After nine long months of communities and congregations struggling to defend themselves against the rising tide of deportations that are ripping families apart, SB 54, the California Values Act, has been signed into law. Faith in the Valley, along with PICO California and its 400 member congregations across 24 counties, thank Governor Brown, Senate President Pro Tem Kevin De León, his staff, and...
The American Civil Liberties Union of California (ACLU-CA) and local partner organizations today launched Hey, Meet Your DA!, a campaign designed to raise awareness about the powerful role district attorneys (DAs) play in the state’s 58 counties, and to increase accountability and transparency within the offices.
Toni McNeil was standing in a circle surrounded by dozens of people gathered Friday to condemn white supremacy following the incidents in Charlottesville, Virginia, when a white man tapped her on her right shoulder. As she turned, the man called her over to him. The interaction lasted less than 60 seconds but it made her want to cry. “I want to tell you I’m sorry,” he told her with tears in his eyes and her hand in between his.
A meeting between Stockton clergy members and the founder of Advance Peace met Tuesday to discuss the controversial crime prevention program. The program seeks to help people, identified by law enforcement as being likely to engage in gun violence, stay out of trouble.
Tension is building in many Valley communities over deportation fears. In Selma, families are calling on the police department to improve its immigration policy. St. Joseph's Catholic Church is a place of refuge where families gathered on Friday to voice and ease their concerns about deportation.
Borealis Philanthropy recently launched the Communities Transforming Policing Fund to support promising police reform advocacy in local jurisdictions throughout the country, and we're proud to share that Faith in the Valley is one of the Funds' inaugural grant recipients. The CTPF is a collaborative effort of the Open Society Foundations, the Ford Foundation, and the Public Welfare Foundation.
This week, Building Healthy Communities Merced released a report outlining ways the county could potentially provide services for undocumented immigrants. The report explains that because undocumented immigrants aren’t eligible for health insurance under Covered California or most non-emergency coverage from Medi-Cal, advocates around the state have asked their counties to provide coverage to those undocumented.
In the past few months Mendota has repeatedly made the news over deportation fears. Back in May, ICE sent a letter to a minister and mother, ordering her to leave the country. Then last month the city proposed a resolution that would oppose California becoming a sanctuary state. "This community is under attack," said Leticia Valencia.
“We’re here because we strongly believe that the people in the community hold the best hope to change the community. So we’re here marching for peace, for all of the violence to cease regardless of where it comes from. We want our city to be the amazing city that we know it can be,” Pastor Trena Turner, executive director of Faith in the Valley, said during the walk.
Stakeholder engagement is a key piece of the LCAP process because it brings together parents, students, educators, administrators, and community members with the common goal of supporting student success.