Central Valley Matters Winter 2023 Grassroots Groups
Community Water Center’s Day of Community Action.
All four of CVM’s supported grassroots groups are dedicated to the communities they serve. To be effective, they must be active in their communities year round and need our funding to staff and carry out those efforts. Each group has a unique mission and means of motivating and empowering their communities to become civically engaged and recognize the impact and importance of voting.
Three of our four groups are tax-deductible 501(c)(3)s. Below are each group’s plans for 2024.
We are pleased to introduce our newest grassroots group: Community Water Center (CWC), a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 2006 and operating in Tulare County (23.5% of CD-22). CWC focuses its mobilization efforts on addressing the drinking water crisis in the Central Valley and works to engage a broader base of supporters in the movement for water justice. In 2024, CWC’s outreach in Tulare County will include hiring and training a team of canvassers, monthly voter registration efforts, door-to-door organizing, and phone banking related to water issues. Increasing voter turnout for water issues should result in the election of representatives more responsive to community needs.
Delano Guardians (DG) has been an advocate for the people of Delano and other small towns in northern Kern County (66% of CD-22) since 2013. DG empowers local residents to speak up on issues important to the community, including rent control and preventing gun violence. Currently, DG is assisting residents in their fight against plans to locate a Carbon Capture & Sequestration (CCS) project near Delano. Residents worry that the “enhanced oil recovery site that was causing headaches, contamination, and other health issues to residents” will subsidize continued production of fossil fuels in Kern. (Source: Harvard/Center for Race, Poverty, and the Environment.) DG uses a fiscal sponsor for its 501(c)(3) status (Center for Race, Poverty and the Environment).
Watch: Yolanda Chaco-Serna discussing the work Delano Guardians is doing.
The Dolores Huerta Action Fund (DHAF), is a 501(c)(4) working in Kern County (66% of CD 22). Although not tax deductible, DHAF can lobby and advocate for political candidates and be more actively involved in getting out the Democratic vote in the 2024 elections than a 501(c)(3). Their canvassers knocked on over 100,000 doors and had thousands of conversations with potential voters in 2022. In 2024, DHAF plans to aggressively get out the vote, especially the youth vote with its emphasis on corporate profits and climate change, working towards ‘just’ energy transition solutions. DHAF’s direct voter contact will again be of vital importance in winning back CD 22.
Watch: Camila Chavez discussing the work Dolores Huerta Action Fund is doing.
DHAF Youth, Vecinos, & Volunteers at Voter Registration Day of Action to empower and engage voters.
Valley Voices, a 501(c)(3), works in Kings County (10.5% of CD 22) to increase civic engagement among underserved residents, especially Spanish speakers, youth, and recently naturalized citizens. Ivette Chaidez Villareal, the Civic Engagement Coordinator, explains that VV builds relationships by engaging people where
they are, including at swap meets, at cultural events, and at church. In 2024, VV will also host candidate forums, community talks “Platicos,” and events like “Ballots and Burritos” to educate voters on the mechanics of filling out their ballots and voting. According to Ivette, “Building success takes showing up every single day.”
Watch: Ivette Chaidez-Villareal discussing the work Valley Voices is doing.
Valley Voices works out in the community, providing Covid test kits and education.