Community organizer Yvonna Cazares

By Aurora Saldivar, Coachella Unincorporated

In the midst of social and economic disparity, community organizer Yvonna Cazares says her job is to “look at root causes of why people are poor and how we can address that.”

“It all starts with listening to folks,” she says.   “As an organizer you leave your personal ideology at the door.” 

Cazares is a community organizer for Inland Congregations United for Change, based in the Coachella Valley.  Coalition building, she says, is the key to sustainable reform.  According to Cazares, the common goal of community organizers – which have included the likes of Martin Luther King Jr., Cesar Chavez and Barack Obama — is to give people within communities the “tools to go toe to toe with city officials.”

Cazares grew up in the Coachella Valley and learned from personal experience what type of life is available when there is a lack opportunity.   She says she went to college to make “myself, family and community proud.”  She has returned home to work as a community organizer, building on the community service she did while in college.

From the Civil Rights Movement to Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, community organizing has played a role in braining people in communities together.  Organizers have been employing tactics rooted in Latin America’s liberation theology that has reached its way now into the heart of communities in the Eastern Coachella Valley. 

Community organizers take up issues ranging from towing of illegal immigrants’ cars to environmental injustice to renovating city parks.  The job of community organizers spreads far beyond the confines of an office and on to city streets and church pews. 

“It starts with a conversation, one on one, and people listening to each other,” says Cazares.  From there, she says the concerns and pressures of the people can be compiled and presented to city officials.

Cazares doesn’t mind having her work utilized as a tool for communities.  She describes the job a community organizer as being “a thermometer” for the city, taking into account the social climate from among the masses.

When asked why she chose the job of community organizer, Cazares responds as perhaps many of her colleagues would.

“Who else, if not me?”

By Santos Reyes & Noely Resendiz

Some summer school programs for students in the Coachella Valley Unified School District have been terminated due to cuts caused by the loss of funds to public school districts throughout California. CVUSD, like most public school districts, has had to accommodate its budget due to the loss of state and local funding reduced by about $1,900 per student. With the cuts, CVUSD erased summer programs that were once offered to students, such as camp and interest classes. The summer programs that CVUSD schools currently offer concentrate on credit deficit high school students in risk of not graduating. Now, students have less activities to keep them busy during the summer. Other summer programs offered are either limited by students’ interests or have high costs associated with them. This lack of summer programs concerns some Coachella parents and students. 

Ricardo Meza, 17, Coachella Valley High School

“Yes, I feel it’s a loss because I want to better my education but I can’t because of recent cuts.”

Lizbeth Meza, 14, Lives in Desert Shores

“I don’t do anything. I just take care of kids and do chores. I forget a lot of stuff during the summer.”

Karen Patlan, 16, Coachella

“Sometimes we go to the park and the gym or we stay at home. I think it would be great for the kids to have something to do during the summer.”

Griselda Duenas, Mecca, Mother 

“Now, I have to pay for a babysitter while I can work. You pay for babysitting, food, rent, bills and nothing is left for you but you have to work.”

(Translated from Spanish)

Karina Lopez, 37, Coachella, Mother

“If they go to a program, they have to pay and parents can’t afford it.”

(Translated from Spanish)

Alicia Ferrarios, Victoria Torres, and Vicenta Chavid at Coachella Senior Center.

COACHELLA, CA — If current trends continue, the Coachella Valley is on pace to far exceed last year’s 20 homicides.  Through June 2011, the region has already experienced 15 homicides from Desert Hot Springs to Thermal.  At this time last year, there were eight homicides.

Although only one of these homicides has occurred within Coachella city limits, residents expressed mixed reactions when asked about safety in their community.

 Coachella Residents on Safety

 “I am grateful that I haven’t really had any problems in the five years I have spent in my house.  I don’t feel that it’s a risk to go outside when I need to.” - Alicia Ferrarios, 74, Coachella
Translated from Spanish

“We live in Thermal.  It’s basically a ranch and we are calm and secure.  At night you feel uneasy because there’s no one around, not because you think there might be.” - Victoria Torres, 72, Thermal
Translated from Spanish

“The neighbors are nice and mind their own business; no one walks around causing trouble.  Everything is very good in my neighborhood and I hope that it stays that way.” - Vicenta Chavid, 73, Coachella
Translated from Spanish

 
Luz Vasquez on 6th Street

“(Last year) my son was beat up after he got off the school bus. We called the police at 4 p.m. They arrived at 9 p.m.” - Luz Vasquez, 51, Coachella
Translated from Spanish

“I live in Placitas De La Paz and there are two abandoned homes in front of my house that are all tagged up and vandalized. I call the police about them but nothing is done, and I know stuff is going on in there because I can smell the drugs a lot of the time.” - Veronica Vargas, 22, Coachella (Not pictured)

Leticia Casillas on 6th Street

“I feel safe. I have never had any problems.  Many families have been complaining that people are stealing their flower arrangements and solar lights.  I think that’s why they put the gates in (at the cemetary). “ - Leticia Casillas, 42, Indio. Casillas has worked at Casillas Funeral Home in Coachella for 13 years.

 “Truthfully I’ve always felt safe where I live, and there’s nothing that I’m really worried safety wise. I go out walking with my daughters in the evening and everything is calm.” - Brenda Acosta, 36, Coachella (Not pictured)
Translated from Spanish

“I’ve lived at my house for seven years without any problems; the biggest safety issue is a canal that’s become dangerous.” - Francisco Rodriguez, 58, Coachella (Not pictured)
Translated from Spanish 

Maria Godwin at Coachella Senior Center

“I feel safe right here.  When we aren’t here, we are home.  It is different being with people, we feel good with so many people around the senior center.”  - Maria Godwin, 73, Coachella

 “I feel safe. There’s nothing keeping me inside my house.” - Horina Rodriguez, 50, Coachella (Not pictured)

“You know what? I’ve never really questioned the security of my community, I think because it hasn’t been an issue.  Where I live on, 52nd and Ponderosa, they built a new school and I’ve never witnessed anything that makes me feel unsafe.” - Maria Gomez, 23, Coachella (Not pictured)

“A bunch of people are always roaming around trying to see what they can steal. I live on 6th street and I don’t like the neighborhood.” - Eva Robles, 26, Coachella (Not pictured)

  
Rafael Ayala at Coachella Senior Center

“The important thing is we have this place (Senior Center), our second home. The Coachella Valley is very protected by the police. You rarely see troublemakers anymore.” - Rafael Anaya, 61, Coachella
Translated from Spanish

Coachella Unincorporated reporters Raymond P. Bondad, Maricruz Cabrera, Aurora Saldivar and Jesus Vargas contributed to this story.

Mayor Garcia addressing reporters at a recent press conference.

By Jesus Vargas, COACHELLA UNINCORPORATED

COACHELLA, CA — Coachella Mayor Eduardo Garcia recently gave a press conference to young journalists, during which he detailed his overall vision and planned improvements for the city in which he grew up.

While the city has a balanced budget and, according to Garcia, is “able to provide an adequate level of services such has police, fire, parks and roads to Coachella residents,” the decrease in tax revenue has stagnated city expansion.  Voters will decide in November if a proposed tax to renovation and add parks will come to fruition.  Because of the lack of funds in the budget, the Mayor is unwilling to dip into city cash reserves.

The Mayor addressed a matter of great concern for Coachella: the lack of revenue from businesses. Coachella draws most of its tax revenue from property taxes, he said, and this source of income has decreased substantially due to low home prices and plummeting sales.

“Improving the city’s tax base is one of the obstacles we need to start looking seriously at,” said Garcia.

Currently the city’s top industry is agriculture which offers low-paying manual labor jobs to residents.  The mayor hopes to entice business to the city in the future, noting that they would bring important revenue boosts with them but acknowledges that this task might be difficult with the average resident of Coachella not having a college degree.  He pointed to the recently built Coca- Cola distribution center as a step forward, saying that similar light industry is an avenue to pursue.

While tourism is the region’s second major source of income, the Mayor said, “(There is) not a single hotel in the city.  Cities have a bed tax on hotels but this is something that we can’t do.”

 He proposed that the city allow and entice hotels into the city of Coachella in order to take of advantage of this revenue source.

With 80 percent of the city undeveloped and population growing 79 percent from 22,000 in 2000 to 40,000 in 2010, the city is one of the fasted-growing areas in the state.  Mayor Garcia said he is committed to figuring out ways to increase the city’s tax base so this growth can be managed in an orderly and controlled manner to improve the quality of life of residents.

By Tony Aguilar, COACHELLA UNINCORPORATED

Coachella, CA – The Coachella City Council unanimously approved a ballot measure last week that, if passed by voters in November, would create two new taxes and increase the recreational options for the city’s young population.

Revenue from the proposed new taxes would help pay for the formation of a citywide community facilities district that will include six soccer fields, three baseball fields, one football field and a community center.

The newly generated funds would bring The City of Coachella to the national standards for park acreage.  Currently, Coachella has only 49 acres of parks for its 40,000 residents.  The national standard for a city this size is 142 acres.  The City of Coachella currently has four softball/baseball fields when it should have eight, three soccer/football fields when it should have six, five basketball courts when it should have eight, and lacks more than 26,000 square feet of community space for its more than 40,000 residents.  

The City of Coachella does however meet the standard when it comes to swimming pools (2) and skateboard parks (1).  Generated revenues from the proposed taxes would bring Coachella up to standard when it comes to the above mentioned facilities.

The two new taxes would increase property taxes for residential lots by $75 and would increase sales tax in the city by half a cent.  The total combined revenue is expected to generate $12.8 million.  The City of Coachella currently pays one million dollars for its current park acreage, or about $25,000 per acre. The generated funds would pay to maintain the new facilities.

 “It sounds like a good idea overall, if it’s going to benefit the kids,” said Christopher Limon, a Coachella resident. Limon, a former resident of Oasis in the eastern Coachella Valley, moved to Coachella several years ago during the housing boom with his parents and younger brother. 

Limon wishes the city provided more safe places for young children like his little brother and other youth to gather and have a good time, adding, “With no summer school and other budget cuts affecting social programs here in the valley more and more youth are winding up on the streets with nothing to do.”

“The voters will have the ultimate say so for the future of the city,” said Eduardo Garcia, mayor of Coachella.

If passed by the voters, the mayor said the plans for the new facilities would go into effect immediately.

By Aurora Saldivar, COACHELLA UNINCORPORATED

Mayor Eduardo Garcia seems to be putting his youth and vitality to work in sparking some new life back into the city of Coachella. Before the June 22 City Council meeting, the mayor took the time to share his enthusiasm for the new direction Coachella seems to be moving in to Coachella Unincorporated. 

A priority will be working to develop the undeveloped areas of Coachella to bring the city to its full and vibrant potential, he said. 

“I don’t see any other cities bragging about having a balanced budget,” he added, boasting about the city’s annual budget. This fantastic feat allows for Coachella to engage in some innovative projects, he said. Among the projects will be street and park renovations, along with extending water and sewer lines.

There certainly seems to be some rapid movement occurring in the city. Coachella will also soon welcome a Farmer’s Market into the community. This market will create a venue for local farmers to sell their produce and also allow those on food stamps to receive twice the amount than at your average grocery store, Garcia said. 

This is a trendy and innovative endeavor that has already been going on in the cities of Palm Springs, Palm Desert and La Quinta. With all these new developments you might very well ask whether there is the risk of overly developing Coachella, detracting from the city’s cultural identity.  Garcia said the key is to just “be honest and be proud of who you are.”

Although the Mayor cites Palm Desert as a model city, he acknowledges that they won’t turn the city into a copy of shopping centers like El Paseo—instead he hopes the end result would resemble Old Town Indio on Miles Street.

Coachella, to residents, is a city that has soaked up the best characteristics of the Hispanic culture with an emphasis on family and community involvement. All new business allowed into the city will be a direct reflection of the needs of Coachella residents as well as maintaining the overall “Pueblo Viejo” style. Garcia makes protecting the cultural identity of the city a priority. He articulates his vision and hopes that these new projects will bring attention to the city of Coachella to those across the Valley. 

Despite the negative view of Coachella often expressed in the media focusing on crime and vandalism, the city’s mood is currently one of hope; the hope that the hard work and planning of residents will lead the city to flourish both culturally and economically. Garcia hopes that these new city projects will speak for themselves showing that the city has more to offer than a negative headline splashed across the front page.

Garcia seems sure that the integrity of these new projects will lead to a change in perspective and insists that Coachella’s “resources will go towards soccer fields, not a branding campaign.” 

At any rate, it seems that Coachella residents should be ready to witness some pretty exciting new changes to their beloved city. 

                               By Noely Resendiz, Coachella Valley High School

Coachella, known as the City of Eternal Sunshine, is a mostly rural city on the outskirts of Riverside County. Coachella is a community of almost 97% Latinos, mostly Mexicans, according to the 2000 Census, but it also consists of also Native Americans, Arabs, Armenians, Filipinos, Italians, and Japanese, among other nationalities.  The community in the desert is family-oriented and heavily filled with culture. Having the rural location that it does, Coachella heavily relies on agriculture.

Coachella might not be as well-known or as visited as its neighboring cities, but that doesn’t stop it from aspiring future goals of large tourism. Coachella aspires to become a tourist attraction, said Mayor Eduardo Garcia, who noted that Palm Desert is a model city to him. What does Coachella have to offer that other cities don’t? Two large casinos operated by Native American tribes are in the city—Spotlight 29 Casino, of the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians and Augustine Casino, of the Augustine Tribe of Cahuilla Indians.

Coachella, of course, has to offer its authentic flare of Mexican culture. Coachella reflects its strong Mexican culture with architecture, authentic Mexican dishes, and festivities. Coachella has three popular fiestas that are celebrated each year—Cinco de Mayo (May 5), the 16 de Septiembre Fiestas Patrias or Mexican Independence Fiestas, and the 12 de Diciembre to celebrate the Virgin Mary. Coachella can serve as a more authentic attraction to tourists, who wish to experience the Mexican culture, Garcia said.

The best way to bring tourism is to invest in what you have. Garcia spoke to Coachella Unincorporated about the balanced budget and the steps being taken to improve the quality of life in Coachella. The 2011-2012 budget is being used towards the redevelopment of streets, the increasing of public safety, the “clean up” of El Pueblo Viejo, and the development of a Farmer’s Market and over 50 acres of parks. Mayor Garcia said there is a need to pay greater attention to parks, which have remained looking the same and even regressed even though the population has doubled. Ninety-five percent of roads in the cities have also been fixed up to improve safety and accessibility. The Coachella City Council also plans to invest time and money into the beautification of the city. The mayor shared his vision of seeing old town Coachella mimic the pueblos in Mexico to serve as a public attraction.

Aside from changing the face of downtown and adding acres of parks, the Coachella City Council also hopes to attract more visitors and residents by reducing graffiti with mural paintings throughout the city. Since 80% of Coachella is underdeveloped, there are hopes to bring in businesses such as an industrial park, hotels, and entertainment. Coachella also hopes to increase the entertainment found in the city by providing more concerts, movies, and a possible mall in the future.

With the future in prospect, the City Council hopes to redevelop Coachella to be an attractive city for tourists, a safe home for generations to come with family-oriented values, and to remind us of our cultural ties.

By Raymond P. Bondad

            I don’t care how you refer to those members of society we consider wise—whether it’s “seniors,” “elders,” or a disrespectful term such as “old folks.” Those of us who know best know that nearly every town or city has its own Senior Center. It’s a place for retirees and such to gather and congregate for a daily meeting, to hang out and engage in activity and sometimes fill a void of loneliness with friendships or a life companion. Yet after surveying a group of seniors from the city of Coachella, it turns out there isn’t much going for them in their community. 

            According to some of the folks living in the Somerset track homes near the Augustine Casino on Avenue 54, between Harrison and Van Buren, there’s nothing to do for seniors but take their limited income to the casino and push a button on a colorful, noisy slot machine for several hours, hoping to double their money.

            On the other hand, Coachella’s Mayor Eduardo Garcia says that not only is the Coachella Senior Center busy—it offers classes such as yoga and has a plethora of activities. To top it off, it’s open from Monday through Thursday and offers special transportation from the citizens’ homes to the center and back. There’s so much demand for the Senior Center that the citizens are pushing for it to be open on Friday as well, Mayor Garcia said. Unfortunately, due to the economy and cutbacks, the city is not able to accommodate that request, he said. 

            So the big question is—why are some citizens informed about the services offered to them and some are not? On the City of Coachella website, it clearly states under the Residents tab, when you click on Senior Services, everything the city offers to the senior citizens of Coachella. Services such as translation, home visiting, recreation, notary, physical fitness, health promotion/disease program, health screening, and a health program are offered, according to the website. Unfortunately, the problem might be that seniors aren’t as computer or internet savvy as their younger counterparts.  How many seniors nowadays are with the times? There are so many seniors that are afraid or refuse to change their ways.  These are the same people who may make or break the newspaper business. 

            As the old saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” In other words, maybe the Mayor’s office needs to reach the other folks in his city who have no idea about this booming Senior Center and all of its activities by getting personal with his city. Go door-to-door and hand out fliers about the center. If the same people complain that there’s nothing going on, then it’s not the city’s fault—it’s the people.  After all, the Mayor did state in a news conference held by Coachella Unincorporated that the average age in Coachella is 24, which means that there shouldn’t be too many doors to knock on.

By Omar Ramirez, Coachella Unincorporated

As we all seek equal opportunity here in the United States, there are many of us who are cast aside, a large number known as the minority, a minority largely composed of undocumented

field workers and students.  These marginalized groups, along with Native Americans and African-Americans, have been oppressed for many years, and have ultimately decided to spark some change by introducing the well known DREAM Act to the Senate.

The DREAM Act provides a conditional path to citizenship for undocumented students who have been residents of the United States for a consecutive five years prior to enactment of the bill and seek to continue their education.  The students must complete a college degree or two years of military service.

The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors, known as the DREAM Act, was first introduced to the Senate in of August 2001.  Although not originally known as the DREAM Act throughout the last decade, similar versions of the DREAM Act have been introduced yet proved unsuccessful.  It is estimated that the approval of the bill will produce a high gross income for the economy in future years.

The rejection of the DREAM Act and recent establishment of SB 1402, which requires undocumented Indiana students pay out-of-state tuition rates, has navigated a domino effect throughout many states leading to youth activist protests.  One particular youth protest group known as the Indiana Five consisted of undocumented high school graduates protesting in the governor’s office at the risk of being deported from their homes, in hopes of vetoing SB 1402.

They stood strong throughout their protest and after being detained and at risk of deportation, they began a hunger strike.  I joined the Indiana Five in their hunger strike for four days, and I learned what it really means to fight for a belief that you yourself are willing to place your life on the line for.

In general, the immigration issue is not just an isolated incident reduced to minor ethnic groups. Immigrants in the United States face a mixture of many types of racism and inequalities, which produce the many issues that populate our communities.  Here in the Eastern Coachella Valley, immigration affects a very large of portion of our community’s youth and migrant workers.  The father of a very close friend of mine was recently deported, and chose not to return to the United States simply because of the three-year prison penalty he will receive if caught entering the U.S. illegally.  This is the result of a third offense.  He is now in a daily struggle, caught between the capitalist ideals which have made him a statistic.  Trying to keep a roof over his head, my friend has decided to join the Marines, in hopes of accomplishing for himself what his father could never provide.

Issues like these have flooded my community for many years in different shapes and forms, establishing known and unknown barriers for youth.  Barriers such as these leave teenagers to seek a different way around the barrier. They find it easier to not think ahead and simply become a blue collar worker, therefore never leaving the equation and continuing to contribute to the problem.

Entry 3: Dis·ci·pline

My writing process is painstakingly undisciplined: I walk around and say “I’m going to sit down and write! I’ll write an entry so perfect The New York Times will call and ship me to New York in a box for being such a genius.”

I open Word, look at the screen with the cursor blinking and realize my room is messy or that my mug is empty or that there’s an important soccer game and I should really look up the Times. Then, overwhelmed, I run outside.

Serene sunsets and puffy clouds, cool breezy winds touch my face and I relax a bit but then I get mad at the dumb scenery because it doesn’t inspire me.

Until, randomly, there it is! And idea so great I feel like punching someone in the face for it; but I’m for non-violence, so I don’t.

I run inside, sit, stare at Word looking with its dumb cursor blinking and I forget what I wanted to write about; I sigh and proceed to clean a mess that appeared when I decided to start writing. Yeah, inspiration isn’t reliable like luck isn’t reliable. But discipline is… so I hear.

In the Union I hear that word a lot, and in books on writing I read, “Discipline is more reliable than inspiration.” But no one said discipline is so hard to obtain.

Walking through life we make plans, we define goals, we fight for those goals and then something else comes up. If I told you that my life goal was to work for the UFW, I’d be lying. I wanted to go to grad school. I defined my plans, set a study schedule so rigorous that I would’ve kicked and cried and pushed myself to the library to stick to it. I never did.

Getting hired by the UFW was a mix of luck and hard work. I didn’t realize it until recently but all of those hours in the library yelling at Marx, Durkheim, and sociologists with crazy names actually paid off. It seemed hardest when I lost patience. And you can’t lose patience in this job. We’ve been going at it for 50 years and there are still farm workers being abused.

Time is slow, time is strange. Time is wiser than you and I as it moves in and out of our cells maturing our souls teaching us patience. I am impatient and am learning patience, but man learning takes too long to learn.

To be a farm worker, to be a student, to be a teacher, a poet, a person is to make a goal, a wish, and a desire so great that we’re crazy to even think it. And we work little by little to obtain that goal. We cross the rivers and deserts of our mind and go over or under the walls of our fears and insecurities.

As angry as I am with Marx for showing up in every sociology class, I have to agree with him — humans have a strong love and desire to produce things; be it a table or a nation. We love to build and to create with our hands.

We love to fight for something bigger that gives us meaning. To survive is not the goal; the goal is to do that which makes us smile, if even if we have to cry and kick our way into doing them.

“Joaquín Magón” is a youth reporter from Coachella living in Salinas and working for the United Farm Workers. He contributes blogs regularly for Coachella Unincorporated.