Our Approach to Winning
OUR WORK
Communities for a New California promotes economic prosperity and community health for residents in the rural areas of California. We bring valley residents together to champion the needs of poor and working-class families through community organizing, integrated leadership development, and mass non-partisan voter engagement.
Our year-round programs are effective in educating and motivating voters to become consistent in casting their ballots. We involve voters in local advocacy, incorporating an integrated voter outreach strategy to have our voters become the tipping point on statewide public policy advocacy campaigns.
CNC’s success is rooted in the three tenets of direct political action:
1) transform people into leaders in their community by connecting them with their power;
2) work with their family and neighbors to make tangible improvements for their families; and
3) develop an accessible, accountable, and transparent government.
Headquartered in Sacramento, with offices in Fresno, Indio and Merced, our chapters are in constant contact with residents in 13 California counties, from Yolo to Imperial – with an emphasis on the San Joaquin, Imperial and Coachella Valleys. CNC was founded in 2011 as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) human rights organization.
WE ENGAGE NEIGHBORS
COMMUNITY ORGANIZING
CNC community organizers share a sense of mission and a set of principles of how to build power and community for working people through grassroots organizing. Our organizers build relationships by relating to people from a variety of backgrounds and experience; engaging with them directly and empathizing with their concerns about their community. Our organizers engage through personal visits, house meetings, and community meetings to identify tangible community improvements and a strategy to win.
WE ARE A TRUSTED VOICE
PHONE & EMAIL PROGRAMS
CNC engages members of the community who have been overlooked in the decisions that most impact their schools, neighborhoods and families. CNC is constantly growing its database of Californians living in the areas we serve, we have a team of expert organizers that lead regular computer-based phone banking centers and email organizing drives. Our goal is to engage our voters at least once a month to inform and motivate them to participate in elections and public policy debates.
WE BUILD PEOPLE POWER
STREET TEAMS
CNC is solidifying a powerful grassroots Valley voter base. We are working to increase civic and electoral participation to make concrete improvements for families in the rural areas of California. We take to the streets to have one-on-one conversations with voters on a consistent basis. We partner with a diverse range of organizations to educate residents about issues that impact their communities. Our organizing and public policy education programs empower our communities to become engaged and vocal about those issues.
WE CONNECT COMMUNITIES
SMART TECHNOLOGY
CNC invests in cutting-edge technology infrastructure to ensure we have the right tools to engage families in hard-to-reach areas of the state. We track interactions, use tablets to program walk routes and conversation prompts, and work with software developers to adapt programs and tools for our efforts. We are always on the hunt for new technologies to help us better keep in contact with our communities.
WE AMPLIFY COMMUNITY VOICES
EVENTS AND RALLIES
CNC knows educating people on the issues is just the first step, we encourage our communities to become involved in the civic and electoral process. We urge people to show up to city and county council meetings and make public comment. We hold rallies to lift individual voices and stories. We know when neighborhoods organize into one cohesive power, critical issues are given the attention they deserve, leading to policies that improve lives.
WE BUILD LEADERS
LEADERSHIP TRAINING
CNC understands the power of developing strong voices for our underrepresented communities. We combine our community organizer development program with mass non-partisan voter engagement to find new leaders in our communities. CNC also develops youth leaders to become trusted messengers for families living in the Valley. As we continue to grow, we are building a powerful rural voter engagement infrastructure with voters who can call for and influence public policy decisions for their families.