Statewide Listening Tour
We’re visiting communities, county by county, listening to people living in poverty and together crafting an agenda to create equal opportunity and end poverty in California. Read about the 2022 tour in the Los Angeles Times and our interactive report.
Past Tour Stops
Eureka
Food for People, McKinleyville Family Resource Center, and Jefferson Community Center and Park – At the Jefferson Community Center we met with 33 people. Among the topics were punitive benefits programs and the “benefits cliff”. One woman spoke of losing Medi-Cal because she was “a few dollars over the limit”. Contrary to popular belief, the legalization of cannabis deprived Humboldt County’s economy and exacerbated the wealth gap, as former growers could not compete with corporate growers. Cannabis revenue has flowed out of the local economy to owners who live outside of the county. We also visited McKinleyville Family Resource Center—a service provider that is well-trusted in the community and has launched a guaranteed income pilot program. We are also discussing a collaboration between our organizations and other allies on a pilot program focused on benefits access in Humboldt County.
Top Policy Ideas:
Crescent City
True North Organizing Network, RxSafe Del Norte – We met with 24 community members and heard about the unique challenges of living in a place with entrenched and often hidden inequality. Close to the Oregon border, there’s one highway accessing this region. There are major infrastructure issues and discussions around tribal sovereignty with a lack of buildable land make it all the more complex. A rural area with a large Yurok presence, we discussed the reality of living in an environment with depleted industries. Too many Crescent City residents do not feel safe in their community and there is a higher population of folks living off the grid. The acute housing crisis was top of mind for a lot of folks. Like the rest of the state, Del Norte residents have a constant fear of landlords prioritizing AirBnBs over housing for residents. We heard about a local encampment derisively known as “The Swamp,” and how too many young people in Del Norte County are couchsurfing, with housing instability, a rampant issue.
Top Policy Ideas:
Redding
The Oliview Community Building Farm Project, United Way of Northern California, Hill Country Community Clinic, and Shasta College – In a joint listening session and screening of our documentary “Poverty and Power,” hosted by Shasta College, we heard from 37 community college students, nonprofit workers, and service professionals based out of Redding and Weaverville, CA. More than 2 hours north of Sacramento, these folks are used to the false and demeaning narrative that “nothing exists” north of Sacramento. Many, as a result, feel disconnected and isolated from the state government and the state at large, continuously learning they are on their own. With less than 200,000 people in the Redding area, it is difficult to obtain resources. One participant reported that Redding has lost more than 62 primary care doctors with longer than usual wait times to get care. There is also a lack of service deliveries due to the sheer distance people have to commute.
Through the Oliview Community Building Farm Project, we also met with five 15-17-year-old justice-involved boys who shared their experiences growing up in poverty and how their involvement with Oliview is preparing them for re-entry. With access to nature and supportive services, the youths perceived how the circumstances and systems they encountered in childhood stacked the odds heavily against them (what EPIC calls “The Setup”)–housing insecurity, substance use, violence, fear–surrounded them from Day 1. We reflected together on how a community, society, and country can fail so many kids so egregiously.
Top Policy Ideas:
Weed
College of the Siskiyous – In this gorgeous town of 3000 people located in the foothills of Mount Shasta, we hosted a small group listening session with staff of the Career and Technical Education program at the College of the Siskiyous. Dean Mark Klever discussed successes their program has found in placing students on career pathways for fields like firefighting, police academy, emergency medical services, and more. The college offers housing for students, but it’s expensive. The staff shared the challenges the school has faced feeding and housing low-income students, along with broader community challenges with keeping young residents in the area. In many ways the role of community colleges in rural places becomes a safety net because government is so distant, both geographically and too often in terms of outreach and listening.
Top Policy Ideas:
Red Bluff
P.A.T.H. Day Center, Tehama County Community Action Agency – At P.A.T.H. Day Center we met with case workers who gave us a tour of their services for houseless people and local transitional homes.Their site included a kitchen in a trailer where people received meals; a food pantry; assistance accessing the safety net and housing; and direct services for people living in a nearby encampment. Many of the staff were formerly unhoused themselves. There was a shared recognition that the story society usually tells about why people are unhoused is wrong. The dominant narrative to many is that people are stable, start using drugs, then lose their home. But the truth is that for many houseless people with substance use issues the order is this: A person loses their home, then loses their stability, and then some start using when they are on the streets. We also visited two transitional homes—one utilized for women and children, the other for men.
Later, we had lunch with Tehama County Community Action Agency staff where we discussed the challenges the county faces in delivering services in rural areas with limited infrastructure. Many of the towns are difficult to get to, and rising housing costs are leading to increased struggle. We also explored partnering on a regional webinar to get more young people enrolled in CalKIDS college savings accounts.
Top Policy Ideas:
Weaverville
Human Response Network – The staff at the Human Response Network in Weaverville shared that despite a population of only 16,000 people, Trinity County residents experience the same housing and homelessness issues as the rest of California per capita. Trinity County considers themselves the frontier–it is one of eight counties in CA without county-wide wifi or cell phone service. Residents have been severely impacted by wildfires—being displaced or even having their homes destroyed. They have had challenges getting disaster relief or recouping insurance monies, as many of the homes are old, handed down through generations and not up to code. The homes are often not rebuilt and wealth and nest eggs are thus destroyed as well. Additionally, residents face unique challenges in accessing the safety net—without reliable internet, it’s pretty hard to navigate websites. So people attempt to access through hotlines or in-person services. But with many county workers commuting from Redding, which is an hour away in the best of conditions, there is high employee turnover and makes building relationships difficult. Trinity County’s small size often makes it overlooked and local nonprofits find themselves competing with other rural communities with different landscapes for funding.
Top Policy Ideas:
Napa
Puertas Abiertas Community Resource Center and All Home CA – We visited with about 40 Latino men and women who pick grapes, clean hotels, and perform many of the other service sector jobs that ultimately create Napa’s wealth. The county’s wine industry yields nearly $8 billion annually, and yet many of the workers struggle with housing, including: finding anything affordable; landlords who won’t address bad living conditions and raise rents at will; and a lack of representation in eviction court. Farmworker housing for women doesn’t even exist. Workers who are long-time residents can never afford to purchase a home and build wealth no matter how long and hard they work. Moreover, people who are working while undocumented are threatened with deportation if they advocate for their rights as tenants or employees. Many of the people we spoke with also live in unincorporated “islands” within city limits so they are unable to vote for local elected officials.
Top Policy Ideas:
Santa Rosa
Latino Service Providers – We met with approximately 30 young adults, ages 18-25. Cost of living was top of mind–for housing, education, healthcare, and more. Many were struggling to help support their families while in school. Many dropped out of higher education because it was cost prohibitive, even while working. Economic strain is taking a toll on families, and the group reported a consequent increase in divorces, more kids working jobs, and a lack of time for any self-care. Too many full-time jobs only pay enough to cover the cost of childcare and not much else. There was an overall sense that it will be difficult to remain in California due to the rising cost of living. Uncertainty around immigration policy—even for DACA-recipients—stifles opportunities, makes people reluctant to advocate for themselves, and leads to exploitation. Young people also want to see more people with lived experience similar to theirs in elected office so there is a deeper awareness, empathy, and policy response to these struggles.
Top Policy Ideas:
Pajaro
Ohlone Elementary School – We visited with 20 parents, faculty and staff a little less than three months after the levee broke and flooded their town. We found a community of 3,500 that had been ignored when the disaster hit and they were under 2-3 feet of water, despite its location within wealthy Monterey County. There was an awareness that things would have been different if the town were predominately white and wealthy, like in nearby Monterey, rather than majority farmworkers. The community formed a kind of mutual aid network for food, clothing, rent and other necessities. But the town has limited resources. Even before the flood, up to five families might be sharing one, substandard apartment due to the cost of housing. They dug up sludge themselves–toxic from pesticide runoff–when waters receded. The students have returned to school with new traumas from evacuation, shelters, and destroyed homes. The school shares a single mental health counselor with another school, so the waiting lists are long.
Top Policy Ideas:
Compton & Norco
Compton College & Norco College – We met a total of 80 racially diverse, multi-generational students including young people, parents, people attending school while working multiple jobs, people caring for extended families, former foster youth—all trying to get on a path to mobility while struggling to afford basic needs. Housing affordability and stability is a top concern not for a few of them, but nearly all of them.
Students also shared stories about struggles with the safety net: Receiving conflicting information from government agencies about how to apply. Lost applications. Repeated requests for the same documents. Demeaning treatment.
Both schools work hard to help students obtain basic needs —hiring new staff to help navigate the safety net, helping to find emergency housing, working with the state on new housing initiatives, and more.
Top Policy Ideas:
Los Angeles
Young Women’s Freedom Center – We joined 50 members of the Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition to hear about the struggles they have faced as primarily women and non-binary people of color impacted by incarceration, the juvenile legal and foster systems, and poverty. Many spoke of the drop in supports like child care subsidies, housing assistance, or food that happens just as someone makes progress towards financial stability. Others highlighted the exploitation of incarcerated people earning cents an hour in prison. While there was frustration over continued advocacy failing to yield lasting change, there was also a commitment to continue to organize and raise their voices for change.
Top Policy Ideas:
Fresno
Faith in the Valley – Fresno community members, many of whom have been sharing their stories and advocating for change for years, shared their fatigue at the lack of action to tackle poverty in their community. They discussed the challenges of finding affordable housing in a city with one of the highest rates of rent increase in the nation, the struggles with inadequate healthcare, and the lingering impact of historical oppressions like redlining and eminent domain. But they were determined to continue to build power and fight for bold change. As one resident put it, “It’s not easy not to give up. But if you give up, then who’s left?”
Top Policy Ideas:
Ontario
Small Business Majority and AmPac Business Capital – We met with 30 small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs who were either living in poverty or had experienced poverty. We heard about the pro-opportunity policies they support to help generate jobs and prosperity that can help prevent poverty and strengthen communities. The entrepreneurs pointed out how people in under-resourced communities are overlooked, their talents wasted, even when they have great ideas responding to community needs. And finally, we heard about the importance of providing resources and technical assistance that help individuals to take a risk and build stability for themselves and their communities.
Top Policy Ideas:
Antioch
All Home CA – We visited with about 40 community organizers and tenants who shared stories of landlords not accepting state funds for partial rent payments, or refusing to work out payment plans. California may be spending billions to help the homeless and renters, but the help is failing to reach many of the real people facing eviction. Antioch is an eviction capital of the Bay Area and for many residents, right to counsel should be considered a basic need. We challenged the organizers to become more involved in the political process and we were thrilled that just a few days laters many showed up at the Antioch City Council to voice support for a measure to cap rent increases to max 3%. The measure was approved.
Top Policy Ideas:
Oakland
SEIU CA & Fight for $15 – We met with 20 workers who shared their workplace struggles with wage theft, violence, and the need to strike when employers fail to address unacceptable working conditions such as extreme heat. Across the board, fast food workers experienced cuts in hours when they tried to organize or voice their concerns. Workers were unanimous that AB 257 would be transformative, creating the nation’s first-ever council of workers, industry reps, and state officials to set wages and workplace standards. With the fast food industry’s ballot repeal effort underway, workers know that we’ll need all hands on deck to make sure people know the truth about this issue.
Top Policy Ideas:
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Key County Statistics:
50%
50%
Of California community college students experienced food insecurity in the last 30 days. (California Community Colleges)
20%
20%
Of California’s Community College students are experiencing homelessness, with rates for Black students double those of White students. (John Burton Advocates for Youth)
70%
70%
Of Californians experiencing homelessness have a history of incarceration. (Prison Policy Initiative)
15th
15th
Fresno ranking in the nation for people living in poverty. (Fox26 News)
12%
12%
Of Black and Latino-owned businesses received the full amount they requested from COVID-era PPP loans and only 5% of women-owned businesses received PPP loans. (CalMatters)
22x
22x
Antioch has the highest rate of evictions in the Bay Area at 22 times higher rate than in Oakland. (Antioch CHANGE Report)
80%
80%
Of California’s fast-food workers are people of color. More than 60% are Latino/Latina and two-thirds are women. (UC Berkeley Labor Center)
