Throughout California, PICO affiliates are waging city-wide campaigns aimed at tackling two of the biggest obstacles facing youth across the state – soaring levels of youth violence and high school dropouts. On Monday evening, youth and adult leaders from PICO affiliate Sacramento Area Congregations Together (ACT) took these issues to candidates running for Mayor of Sacramento, asking them to shift from an "enforcement only" approach to one that focuses more on programs, services, and jobs for young people.

In the largest candidates' forum to date in this year's mayoral race, over 1,100 people from throughout Sacramento packed the auditorium at Luther Burbank High School to hear the candidates respond to a series of questions from ACT leaders about specific actions they will take to address youth issues. The issue areas chosen came from a survey of 250 youth done earlier in the year which showed a clear demand for more youth jobs and gang intervention services.

All four candidates in attendance agreed to support ACT's proposal to commit 40 percent of funding from a proposed public safety tax measure to youth violence prevention and intervention strategies. All four candidates also committed to ACT's proposals to make the city's inclusionary housing policy citywide and convene a task force to look at ways the city can assist in improving high school graduation rates.

This forum built further momentum for ACT's "Stand Together Campaign," which ACT launched in 2006 to reduce youth violence and create more opportunities for youth success.

"This issue is a matter of life and death," said youth organizer Lisa Sydnor. "We are going to make sure the candidates follow through on their commitments."