A Day In Fresno Building Power

In a sea of 250 people, there is often not a chance to have individual voices heard. This was not the case in Fresno as the statewide IAF Organizations, including Common Ground, gathered last Sunday to build our collective power and discuss the CA Economy.

Here are a few facts about the CA economy:

-We have the 5th largest economy in the world ($3.35 Trillion in 2021)
-The gap between middle class and upper class wages are the highest in the nation
-It has the highest poverty rate in the US (when adjusted for cost of living)
    *1/3 of families are barely able to pay their bills
    *28% of African Americans are in poverty; 1/3 of Hispanics; 2/3 undocumented

It is overwhelming to think about for sure, but there was a large amount of enthusiasm to tackle the issues! The CA IAF consists of 115 institutions (including FCC Vallejo!) with annual dues commitments totaling $384,000!

That is 115 institutions that can make a huge difference in this economy.

-We won a statewide expansion of the CA earned income tax credit in 2020
-We won free health care for uninsured low income residents in Monterey County
-We got commitments from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to keep us at the table regarding mental health access and affordable housing
-We got commitments from Supervisors in Marin County to discuss raising the wage of in home care workers from $16/hour to $26/hour
-We got the Vallejo City Council to pass the Police Accountability Oversight Ordinance
-We got Solano County to allocate $4 million to rental assistance throughout the pandemic

This is all to say that we might feel small but when you put us all together, we are really making a dent in the fabric of the CA economy!! You should be proud that we are a part of something so life giving to so many people throughout our state.

Stay tuned for more conversations on how the economy is working, or not working, for you as Common Ground will be focusing on this throughout the next year.