Faith in the Valley, Author at Faith in the Valley

Mayor Michael Tubbs gathers Advance Peace supporters ahead of Stockton council meeting

Mayor Gathers Advance Peace Supporters Ahead of Stockton Council Meeting

January 17, 2018
Faith in the Valley
San Joaquin

Gun violence in Stockton continues to be a hot-button issue. It’s guaranteed to take center stage tonight when the City Council will be asked to consider a resolution supporting a four-year partnership with Advance Peace, a crime-reduction program that has shown some promise in Richmond, the East Bay city where it was first introduced. The program has riled some residents who believe mistakenly that Advance Peace is publicly funded and pays criminals not to commit crimes.

Faith in the Valley and other Stockton organizations all publicly support Advance Peace at a press conference

Stockton Mayor Continues Push for Controversial ‘Advance Peace’ Program

January 17, 2018
Faith in the Valley
San Joaquin

Elbert Holman, Vice Mayor of the City of Stockton, Bishop Rufus K. Turner with Victory in Praise and Faith in the Valley, Fathers and Families of San Joaquin, Cleveland Schools Remembers, and NAACP all publicly support Advance Peace. Julie Schardt, an organizer with Cleveland School Remembers says their group had been interested in Advance Peace long before it was announced that Mayor Michael Tubbs was interested in bringing it to Stockton.

Faith in the Valley Executive Director Trena Turner will be the featured speaker at the MLK luncheon in Modesto

Faith in the Valley Executive Director a Featured Speaker at MLK Luncheon

January 13, 2018
Faith in the Valley
Blog

Women who have carried on the message of equality will speak at events in honor of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in and near Stanislaus County. Other speakers will take part as well in commemorations of the civil rights leader’s 89th birthday. He was born Jan. 15, 1929, in Atlanta and assassinated in Memphis on April 4, 1968.

Faith In the Valley leaders holding hands during an action. (Photo by Bryan Patrick)

Thank You for Your Bold Leadership in 2017

December 22, 2017
Faith in the Valley
Blog

It’s hard to believe that just one year ago, 1,500 of us stood together and publicly launched Faith In The Valley at the Founding Convention. We are so proud of all that we have accomplished together since then. One of the many big wins across the Valley this past year is the new breakthrough rental housing inspection program to enforce healthy standards for rental properties.

Organizations like Faith in the Valley are seeking ways legal residents and citizens like this farmworker can respond if massive roundups and deportations begin. (Photo by Rich Pedroncelli, AP)

Rapid Response Training Programs are Aiming to Document ICE Activities

December 13, 2017
Faith in the Valley
Blog, San Joaquin

“We cannot stop ICE from doing what they do,” said Curtis Smith, a local pastor and community organizer, as he warned the volunteers not to interfere with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “But we can offer support so that people know they can count on their community to show up in their time of need.” The “rapid response” training program was one of a half-dozen being carried out this fall by Faith in the Valley.

A MoveOn.org rally against the Trump Administration's Muslim ban. (Photo by Alejandro Alvarez)

Tell Congress: We Oppose Any Muslim Ban

December 8, 2017
Faith in the Valley
Blog

We are extremely disappointed by the Supreme Court’s initial ruling this week to allow the Administration’s “Muslim Ban”—banning travel to the United States by residents of six Muslim-majority countries—to go into effect. We are sickened by this policy (grounded in absolutely no sound basis or rationale).

Incarcerations by 1K persons by race, according to the Advancement Project California, creators of RACE COUNTS, an initiative and web tool that measures disparities in California’s 58 counties.

PICO Partners With RACE COUNTS Initiative to Compare Equality of Minority Groups in San Joaquin County

November 29, 2017
Faith in the Valley
Blog, San Joaquin

San Joaquin County residents, overall, are struggling to prosper, researchers say. And while the community is lagging behind other counties, the largest group of people affected by disparities continues to be minorities, particularly black residents, which make up 6.7 percent of the county’s population.

Faith in Fresno leaders speak about the Fresno Legal Defense Fund at press conference.

Despite Being Denied by City Council, Fresno Gets Legal Fund for Undocumented After All

November 22, 2017
Faith in the Valley
Blog, Fresno

Numerous cities have dedicated public money to similar efforts in the face of increased immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, including Los Angeles and Chicago. But the Fresno City Council voted down a proposal in June to contribute public money to such a legal defense fund. “Even so, our community did not leave that day feeling defeated. We felt empowered,” Faith in Fresno organizer Sukaina Hussain said.

Drop the Delay – Protect Renters Living in Misery

October 25, 2017
Faith in the Valley
Fresno

After nearly 14 years of protests, dozens of meetings with various officials, extensive research and lots of prayer, hundreds of concerned citizens and dedicated families finally convinced the Fresno City Council to pass breakthrough legislation that will begin to hold slumlords accountable for their unhealthy and dangerous properties. This historic vote to approve the Rental Housing Improvement Act happened in February. It’s now time for the vote to turn into action.

Victory! SB 31, Religious Freedom Act, Signed Into Law

SB 31’s passage sends an important message to our Muslim sisters and brothers about our love and care for them during a time of increasing vulnerability. People of faith across the state do not stand for the dehumanization represented by the federal administration’s attempts to create a Muslim registry or Muslim ban.