June 19th 2020 marked 155 years since enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas were informed of their freedom—two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation. “Juneteenth” is a day for reflection, education, and celebration. A reminder of where we’ve come from and how far we still have to go. And a testament to the…
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Between the 110 and the 405: Environmental Injustice in South Los Angeles
When Olivia Barbour steps out of her home in South Los Angeles, she inhales a flurry of fumes from the heavy trucks passing along Imperial Highway on their daily routes, commuter traffic off the I-110 and I-105, and low flying airplanes on their way to LAX. She knows the air quality in her neighborhood isn’t…
Continue ReadingA Grassroots-Led Vision for Equitable Climate Investments in South Los Angeles
In September 2016, SCOPE celebrated the passage of three key climate policy wins that extended California’s climate change goals, increased transparency at the agency overseeing air quality, and increased targeted climate investments for low-income communities, including the creation of the new Transformative Climate Communities Program (TCC). These wins demonstrate the power of environmental justice communities…
Continue ReadingYouth Voter Engagement in South Los Angeles
Youth Voter Engagement in South Los Angeles At SCOPE, our members’ experiences attest to the power of a peer-to-peer civic engagement model and to the importance of sustaining those relationships beyond election cycles. We know that daily engagement with friends, family, neighbors and elected officials builds community power to win campaigns that benefit South Los…
Continue ReadingBuilding Community Power in South L.A. One Block at a Time
SCOPE partner, the Center for Community Change profiles our neighbor-to-neighbor civic engagement model for building community power. What inspires SCOPE member Shay Salter and President & SCOPE CEO Gloria Walton to stay engaged? Their belief─and ours─that communities in South L.A. need your voice and your vote this election day. Watch as Shay and the…
Continue ReadingPassage of State Climate Bills, A Win for Equity and Justice
In the final hours of the last day of the California legislative session, lawmakers sent multiple pieces of climate and environmental justice legislation to the Governor’s desk, creating a new center of gravity around communities most impacted by pollution and poverty. These hard fought wins are a direct result of the leadership, power and organized…
Continue ReadingVolunteer to Door Knock with SCOPE
This year, SCOPE has a goal of contacting more than 50,000 voters–but we can’t achieve this without the help of SCOPE members, community residents, students, and our allies. That is why we are reaching out to ask that you volunteer this Saturday morning with us to help Get Out The Vote in South Los Angeles.…
Continue ReadingProp 47 Savings Undermined by Miscalculations
As state budget negotiations approach the June 15 deadline, community groups across California are mobilizing to make their voices heard. On Thursday, April 7, SCOPE members Taqwa Bowie, Carolyn Riley, Deborah Holt Bell, and I accompanied Californians United for a Responsible Budget (CURB) to Sacramento to participate in a lobby day and hearing for Budget…
Continue ReadingLooking Back on our Work in 2015
For SCOPE, 2015 was a year of victories benefiting working families in Los Angeles, including an increase in the minimum wage to $15 an hour and the passage of wage theft enforcement policies that protect the city’s most vulnerable workers. 2015 was also the first full year that eligible individuals could change their records under…
Continue ReadingLA Wage Theft Coalition Looks to Past to Continue Fighting for Future or Workers
On August 18th, the Los Angeles Coalition Against Wage Theft held a worker assembly to review the new law they won with coalition members and to plan for next steps. Starting in July of 2016, the cities minimum wage will increase in increments until 2020 when the full $15 an hour will take affect. In…
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