Southern Border Coalition Steff Saavedra & Juan Reynosa (c & r) and local tribal leader Mel Vernon (l).
by Rose Davis
SELF-RELIANCE, civic participation, and partnerships with sensitive, receptive bureaucratic entities is the formula that is creating an economic echo system designed to more adequately distribute the abundant wealth produced in our state.
While the political class wrestles over the vestigial remains of yesterday’s civic graveyard, social activists and futurists are working in the power arena of bridge builders. Cultural activists and educators have been busy constructing a social apparatus to equitably orchestrate tomorrow’s social mandalas. An enormous piece of this puzzle is designed to equally share the resources of the bounty produced by California’s extremely profitable economic engine.
The outcome of this futuristic intellectual academic road map is an ambitious master plan broken down into workable parts to be developed as the project continues.
At the helm of the section concerning our indigenous community is Steff Saavedra, a seasoned and devoted community activist and organizer fluid with an indomitable indigenous spirit.
The Southern Border Coalition is part of California’s California Jobs First (Formerly CERF). At the state level, California Jobs First is allocating $5million to each region to create plans that diversify and equalize the local economy with climate change in mind.
The Coalition aims to foster long-term economic resilience across San Diego and Imperial Counties and coordinates competitive applications for additional funding from the state government.
The Coalition is comprised of environmental justice organizations, regional economic development entities, labor unions, community-based organizations(CBOs), local governments, educational institutions, and Indigenous Tribes working together to create an equitable economic development plan for the region.
A meeting of the working group was held on July 8. During the meeting, a call was made for grassroots, community-based organizers and community members to come together to finalize ideas and concepts in preparation for a report that is scheduled to come out in August.
