Advocacy

UVA Vecinos en Acción has joined other community based organizations and agencies to advocate for the equal distribution of ARPA funds for Latinos in California. ARPA is the American Rescue Plan Act which is federal aid to help alleviate the burdens caused by the COVID 19 Pandemic. Mendocino County received 16.5 million dollars. UVA was one of the Community Based Organizations that received funding from the Latino Community Foundation to aid in our efforts for advocating in our community.

There was very little known about ARPA funds in our county when we began our efforts in the beginning of 2022. UVA began advocating for transparency by attending Board of Supervisor meetings. We researched past agendas and asked for a breakdown of where this money would be allocated.

UVA has made public comments addressing some of the main problem areas: transparency and accessibility. Our public comments have been met with discussion and actionable plans from the Board of Supervisors. UVA’s public comments have been reported on in eight different news sites. Our efforts to gain transparency, accessibility and fair distribution continue.

Another focus with ARPA advocacy is to also inform the Latino Community how our local government works. We want the Latino community to understand how funding comes in, gets voted on, and how to get involved. UVA wants to inspire and give the Latino Community the confidence to speak up at our local meetings. Latinos make up 25% of the population in Mendocino County, therefore ensuring that Latinos are invited to take part in these conversations is essential in creating equity within our county.