Who Are We?
COPA (Communities Organized for Relational Power in Action) is a Broad Based Organizing Group made up of (and owned by) 23 Member institutions across Monterey Bay, from as far south as Greenfield to as far North as Santa Cruz. These Member institutions are congregations, schools, and unions who have come together so that we can effectively act on behalf of families. COPA works within each of these institutions to identify a diverse, broad-based leadership that can connect to each other in new ways in order to act effectively on behalf of children, families, and neighborhoods. By learning to work together for the public good, COPA leaders are able to work with the business community and elected officials to make Monterey Bay a better place for families. We are the local affiliate of the Industrial Areas Foundation organizing network.
Summer 2025 Update: COPA & Allies Advance Medi-Cal Protections for Immigrants, Low-Income Families
After California Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed to drop undocumented immigrants from the state health insurance rolls, 120 COPA and California IAF leaders and allies traveled to the capitol by bus and persuaded legislators to restore access to the program.
“Immigrants pay taxes. They work in our communities with no safety nets," said COPA Leader Mary Litel Walsh. “We came hundreds of miles from all over the state...took time off of work and away from our families to be here today. Why?
Because we need our legislators to fight for us.
The Governor's proposal balances the budget on the backs of immigrants, seniors, poor people and people with disabilities. We spent the morning visiting our legislators offices, and now...say in one voice, stop the cuts to Medi-Cal and IHSS.”
On June 9, 120 leaders, organizers, and allies from across California united at the state capitol to share their stories with the press and lawmakers about how vulnerable communities would be impacted by slashes to Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program. Despite the federal government proposing $880 billion dollars in Medicaid cuts nationwide, the group urged legislators across the state to negotiate protections for immigrants and low-income communities.
"Everyone knows you're coming today," the group was told by multiple legislators. According to Lookout Santa Cruz: “While the COPA team was holding a press conference outside, legislators were hashing out a plan inside that addressed some of COPA’s demands.”
That day, the legislature moved to restore Medi-Cal access for undocumented immigrants, reduce proposed premiums from $100 to $30, reject a proposed $2,000 asset limit, and provide a 6-month grace period from annulment due to nonpayment.
The budget bill now sits on Gov. Newsom's desk to be signed by June 30.
“What you’ve done today is show that you’re engaged in this, and you’ve made this budget better,” California IAF Director and One LA Lead Organizer Robert Hoo told the group. “[It’s] not as good as you want, but you’ve made it better. That’s politics, and to me, that’s hopeful...”
[Photo Credit: John Lee, Lookout Santa Cruz]
A Dawn Bus Ride, a Capitol Showdown, and a Last-Minute Deal: How Santa Cruz Activists Fought Health Care Cuts, Lookout Santa Cruz [pdf]
In a Tough Budget Year, Trump's Policies Just Exacerbate the Problems, Monterey County NOW [pdf]
Wins From Our History
COPA Has been successfully organizing for 20 years! With such a long tenured history, we have dozens of victories large and small. These victories are in some ways very different: some were large, some small; some were long, hard fights, and some were easier. We have victories around housing, mental health, healthcare access, public education, immigration and a dozen other issues. The one thing that unites them is the people: across the board our victories come from the stories of the families we work with, and are won not by lobbyists or professional staff but by local leaders who have learned how to advocate for themselves and assert the needs of their community. That said, here are some victories we are especially proud of:
- Salinas Measure K: In 2009 when the city of salinas was facing a budget crisis they were going to close the salinas public library system. The library functions as a vital institution providing classes, digital access and access books. Plus, Salinas is the home of John Steinbeck, one of the great American authors.COPA leaders were able to successfully organize around measure K, a bond that raised money to fund the salinas public library system by garnering thousands of signatures and knocking on thousands of doors. Today the Salinas Public Library is still open and a pillar of the community.
- Live Oak Family Resource Center: COPA leaders were instrumental in advocating for and getting built the Live Oak Family Resource Center. The Center came out of hundreds of conversations in the local community where a picture emerged of a community in need of. place where they could go to get help and support for issues ranging from their children's education, to immigration, to healthcare access. Today the Center Proudly supports hundreds of families in the community.
- Esperanza Care: For decades in our state immigrants had spotty, inconsistent, or nonexistent aces to healthcare. COPA was critical to passing esperanza care to address and alleviate many of these issues.
- Affordable Housing on Member Properties: Over the last decade as the housing crisis in our region has gotten worse and worse some of our member institutions in Santa Cruz County have taken matters into their own hands. St. Stephens Lutheran Church, Calvary Episcopal Church and Peace United Church of Christ have all built affordable housing projects on their property-- and more are looking at it now!
- VIDA Program: At the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic our region had a serious problem: Many of those in rural parts of our counties were getting sick, were not getting vaccinated and did not have easy access to services. Many of these people did not speak English, and/or came from backgrounds and countries where it is prudent to distrust the local government. This, coupled with huge amounts of disinformation circling through social media was leading to a humanitarian crisis. COPA leaders raised these issues with the county and started to envision the VIDA Program: a program which would train and develop community leaders as health workers so they could talk to friends, neighbors, and others in their community about Vaccine and Covid Care. The program has been wildly successful!
