Good Monday Morning! Today’s edition of The Newsletter celebrates the volunteer and professional philathropists who devote their time and energy to serve local community groups and nonprofits. Also as always, down below, our News Digest, which features news-you-can-use from members of the California Local Media Alliance and other trusted newsrooms. And again as always: Public Meetings! Serious fun!
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By Eric Johnson
Published Aug 14, 2023
Image credit: Julian Rovagnati, Shutterstock
Let’s Work Together: Community Builders Rule
Working Together to Make Things Better
Today we sing the praises of the individuals and organizations writer Ray Delgado calls “the unsung heroes of every community and region they serve.” Ray is talking about community foundations, which, you may be interested to learn, play a specific and very important role in California’s philanthropic universe.
The League of California Community Foundations (LCCF) defines their role thusly: “Community foundations are conveners and leaders in their communities—they help identify solutions to community issues, then leverage the resources of individuals, families, and businesses to support projects and initiatives led by high-impact local nonprofits.”
The size of their contribution is stunning. California foundations make $3.2 billion in grants to California nonprofits annually. (They send another $2.2 billion to nonprofits outside the state—a story for another day.) The most recent available statistics show that in 2021, LCCF members and their donors pumped $4.18 billion into the state’s economy, all earmarked to help charitable organizations do their work.
One in every 14 Californians works in the nonprofit sector, which accounts for 15 percent of our Gross State Product.
As you may know, supporting the work of nonprofit community groups lies at the heart of California Local’s mission. So please meet the CEOs of two remarkable institutions that are having dramatic impacts in their areas: Stacy Caldwell of the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation, and Kerry Wood of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation.
Working Together: TTCF and California Local
A conversation with Stacy Caldwell, CEO of Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation
What Is a Community Foundation?
By channeling funds to a number of nonprofits working on various issues in a given region, community foundations help solve big problems throughout California.
Recycling, Bicycling, and Green Buildings
Based in Santa Cruz for most of its 50-plus years, Ecology Action helps people live cleaner, greener lives. In addition to its super successful local programs that make biking to school and work safer and easier, EA works to promote EV adoption statewide, and has provided energy efficiency upgrades for more than 24,000 small businesses throughout California.
Ecology Action’s Plan for a Greener Future
For half a century, this group has reduced waste, reimagined local transportation and redesigned buildings. It’s all part of Ecology Action’s quest for sustainability.
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Big Brothers Big Sisters |
Big Brother Big Sisters provides children facing adversity with strong, enduring, professionally supported mentorship. The chapter serves Sacramento and Yolo counties, as well as southern Placer County.
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From Our Media Allies |
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A Sacramento Motto: ‘Drag Isn’t Here, It’s Everywhere’ |
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On a blistering summer day, drag queens fearlessly gathered to celebrate Pride on one of the biggest stages in California: the State Fair & Food Festival. |
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Folsom Facing Budget Cuts, Likely Tax Increase |
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With budget shortfalls and a likely tax increase ahead, Folsom city officials balked last month at forming a community advisory committee on budget reform. |
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Federal Agencies Tackle Two Folsom Dam Projects at Once |
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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation have partnered to work on the perimeter of Folsom Dam and the spillway. |
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Sacramento Receives Grant to Address Historical Disadvantages for Black Communities |
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Sacramento was one of eight cities awarded $75,000 to participate in the CityStart initiative, designed to identify strategies to financially empower residents. |
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Recent Local News |
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• Mayor Singh-Allen to Run for Reelection in 2024
Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen is now in her second term, having defeated incumbent Steve Ly in 2020 and her lone challenger Brian Pastor in last year’s race. She told the Citizen that she had known for a long time that she would seek a third term.
(08/11/2023) → Read the full Elk Grove Citizen report• New Donut Shop Opens in South Natomas
Donuts & Coffey is holding a soft opening in the San Juan Village Shopping Center at 3291 Truxel Rd. The shop replaces Fancy Donuts and Ice Cream.
(08/10/2023) → The Natomas Buzz• Sacramento Leaders Propose Policy Package Aimed at Preventing Homelessness
Some Sacramento City Council members are putting forward proposals designed to prevent more people from becoming homeless. Councilmember Katie Valenzuela said, “We can't continue to focus just on triaging our homelessness crisis.”
(08/10/2023) → CapPublicRadio• Sacramento Could be Home to the Nation’s Biggest Electric Truck Charging Depot
A transportation startup is planning to open a huge charging depot off Interstate 5 near the Sacramento International Airport in 2025 that will be geared toward commercial trucks driving through the I-5 corridor.
(08/10/2023) → CapPublicRadio• Mirasol Village Developer Tapped to Turn State Properties Into Housing
The developer who turned aging public housing in Sacramento's River District into a mixed-income housing project is getting the nod for an office-to-housing conversion on Capitol Mall.
(08/09/2023) → Sacramento Business Journal• Council OKs Demo of Old Foote Home
The Galt City Council approved a request to demolish a historic but run-down house. Since it is on the city’s list of historic structures, special permission is needed to demolish it. The council also made an appointment to the Commission on Aging.
(08/09/2023) → Read the full The Galt Herald report• Proposed California Constitutional Amendment Could Unlock Billions for Affordable Housing, Public Infrastructure
Many local governments see voter majorities approve bond measures without reaching the two-thirds required. A new effort to reform that system would drastically improve the ability of local governments to fund housing and infrastructure projects.
(08/08/2023) → CalMatters• Passing—and Preserving—the Word
Sacramento’s African American Historic Context Statement is part of the city’s African American Experience History Project, an initiative to codify local Black history from 1839-1980 and recognize historic properties.
(08/08/2023) → The Sacramento Observer|
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Recent Statewide News |
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• New Gray Wolf Pack Confirmed in Tulare County
The new pack consists of at least five individuals not previously detected in California, including one adult female, who is a direct descendant of California’s first documented wolf in the state in recent history, (OR7), and four offspring (two females, two males).
(08/11/2023) → YubaNet• How to Find Factual Health Sources
More than 70% of people have been exposed to medical or health-related misinformation, according to a GoodRx Health study. This means many people are struggling to tell the difference between factual information and false information.
(08/08/2023) → The Sacramento Observer• Millions of Californians Struggle to Get Enough Food Despite State’s Abundance
How bad is California hunger? A lot depends on your access to food aid, which expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic but is being reduced.
(08/07/2023) → CalMatters