Executive Summary

CAUSE organizes a grassroots base within predominantly Latino communities in the Central Coast of California to advocate for policy change to promote affordable housing, a healthy environment, and justice for immigrant workers. We believe those directly impacted by problems such as housing insecurity, toxic pollution, and unfair working conditions must lead the solutions.

We organize committees of grassroots leaders who meet bi-weekly in five cities throughout the region to build their leadership, grow their communities’ people power, identify their priority issues and carry out campaigns for systemic change. Our staff works with our grassroots base to develop strategies including neighborhood organizing, civic engagement, coalition building, research and communications, and policy advocacy.

CAUSE recruits our grassroots leaders through two methods: We organize immigrant adults through the house meeting organizing model pioneered by the United Farm Workers, where community members invite friends, family and neighbors into their home to learn about CAUSE and discuss issues important to their community, and are then asked to host a house meeting themselves and join the local committee. We organize youth of color through classroom presentations at local high schools and community colleges to recruit youth and young adults who come to an on-campus meeting to learn about CAUSE, discuss issues in the community, and be invited to join their local committee.

CAUSE committees have won victories such as getting a city to create a new community park and afterschool teen center, stopped a polluting power plant from being built, passed local eviction protections, and more.

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