with city officials. The Concilio includes in its ranks two City Council members. Also, the Concilio or its representatives have met with the city manager, police department, engineering department, maintenance and parks and recreation directors on multiple occasions. As a result of these meetings, according to residents, the police patrols in the Roosevelt area more frequently, leading to a reduction in the presence of prostitution. The Concilio has also successfully leveraged over $120,000 from the city for improving La Paz Park; completion of the improvements is scheduled for June 2010.

Gonzales

Perhaps the most significant accomplishment of Poder Popular in Gonzales is the establishment of a solid relationship between resident members and government officials and staff. In fact, the current mayor of Gonzales is a member of the Concilio and the Poder office in Gonzales is in a building owned by the city and leased to the Foundation at a minimal cost The city manager has also been a strong ally and advocate for the work of Poder Popular in Gonzales. Most of the Asamblea members have participated in numerous workshops organized jointly by Poder and the city and focused on better understanding by residents of the city council and various city departments.

Members of Poder Popular have successfully organized Day of the Child for three consecutive years and an additional bus as been added to the South County MST route through the direct lobbying of Poder members, Members also worked to increase home energy efficiency and increase recreation opportunities for the families. They were also successful in organizing a forum at which the Mexican Consulate spoke about the services it offers to Mexican nationals living in the United States. The Concilio has also successfully leveraged over $100,000 for installing lights at Centennial Park.

Greenfield

The principal focus of Poder Popular for improving the health and well being of residents in Greenfield has been the arts. Through the initial work of former Foundation staff member Kira Carillo Cosrer (Communities Advancing the Arts) and former Poder staff member Martin Macareno, an arts class was established which provided an opportunity for artistic expression, as well as creating opportunities for entire families to work together and create a greater sense of community within Greenfield.

Since then, Poder Popular in Greenfield has worked to increase the number of cultural events (Day of the Dead, Cinco de Mayo and Day of the Child) in the community. Poder has also collaborated in the Harvest Festival and Christmas Parade. Poder has also increased arts activities by working with the Monterey Arts Council and Southern Monterey County Center for Arts and Technology (SoMoCoCAT) and well as by providing more equipment for the community-based art group and working to establish a permanent art, history and culture center. Through the work of Poder Popular, the City has committed at least $200,000 to the project, in addition to the donation of land and $50,000 by the family of the first mayor of Greenfield.

Currently, the Concilio, which includes the mayor and a city council member, is working on increasing parent participation in the schools, promoting clean streets, increasing the number of cultural events, improving community/police relations and reducing gang presence.