At SCOPE, a big part of our message is, and has always been, simply this: as residents of South LA, we are the ones who will make the change we seek. And we disseminate that message—throughout our community, to our city government, to businesses wanting to set up shop in our region—through the foundation of what we stand for.
Our members are our foundation. We work with our members to ask important questions, talk with city representatives, and rally our community toward political action. In other words, SCOPE members achieve the goals they set through engaging in local and state politics. What are those goals? We want to create a roadmap toward economic justice in our city, while continuing to work on statewide campaigns and make sure affordable health care is a reality for everyone.
In June, our membership convened in our South LA office to consider our community’s pressing needs, such as unrelenting cuts to city and state services like street repair, CalFresh food stamps, and a lack of in-home supportive services. We also asked ourselves what it will take to get folks in our neighborhoods excited about voting.
The next few months will be exciting. Our upcoming campaigns will build on the best of what we’ve accomplished, always with an eye on the future, and always with our members at the helm:
For starters, our leadership academy, a program that trains our members to become public representatives, is approaching. Hosted by SCOPE, we’re bringing together a cross-section of our partners from the Los Angeles Equity Alliance so that we can learn together why fair taxation and strengthening the public sector is the way to restore the programs and services we need. We’ll start by gathering stories from folks throughout our area about what happens when the city cuts the safety net. Next step: Taking our ideas for change to City Hall. This summer, we’ll work with the LA Equity Alliance to talk to City Council about specific tax measures that can bring new revenue in to the City of LA.
Additionally, we will continue our work to promote energy efficiency and awareness to our community members in South LA. August is energy awareness month, and SCOPE plans to work with the RePower LA campaign to host a “Green the Block” in Watts to educate Watts residents about energy efficiency and LADWP programs for low-income families.
