The County of Monterey Sustainability Program has been awarded a grant from the State of California’s Strategic Growth Council to implement a two-year community engagement process in the Pajaro Valley (Watsonville, Pajaro, and unincorporated Santa Cruz County) via a $300,000 Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) Planning Grant.
The Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) Program empowers the communities most impacted by pollution to choose their own goals, strategies, and projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and local air pollution.
Regeneración is the local convener for the community engagement activities while the University of California, Santa Cruz’s Sustainability Office is leading the facilitation of community engagement activities.
Learn more about Transformative Climate Communities projects across California
Going Deep
Community Climate Coalition
Team
The Transformative Climate Communities Planning Grant will support community-led planning activities where community leaders and residents will engage in a planning process to define their needs, research solutions, and decide how to best meet the needs of their community.
meet the team
Maria B.
A first-generation immigrant from Oaxaca, Mexico, brings a unique perspective to her work.Maria has dedicated her career and life to social justice and equity issues, specifically to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking and those who are underrepresented. In her 25-year tenure at Monarch and currently serving as a Programs Director, she has worked across the agency's programs, including 24-hour crisis line, prevention program, confidential shelter, crisis intervention, and child and youth programs.
Maria has served on the Santa Cruz Women's Commission and is co-chair on the Board of Big Brothers Big Sisters. She is part of the Santa Cruz Sun Rise Rotary. She is also a Fellow of the Women's Policy Institute. Maria graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz, with a Bachelor's degree in sociology and psychology.
Maria has been happily married for 17 years and has two beautiful children, and three lovely puppies. Maria stands for Dignity, Equity, Justice, Love, and Compassion.
Maria is very involved and invested in giving back to the community. Her interest and passion for helping and working directly with the Pajaro community, Latinx, farmworkers, immigrant, and indigenous communities are in her genes. These are some of the reasons why she joined TCC.
Sister Rosa D.
When Sister Rosa D. was growing up, her family traveled to and from California as migrant workers. In 1966, she joined the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. In 1989, Sister Rosa responded to a call to serve the people of Pajaro after the Loma Prieta earthquake. Sister Rosa began community organizing around infrastructure improvements and offering skills training to women in the community. More recently Sister Rosa, has been supporting Pajaro residents after the 2023 Pájaro Flood at Casa de la Cultura and around the community.
Angelina G.
Angelina is a Pajaro Resident who has worked as a farmworker and currently also is working as a home caregiver. Angelina is also a Community Climate Coalition member working on the Transformative Climate Communities Planning grant from the state of California. She wanted to serve in the community climate coalition because she is eager to learn new things and to be able to share them with the community!
Leo G.
He is part of the "Regeneración" project and served as president of the residents' group in Pajaro. Throughout his life, Leo has consistently found himself in leadership roles that empower him to drive positive change within his community, aiming for a better, more reformed, and sustainable environment. From organizing trash clean-ups to gathering crucial data, he has dedicated himself to securing a future that meets the community's essential needs and aspirations.
Leo's decision to join this project stems from his deep commitment to providing the necessary support for his community to flourish. The Community Climate Coalition represents a vital opportunity for him to actively contribute towards helping his community thrive, reciprocating the support they have given him over the years.
Yesenia J.
Was raised in Watsonville. She currently works as a Watershed Education and Restoration Specialist at Watsonville Wetlands Watch and also serves on the City of Watsonville’s Climate Action and Adaptation Committee and the Santa Cruz County Planning Commission. She was interested in joining the CCC because she has an interest in city planning and social equity. She enjoys trying to find a solution to problems by working with other people.
Karina M.
Is an Indigenous Chicana, born and raised in Watsonville, CA. Growing up she learned first hand the disparities that small rural communities like hers commonly face from the effects of climate change and criminalization, and began merging her passion for environmental justice and racial equity. She currently works as a Program and Leadership Coordinator at MILPA Collective, where she is learning how to utilize her knowledge in environmental justice to end mass incarceration, while promoting MILPA's philosophies centered in cultural healing, critical political analysis, and civic engagement. She also serves on the City of Watsonville Climate Action and Adaptation committee, the Santa Cruz County Women's Commission, as a Board of Director for the Watsonville Wetlands Watch.
Rocio N.
Rocio grew up in a vibrant migrant household, raised by her dedicated parents. Her upbringing was split between a small town in Jalisco, Mexico and Watsonville, CA where her parents worked picking strawberries. This unique experience gave her a rich cultural perspective and fluency in both English and Spanish.
Rocio holds a BA in Psychology from UC Santa Cruz, where she discovered her passion for understanding and helping others. Currently, she is striving to make a meaningful impact in the non-profit sector, driven by her desire to give back to the community and support those in need. Her commitment to these values led her to want to join the Community Climate Coalition Group, where she will continue to work towards positive change and helping people in her community.
Guillermina R.
Guillermina Rivera has 20 years of experience as an independent interpreter from Mixteco to Spanish in the Counties of Monterey and Santa Cruz. Guillermina is a project coordinator of Proyecto Mixteco and specializes in community outreach. She promotes services like medi-cal to the Pajaro community. She is also an educator with Positive Discipline, providing classes in Mixteco to support parent and children connections centered in affection and empathy. She is also a facilitator of a family circle in Monterey County, bringing resources for pregnant mothers. She also records audio messages through the app NURBLI, to help share resources with Mixteco speaking community members. She enjoys joining community events, to continue offering resources for other community members.
Her interest in joining the Community climate coalition group is to continue working with the Mixteco-speaking community members. Her goal is to provide them with important information and keep them updated on resources available in the community, as well as how they can actively participate in ecology as integral members of our community.
Brando S.
Is a visionary who wears multiple hats as both a successful business owner/entrepreneur and a compassionate leader in the non-profit sector. He sits on the Planning Commission for the City of Watsonville and previously served in the Parks and Recreation Commission. Born and raised in Watsonville, Brando has developed a strong sense of community early in life, which became the driving force behind his commitment to making a positive impact on both the business and philanthropic fronts.
Philip W.
Philip was born and raised in California, studied at UC Davis, and began working in agriculture, which brought him to Watsonville nearly a decade ago. Always interested in the environment, he has more recently delved into urban design and public transit, recognizing their critical roles in fostering resilient, sustainable communities. Bicycling serves as his primary transportation, and working in an industry directly impacted by a warming climate gives him a personal stake in the issues of climate action and creating livable communities.Beyond his personal experiences, he has witnessed and been affected second-hand by the tragedies of flood and fire, understanding these crises as human-made and preventable. Previously a member of the City of Watsonville’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan Community Advisory Committee, he hopes to continue contributing to progress by joining the Community Climate Coalition, aiming for a more environmentally and socially just community.
"The TCC planning grant represents a vital opportunity for community members to select local climate solutions that benefit those who are on the frontlines of climate impacts. We’re very optimistic about the
prospect of bringing in tens of millions in state and federal funding to the Pajaro Valley to implement the ideas chosen by our community."
Nancy Faulstich,
Executive Director of Regeneración
The planning area was identified by local leaders as an immigrant frontline community of color that is low income, linguistically isolated, and likely to bear disproportionate impacts of climate change, but also includes opportunities for redevelopment and reinvestment along the Pajaro River levee and the Watsonville Junction.
TESTIMONIALS
The Transformative Climate Communities Planning Grant will support community-led planning activities where community leaders and residents will engage in a planning process to define their needs, research solutions, and decide how to best meet the needs of their community.
KSBW Action News 8,
August 25, 2023
State grant goes to Pajaro Valley to help communities combat climate issues. Click here to learn more.
Santa Cruz Sentinel, September 7, 2023
Regeneracion launches climate resiliency projects in Pajaro Valley. Click here to read more.
Formation of our Community Climate Coalition
The Transformative Climate Communities Planning Grant will support community-led planning activities in the Pajaro Valley where community leaders and residents will engage in a planning process to define the communities needsir needs, research solutions, and decide how to best meet the needs of their community through engagement with the Pajaro Valley residents that they live near, serve, and work with.
We’ve brought together a Community Climate Coalition made up of Pajaro Valley Residents and Community Based Organization Leaders to participate in a two-year planning process facilitated by the Office of Sustainability at UC Santa Cruz, the Sustainability Program at the County of Monterey and Regeneración.
Pictures and footage from committee meetings and larger community meetings
The Pajaro Valley TCC Planning Project is supported by California Strategic Growth Council’s Transformative Climate Communities Program strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment – particularly in disadvantaged communities.
Contact
Eloy Ortiz
Special Projects Manager
eloy@regenerationpajarovalley.org
Office phone: 831-288-7755