Friday, May 5, 2006

Rebuilding Louisiana
National media campaign presses Congress to act on Katrina relief
PICO is launching a media campaign to press Congress to complete work on emergency Gulf Coast legislation that includes full funding for housing and levees.  To prevent important Katrina assistance from being lost in the political shuffle in Washington, PICO federations are holding meetings and events with members of Congress, flooding Congress with e-mail and phone calls and releasing a Video News Release for local TV news station across the country. Read more>> 

New Orleans Mayoral Forum on Housing and Community Revitalization
All Congregations Together is hosting a mayoral forum on Sunday, May 7 in New Orleans to shape city housing and community development policy under the next city administration. With hundreds of millions of dollars expected to flow into New Orleans for rebuilding, ACT leaders want to make sure that community residents and religious congregations have a voice in planning decisions, and that funds are spent wisely and reach those with the greatest needs. Read more>>

HEALTH CARE
$2.1 billion Tobacco Tax Initiative headed for November Ballot in California
On May 4 PICO California and the Coalition for a Healthy California delivered more than the one million signatures needed to place a historic health care initiative on the November ballot. PICO leaders coordinated a major volunteer effort that collected 85,681 signatures. If approved by voters, the Initiative will provide important new health care services, including coverage for all uninsured children in the state, and will also prevent smoking among youth and reduce smoking rates in low-income communities. For more information visit www.picocalifornia.org.

Vermont clergy push to break deadlock on health care
Clergy from Vermont Interfaith Action (VIA) led a press conference at the Vermont Statehouse to press the governor and legislative leaders to move forward on a compromise health care bill to extend coverage to uninsured Vermonters. Read more>>

HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES
Churches fight to block FEMA evictions in Florida
Greater Pensacola Community Organization (GPCO) is working to create permanent affordable housing for the 2,000 families who lost their homes in Escambia County, Florida in September 2004 as a result of Hurricane Ivan. GPCO is pressing FEMA to stop evicting poor families from mobile home parks until churches and local officials are able to develop permanent housing. Read more>>

San Francisco wins $20 million for affordable housing
As part of a long-term campaign to expand affordable housing opportunities in San Francisco and assure that low-income and working families can continue to live in the city, San Francisco Organizing Project won $20 million in additional city funding for affordable housing and family rental assistance. Read more >>

IMMIGRATION
Congregations weigh in on immigration debate
Many PICO federations and congregations have been working over the past years to organize immigrant communities, fight exploitation of immigrant families, and find common ground among diverse communities on immigration issues. As the immigration debate in the United States has intensified, PICO federations have helped lead immigration vigils and marches in Denver, San Diego, San Jose, Sacramento, Contra Costa County, California and other cities across the country. Read more>>

GOOD SCHOOLS
New Aviation High School to open in Oakland
Culminating a multi-year community-led campaign, Oakland Community Organizations joined with the College of Alameda, the Port of Oakland, the Western Aerospace Museum (WAM) and other community partners to inaugurate Oakland Aviation High School (OAHS) on Sunday, March 26. Read more>>

$1 million for new schools in San Jose
As part of a campaign by People Acting in Community Together (PACT) to improve public education in San Jose, Netflix founder Reed Hastings has made a $1 million gift to ACE Public School Network to speed up the creation of new small public schools in Santa Clara County. PACT founded the ACE Public School Network two years ago to support the development of new high quality public schools for low and moderate-income children in the county. Read more>>

New School moves ahead in Philadelphia
The Eastern Pennsylvania Organizing Project (EPOP) won an agreement from Philadelphia School District CEO Paul Vallas to approve construction of a new school in a low-income multi-ethnic neighborhood in Philadelphia. Read more>>

SAFE COMMUNITIES
Massachusetts passes bill to reduce gang violence
The Massachusetts Communities Action Network, in coalition with the Black Ministerial Alliance, the Boston Ten Point Coalition, and the Dorchester Youth Collaborative won passage of state legislation to reduce gang violence. Read more>>

Anchorage works to prevent youth violence
Anchorage Faith and Action Congregations Together (AFACT) gathered youth from diverse religious denominations, ethnic groups, and socio-economic groups to dialogue with Anchorage police officers in April as part of an effort to break the cycle of youth violence in the community. Read more>>

Youth Leaders Tackle Violence in San Bernardino, California
On February 11, more than 500 people participated in a forum and candlelight march led by youth from Inland Congregations United for Change (ICUC) to reduce violence in San Bernardino. The youth leaders captured the attention of the media and city officials, making violence prevention a top priority of city government and won a commitment from the Mayor to include young people in developing a comprehensive strategy to make the community safer. Read more>>

COMMUNITY REVITALIZATION
Community, youth leaders block Wal-Mart in Hercules, CA
Contra Costa Interfaith Sponsoring Committee (CCISCO) and its youth organizing team blocked an effort by Wal-Mart to open a new store in Hercules. Read more>>

Rochester wins $18 million in state aid
As the result of an intensive lobbying campaign, Rochester will receive an unprecedented 33% increase in state aid this year – an additional $18 million. Interfaith Action began the Fair Share campaign at a July 28, 2006 public forum attended by 500 people. Read more>>

Fighting to keep Allentown clean
As part of a campaign to address quality of life issues in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Congregations United for Neighborhood Action (CUNA) won new garbage rules designed to prevent commercial dumping of garbage on city sidewalks. Read more>>

OTHER NEWS
Southeast Leadership Retreat
Over 100 leaders from PICO organizations in the Southeast United States met March 31-April 2 in Atlanta, Georgia. Read more>>

New organizing effort on the Wind River Indian Reservation, WY
Goshen Faith Community Concerns (GFCC) in Wyoming opened a new satellite office on the Wind River Indian Reservation. This Reservation is made up of the Arapaho and the Shoshonee Tribes. GFCC is working in Wind River and Goshen County to help families organize to build a powerful voice to bring needed housing resources and public services to their communities. For more information contact Melinda Magdaleno at gfccwyo@yahoo.com.sg.

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