During the last week of September, PICO affiliate San Diego Organizing Project (SDOP) held four separate town hall meetings throughout San Diego County as part of its "Year of our Youth" campaign. Addressing a broad array of issues impacting youth, including education, code enforcement, housing, and truancy, SDOP mobilized over 650 people in a buildup to a community convention on October 12, in which local, state, and national elected officials, along with 2,000 community members, are expected to attend.

On September 23, the local organizing ministry of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in El Cajon brought over 150 community members to City Council Chambers to demand the expansion of a city program that cleans up high crime neighborhoods by creating partnerships between police, tenants, and apartment complex owners. The city committed to expand the program and involve the church in determining how and where the program is expanded in the city of El Cajon.

On September 29, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego held a public meeting with San Diego Police Chief William Lansdowne and Deputy Superintendant Dr. Charles Morris, obtaining commitments from both for increased truancy and intervention efforts in schools, including a comprehensive early-intervention plan for City Heights and a commitment to place a school/community early-intervention specialist in the local high school. Over 250 people attended this event.

The following night, SDOP held two separate town hall meetings. In La Mesa, SDOP held a candidates forum with 100 people regarding senior transportation, youth issues, and a $4 million reduction in city services. That same night the Second and Fourth Ecclesiastical Jurisdictions of COGIC (Church of God in Christ) held an action with 150 people at Faith Chapel. The church, pastored by Bishop Roy Dixon of the national board of PICO, obtained commitments from school district officials regarding truancy polices, increased attendance programs and improvements to a local high school.

For more information on SDOP and its Year of our Youth campaign, visit www.sdop.net