This month's letter is from Yajaira Ortega, Thrive's Policy & Advocacy Associate. She has been working deeply in the field of housing, among many other things, and has updates and insights to share.
We hope to see you TOMORROW for theEnvironment & SustainabilityThrive Action Group on cultural hesitations around induction stoves and the manipulation by the gas industry and to enjoy a cooking demonstration.
Petra Silton, Senior Director of Programs
Dear Friends,
The affordable housing crisis needs to be tackled from every side. In this letter, you will find many ways to get involved to help prevent the displacement of marginalized communities.
After the Half Moon Bay tragedy that illuminated the deplorable conditions of farmworker housing, the county established a task force for farmworkers residing in employer-provided housing. The Board of Supervisors will consider a proposal to allocate $750,000 to house displaced workers and seek community donations to assist the affected families.
Another opportunity to support affordable housing is by sending your local legislator a support letter for SB 4. Senator Scott Weiner's SB 4 "Yes in God's BackYard" makes it easier and faster for religious organizations and nonprofit colleges to construct affordable housing on their property.
There are plenty of other ways to get involved throughout this newsletter. Feel free to contact me directly if you want to get involved.
In Community,
Yajaira Ortega, Policy & Advocacy Associate
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For Thrive and Community events, visit Thrive's Event page.
State Policy Updates
Watchlist: Levine Act
How will local contributions to candidates be impacted in the next election cycle? Thrive, and the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits are tracking all items related to the Levine Act. Find more resources below.
Participate in Fair Pay for Northern California Nonprofits: The 2023 Compensation & Benefits Survey
The Compensation & Benefits Survey is an annual survey for the Northern California nonprofit sector. The more data available in our industry about nonprofit pay, the more robust, equitable, and attractive we'll be as employers. To participate in the 2023 survey (and acquire the 2022 survey report, if you don’t already have it) click the survey button below.
Protect Housing Availability Through Seismic Retrofit
Support AB 1505 to fund the Seismic Retrofitting Program for Soft Story Multifamily Housing in the State Budget. The program aims to protect 100,000 soft-story facilities in California and 2.5 million residents at risk by improving infrastructure and retrofitting soft-story apartment buildings at risk of collapse during an earthquake due to weak construction. Follow Burlingame's Soft Story Ad Hoc Committee to learn how the city of Burlingame is addressing this issue.
San Mateo County Reaches $4.5 Million Settlement with Chinedu Okobi’s Family
San Mateo County has settled with the family of Chinedu Valentine Okobi, a Black man who died in 2018 after being tased for jaywalking. Okobi's case underscores the deep-seated racial biases and systemic issues within law enforcement that have disproportionately impacted communities of color. Local community leaders are activating communities to advocate for more changes to the system, including reforming taser use in law enforcement.
If you want to get more involved, Fixin' San Mateo County is a local grassroots organization advocating to enact effective civilian oversight of the County Sheriff's Office. Read their 2022 Year-End Impact Report to learn more.
Guaranteed Income
As mentioned in our previous newsletter, the county is monitoring the Guaranteed Income topic and will reconvene after the subcommittee has updates. Santa Clara County has established a 24-month program for families experiencing or at risk of homelessness to receive $1,000 a month.
Redistricting Update
Common Cause California published California's 2020 Local Redistricting Cycle: Lessons Learned and Future Reforms, written by Nicolas Heidorn, which included comments from Petra Silton, Senior Director of Programs at Thrive Alliance. The report describes that organizational stakeholders had mixed views on how effectively local governments reached out to underrepresented communities. Although some felt that incumbents could abuse advisory commissions to control the drawing of their districts, others believed advisory commissions could help elevate community-oriented maps, especially if they were politically independent of the legislative body. Silton says that San Mateo County's advisory commission process "helped spark a big conversation in our county about what the lines should look like that we wouldn't otherwise have had."
The report discusses the following:
Timing: Late census data created a time crunch for counties and some cities.
Transparency: FMA reforms made for a more transparent local redistricting process, although some jurisdictions failed to follow notice and publication requirements.
Public Participation: New redistricting rules and remote access policies significantly increased public and community engagement in the 2020 cycle.
Criteria: Better redistricting criteria sometimes led to better maps, but incumbency protection remains the primary obstacle to fairer community representation
Commissions: Independent Redistricting Commissions adopted maps that better reflected the interests of communities over incumbents.
Thrive News
Environment & Sustainability Thrive Action Group
Thrive's Environment & Sustainability TAG gathered virtually in January with a great panel of experts to discuss flood risks and mitigation. At the event, we explored methods for reducing future flood risk through nature-based solutions with government and community-based initiatives. Recording and slides are available here.
Join Thrive in person TOMORROW, February 28 to discuss the latest "hot" topic, gas stoves, which have come under scrutiny for contributing to climate change and dangerous indoor air pollution. We will also have a cooking demonstration! See the invitation below!
Thrive RISE
Thrive RISE held its first working meeting on Wednesday, February 22 with a diverse group of nonprofit, faith, and government partners to discuss lessons learned from the January storms, community and organizational needs in disasters, and emerging recovery resources. See Thrive’s Events page for a list of upcoming Thrive RISE trainings, and our Storm & Flood Recovery page for storm recovery resources. Our next Thrive RISE working meeting will be Wednesday, March 29, 10:00 -11:30 am. If you are not on the Thrive RISE mailing list and would like to be, reach out to Ana Miscolta, Director of Community Resilience.
2022-2023 Listos California Target Grant (LG) Program Request for Proposal
Cal OES has announced the Listos California Target Grant (LG) Program, a new grant opportunity to support organizations throughout California that serve smaller populations with key social vulnerability factors located in any given area at moderate to high risk from natural hazards. Community-based organizations (CBOs) throughout the state can work independently or sub-grant with other local CBOs to provide disaster training and resources to vulnerable and diverse populations. This work is intended to increase their communities’ disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation capabilities. Any organization interested in attending the training should contact ListosGrants@caloes.ca.gov.
Application Deadline: Monday, March 20
Upcoming Thrive Events
Environment & Sustainability Thrive Action Group (TAG)
Cultural Barriers to Induction Cooking: The Social Science of Overcoming Resistance
TOMORROW, February 28, 3:00 - 4:30 pm, In-person
Sobrato Center for Nonprofits, Redwood Shores
Join us on the "hot" new topic of induction cooking and cultural barriers. Our expert speakers will discuss how cultural factors can impact the adoption of induction cooking and offer insights on overcoming resistance.
Francesca Pedraza, Rise South City's Program Director, will moderate our panel of experts:
ActerraBeneficial Electrification Manager, Leo Steinmetz
But that's not all! We'll also have a fun cooking demo where you can create a delicious dish and learn more about the benefits of induction cooking. Don't miss this opportunity to connect with other like-minded individuals and discover how you can positively impact the environment through sustainable cooking practices. Register now to reserve your spot and participate in this exciting event.
Entrenamiento: Recuperación de Desastre en Español
Miércoles, 1 de marzo, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Virtual
¿Su organización está ayudando a los miembros de la comunidad a través del proceso de recuperación después de las tormentas de enero? Únase a esta capacitación con la organización nacional de recuperación y resiliencia ante desastres SBP para aprender cómo apoyar a los miembros de la comunidad afectados durante la recuperación. La formación cubrirá:
Cómo navegar el proceso de solicitud inicial de FEMA y el proceso de apelación en caso de que se rechace una solicitud
Cómo evitar el fraude de contratistas
Cómo interactúa la asistencia financiera de FEMA y el programa de préstamos de la Administración de Pequeñas Empresas
Is your organization helping community members through the recovery process following the January storms? Join this training with the national disaster recovery and resilience organization SBP to learn how to support impacted community members through recovery. The training will cover the following:
How to navigate the initial FEMA application process and the appeal process in case an application is rejected
How to avoid contractor fraud
How FEMA financial assistance and the Small Business Administration (SBA) loan program interact with each other
Thrive RISE (Resilience in Shared Emergencies) Coordinating Staff Roles During Disasters
Thursday, March 9, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm, Hybrid
Staff roles can shift drastically during emergencies; planning for who will take on what roles can greatly facilitate an organization's response to emergencies and orient staff to respond. This free 4-hour training will provide an overview of the Incident Command System (ICS) explicitly geared toward nonprofits and community-based organizations in San Mateo County. Organizations will then apply their new knowledge through group exercises. Participants will learn how to effectively prepare and coordinate staff for five roles crucial to disaster response and recovery.
Opportunities for peer learning among nonprofit leaders can be limited, difficult to time, and expensive. Nonprofit executives need access to a safe space to talk ideas through with like-minded peers to scale their organizations and prioritize growth.
Thrive is excited to offer Executive Peer Coaching led by Bart Charlow, retired CEO of Samaritan House. These groups will allow nonprofit Executive Directors and CEOs to share knowledge, support each other, and discuss leadership challenges in 90-minute monthly sessions with eight other peers. Bring your concerns, challenges, and items that need to be talked through to these judgment-free and confidential sessions.
If you would like to request a spot in this free program, please complete the Executive Peer Coaching Interest Form. You can also learn more about Bart Charlow's impact at Samaritan House here.
We hope you can join other knowledgeable peers to share inspiration, ideas, resources, and more.
Virtual Town Hall With State Treasurer Fiona Ma on the CalKids Program
Tuesday, February 28, 6:00 - 7:00 pm
The San Mateo County Office of Education is holding a virtual town hall with Fiona Ma, CPA State Treasurer,to discuss the CalKids program. CalKIDS provides newborns up to $100, and eligible public school students identified as low-income, foster youth, or experiencing homelessness with up to $1,500 in a CalKIDS account for higher education and career training.
The annual Policy Insights Conference brings California’s policy community together to share transformative ideas and strategize pathways toward creating a more inclusive state. To register for this year's conference click here.
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