Who are We
The East County Regional Group has trained and organized parent volunteer leaders to build power among those underrepresented in public decision-making and to advocate for healthy, safe, and equitable communities for children and families. All East County residents who care about children are welcome to participate.
Policy Advocacy Efforts:
Housing
The East County Regional Group worked in partnership with renting families and allies to advocate for safe and affordable housing. Their Antioch CHANGE campaign resulted in the passage of Antioch’s rent stabilization policy. Read the recent report (in English and Spanish) on the group’s research with more than 1,000 Antioch residents detailing families’ housing challenges and needs.
Park Equity and Safety
The group has also led advocacy efforts to increase access to free or low-cost recreation programs and enhance the quality of local parks. With support from Kaiser Permanente, the group worked with local recreation departments to launch the Prosserville PACE program in 2018 and the Pittsburg PACE program in 2016 in local city parks. These programs offered free recreation programs such as Zumba, yoga, children’s sports classes, and walking clubs that benefited hundreds of local residents and increased the safety of the parks.
In the past, the group has also conducted assessments of local park conditions and advocated for improvements, and led campaigns related to immigrant and racial justice issues, and more.
For more information, contact Sandra Naughton at snaughton@first5coco.org
“What I want the elected officials to know about low income families or immigrant families with young children is that they are the cornerstone and backbone of our community. It is important for us to invest in these families because their children will grow up to be our future leaders. If we do not take care of them now, how are they going to lead our country forward?” Priscilla Nzessi, Member