By Paulina Rojas

OASIS, Calif. — As soon as the sun starts to set in Oasis, a rural community in the eastern Coachella Valley, locals flock to the community’s first park, a simple soccer field with a gravel track around its perimeter that opened just a few months ago.

Children run about as mothers chat and teenagers hang out with their headphones on. Others bring snacks to share. This would be considered a normal scene in many other communities, but in this area it borders on revolutionary.

“A lot of cars pass by here and all the mothers would worry that something could happen to their children, since [before the park] there were no safe places to play,” said Rosalba De La Cruz-Olivarez, an Oasis resident and community leader with Inland Congregations United for Change (ICUC).

Speaking in Spanish, De La Cruz-Olivarez said the park has not only created positive change among the children in her community but among adults as well.

“I have noticed a big difference in how the people here feel, everyone seems a lot happier because there is finally a place for us to go sit for a little while, outside of our homes,” Olivarez said.

Before the opening of the park, residents of Oasis would have to drive about 20 miles west to Coachella to get to the nearest outdoor public space. Which presents an obstacle for the many residents here who don’t own cars, in an area where access to public transportation is extremely limited.

While there are a number of parks in Coachella today, there was a time not too long ago when that wasn’t the case.

“You drive by the parks in Coachella and there is always a ton of people and then some,” said Assemblyman and former mayor of Coachella, Eduardo Garcia. “We are at a point where there is a park in just about every segment of the city and it is how a well planned city should be.”

When Garcia initially took office one of the first things he noticed was the lack of park space, and so he started to ask questions.

“I learned as mayor of Coachella in 2006 and when I was elected to the city council, two years prior that the population of the city had grown based on the development, but that the park space had not grown along with it,” he said. “I began to ask why that was.”

Now, 10 years later Garcia takes note of the positive impact parks have had on his city, and he is now using that to push for statewide legislation that would help bring similar benefits to more communities.

“We made the case that the investment of a $3.2 million dollar park bond will have a return on investment and address issues of quality of life and the health and wellbeing of people” he said.

The park bond – AB-2444 – is currently stalled in the state senate. But that does not mean Garcia has halted his efforts.

“We start with the park discussions for next year, this year already,” he said. “We’re going to have a couple of park hearings in our district and throughout the state to begin generating additional support.”

That support and community buy-in from all stakeholders is what led to the Oasis park being built.

“(What made the park a success was) the creativity and willingness of different sectors –government, non-profit, residents – to work together with a ‘can-do’ attitude,” said Silvia Paz, vice president of Desert Recreation District.

“Open space has a tremendous impact on community well being; having access to parks and recreation has been associated with improved mental and physical health, and it also offers youth a safe place to convene.”

Paz added that the park in Oasis is one of three being planned for the Eastern Coachella Valley. Funding is still being secured for completion of the park, which will include a basketball court and a play area with swings.

Back in Oasis, De La Cruz-Olivarez shared the details of the first birthday party that was held at the park a few weeks ago. A neighbor wanted to do something special for her son and everyone showed up.

“It was very beautiful to see everyone there together,” she said.

About the author:

Paulina Rojas joined Coachella Uninc. as a beat reporter in February 2016 after working as a city reporter in the eastern Coachella Valley for more than a year. Although born and raised in New York City, Paulina feels right at home in the eastern Coachella Valley. She loves the warmth of the people and buying fresh bread from her favorite bakery in downtown Coachella. Paulina is a graduate of the University of Houston, and her work has appeared in The Las Vegas Review – Journal, The Houston Chronicle, HelloGiggles and Vivala. View her author page here.

By Karen Borja

Convincing a government agency to meet you on your own turf is a win for professional organizers. A meeting in a community, as opposed to a distant government office, shifts the power dynamic, allows locals an opportunity to host and makes it impossible to deny that certain needs are or aren’t being addressed – after all, seeing is believing.

So it was a victory for North Shore residents to receive a visit from county officials in 2012 to discuss transportation needs. The five officials arrived late, spilled out of their van, sweaty, and red in the face exclaiming, “We got lost! We didn’t even know North Shore existed.”

A community leader whispered to me in Spanish, “How are they supposed to provide us with services if they don’t even know we exist?”

That meeting proved to be a turning point. From then on North Shore residents understood that they had to organize to remove the distance that existed between them and their visitors.

The 45-year-old PICO (People Improving Communities through Organizing) organizing model I use to train people holds that a protest would alienate. Instead, it suggests that residents need to forge relationships to prove their existence and win support for their cause. Using the PICO approach, North Shore residents committed themselves to building relationships with decision-makers by attending and hosting meetings where they could share their testimony on day-to-day experiences with difficult local themes.

In my work I often ask residents what they like and dislike about their communities and I follow up by asking, “What can you do to change things?” I’ve heard thousands of answers over the course of my five-year organizing career in the Inland Empire. The answers that provoke the most tears and deepest desperation are those that come from the Eastern Coachella Valley, where people are struggling to survive the intense hardships of extreme poverty.

In helping them to meet these challenges, I try to unlock the power they hold. It is the hardest part of my job. But that inner power is displayed when a shy, immigrant, monolingual mother publicly shares how even the slightest improvements to transportation in her community will save her family thousands in college tuition because it will allow her son to finish a degree in not more than four years. It is apparent when kids, parents, and soccer coaches convince local government to convert an abandoned, neglected school into the unincorporated area’s first park.

After 11 years of engaging in community organizing, I know unlocking the power of people is what will continue to move any community forward.

Right now, that power is seen in the group of ECV mothers calling on their school board to build a new elementary school instead of doubling the size of the local continuation school. After three years of organizing neighborhood residents, these mother can now see that their efforts led to an investment that will help their community’s future in more ways than just education.

I write this as a testament that community organizing works and is something many places desperately need. No one was talking about these communities, let alone their people, until residents started sharing their testimonies publicly.

As the first mobile clinic rolls through North Shore, and the first park for the community of Oasis is being opened it is important for me to step into the background and shine the spotlight on the residents who organized and are helping make their neighborhoods better for everyone.

There is an expression in Spanish that translates to, “there is no worse effort than the one that was never made.” I have heard this from so many involved in community organizing in poor neighborhoods. People have used it at times when our organizing efforts are at their dimmest.

There is always a sense of pride when we claim victories in the Eastern Coachella Valley because I realize then that I have allowed myself to be lead to victory by the community. Community organizing unlocks the power of people and creates change in our communities.

About the author:

Karen Borja is the Associate Director of Inland Congregations United for Change (ICUC). She was born and raised in Coachella, and has been involved in community organizing since 2006. She can be reached at [email protected]

If you would like to be a community contributor, email us at [email protected].

NORTH SHORE — Inland Congregations United for Change (ICUC) will hold a community meeting to celebrate ICUC leaders’ efforts to improve access to public transportation to North Shore and to share the commitment to making this project successful over two years.

The forum will take place today, April 24, at the North Shore Beach and Yacht Club at 5 p.m.

This forum will include student and parent testimonies, a report on the community-led research campaign, and public comments by Riverside County Supervisor John J. Benoit, SunLine and Riverside County Transportation Commission.

After a year and a half of research and over 1,000 conversations in the local community, ICUC leaders seek to improve access to public transportation by aligning the North Shore victory to deeper transportation needs in Mecca, Oasis and Thermal.

According to ICUC surveyed research of 167 people living in North Shore, 76 percent of people in the town rely on family, friends or coworkers for transportation. And over 40 percent of North Shore’s residents surveyed live on less than $12,000 a year.  The ICUC leader-led event will ask the Benoit, SunLine, and the County of Riverside to assess transportation needs and resources of Mecca, Oasis and Thermal to later create a Rural Transportation Plan for the Eastern Coachella Valley.

IVAN DELGADO/Coachella Unincorporated

OASIS – Thirteen-year-old Diego Martinez runs around the grassy field, throwing water balloons at the kids from his neighborhood — an activity new for this former Duroville resident.

Diego is among the many children who recently relocated to Mountain View Estates, a new mobile home park in the Eastern Coachella Valley, as a result of the hazardous conditions that deemed the Duroville trailer park uninhabitable.

“I’m able to play soccer, run around on the grass, and play on the swings at the playground,” said Diego, smiling. “I couldn’t do that at Duroville because of the dogs running around and biting us.”

But Diego and his friends no longer have to worry about dogs. They now feel safe enough to go outside and play in the well-kept field in their new community.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the kids participate in organized physical activities – such as water balloon fights and non-competitive soccer — organized by Latino Health Access, a non-profit organization that reaches out to underserved families with public health problems.

“What we’re doing is bringing some organized physical activities for the children, so they can have fun. They have a nice place out here now, something they didn’t have out in Duroville, and we wanted to take advantage of that,” said Alejandro Espinoza, program coordinator for Latino Health Access. “The most important thing is for them to have fun, something to look forward to on a weekly basis. We also have volunteers that serve as role models for the children, something they should really be exposed to.”

Derek Barajas, 16, is one of the many volunteers from Xavier College Prep High School in Palm Desert.

“I like it, they look up to us as role-models, and it gives them hope,” said Barajas. “Mountain View Estates is a lot nicer and gives them more of a community, and after school, it gives them something to look forward to.”

Maricela Timozly, 12, also recently moved to Mountain View Estates with her family.

“At Duroville, I had no one to play with,” said Maricela, surrounded by several children.

“Everyone was afraid to go out on the streets, because of the dogs and the cars. At Mountain View Estates, it’s safer to go out with security driving around and sidewalks on the street.”

Residents of the new park have access to public water and sewer systems, electrical service, wide paved streets, curb and gutter and interior street lighting – basic amenities lacking at Duroville. Additional features include a community center, clubhouse, soccer fields, volleyball court, basketball court, laundry facilities, playgrounds and gym.

Fifty families from Duroville are now living at Mountain View Estates, with 131 more scheduled to move in by the end of May 2013. According to Riverside County, approximately $28.4 million has been invested in the project from county funds, federal grants and private financing. The project’s completion and relocation of residents is a crucial component of the federal government’s plan to close Duroville, located on the Torres-Martinez Indian reservation.

Guillermo Alvarez, 23, also with Latino Health Access, said that the young residents have come to count on these twice-weekly activities.

“They already know we’re here Tuesdays and Thursdays, so we don’t even need to tell them, they just come over,” he said. “They’re happy, and they actually listen to us now, whereas before they were just running left and right.”

Alvarez added, “One reason is to just have fun, because they’ve just got out of a long day at school, but the other reason is to help them develop. One of the mottos that we have is that kids play, and adults exercise.”

On this Tuesday afternoon, Maricela, Diego, and their friends build their social skills by interacting with one another. They improve their hand-eye coordination by playing games and sports. They are exercising, without even knowing it, as they run around the field playing games and hurl water balloons at one another.

“Sure there are a lot of hidden benefits,” said Espinoza. “But in their eyes, the kids are just having fun.”

OASIS – Riverside County is partnering with Burrtec Waste and Recycling Services, LLC and community volunteers to lead a significant community clean-up to remove trash and prevent illegal dumping at Desert Mobile Home Park, known as Duroville, on Saturday, March 30.

From 8 a.m. to noon, residents will have the opportunity to leave their bulky trash items in front of their lot on the road for pick-up by Burrtec at no charge to them.

“As the last residents of Duroville prepare to move into new homes at Mountain View Estates, we are providing an opportunity to pick up items that are difficult to dispose of,” said Supervisor John J. Benoit. “I appreciate all the volunteer efforts coming forward to make the community a cleaner and safer place.”

In coordination with Tom Flynn, court-appointed receiver, the collaborative clean-up effort includes Burrtec, Supervisor Benoit, Riverside County’s Waste Management Department and Economic Development Agency and Rudy Gutierrez, South Coast Air Quality Management District Environmental Justice Advisory Group representative.

Items that will be accepted for pick-up include furniture, large appliances, tree limbs and branches, electronic waste and tires without rims. Industrial, business and household hazardous waste will not be accepted.

Youth from Supervisor Benoit’s C.L.E.A.N. (Community Leaders Enhancing Area Neighborhoods) Youth Force program will remove trash left at unoccupied lots recently vacated by residents. They will be joined by community volunteers organized by Gutierrez.

Participants from the Waste Management Department’s work-release program will focus on removing debris that has accumulated at the southern section of the park.

Supervisor Benoit will be thanking the volunteers for their hard work at 10 a.m. The volunteers will be served a lunch donated by Nachhattar Chandi, owner/operator of the Mecca Travel Center.

To join the volunteer effort, please contact Rudy Gutierrez at [email protected] or  (760)481-5800.

-Staff report

With California’s budget crisis, residents are becoming aware of current economic issues the state faces. With higher tuition rates for public universities and spending cuts slashing everything from education to health care programs, just how is our government going to tackle other issues we are currently facing?

Governor Jerry Brown recently announced that mid-year cuts to education will impact school transportation budgets by $1.5 million throughout California.

“In this district, transportation is a must,” said Linda Aguirre, director of transportation for Coachella Valley Unified School District (CVUSD). “A lot of these kids would not be able to get to school without transportation, which means there will most likely be a higher drop-out rate.”

Even though final decisions have not been made, the news about cutting money from school transportation has caused concern among parents, students and community members.

“Rumors are flying,” said Steven Young, student transport specialist at Coachella Valley High School (CVHS), who explained that $1.5 million is equivalent to cutting 10 bus drivers. “This is going to affect us big time.”

Inland Congregation United for Change (ICUC) represents local residents who are worried about these looming transportation cuts.

“(The cuts) would leave the youth stranded,” said Allex Luna, a community organizer for ICUC.  “How’s this going to affect them academically?”

Cuts in transportation could lead to a chain reaction, affecting families and students. Without a method of transportation, Luna fears there could be a drastic negative effect on school attendance.

“Every time you’re in that seat, the school gets paid,” said Luna, meaning that a decrease in the attendance of schools could lead to even more cuts in education.

According to Luna, more than three-fourths of the school’s population takes the bus, which shows just how many students would be affected by cuts in transportation.

Some motivated students, such as Yesenia Isidoro, will find any way to complete high school.

“I wouldn’t want to let my parents down,” said Isidoro, a senior at CVHS. “I think I would buy a bike so I could get to school every morning.”

Diana Reza, a sophomore at CVHS described her everyday bus experience. “The bus is already three people per seat. I’m pretty sure all the bus doors would break because everyone just shoves and rushes in to find a good seat.”

The situation could be even worse for students at schools further east. “Transportation is already an issue. I couldn’t imagine how much more affected the students would be if bus routes were completely cut,” said Berenice Venegas, a junior at Desert Mirage High School. “I live in Mecca, it doesn’t have many resources.”

Eastern Coachella Valley communities, such as North Shore and Oasis, do not have sidewalks or street lights, making it difficult and often dangerous for students to making the long walk to and from rural schools.

“It’s important to keep in mind that parents or guardians aren’t always going to have the opportunity to drive students to school every morning, due to their jobs or simply because they don’t own a vehicle,” added Venegas.

“Things are operating as normal, but for now we are just waiting for a decision,” said Linda Aguirre, director of transportation for CVUSD.

“Normal,” to some bus drivers already means carrying double loads and making several trips until all students arrive home.

“Buses have always been packed. In order to have one driver for one bus stop, we would have to hire more drivers, and unfortunately we don’t have that luxury,” said Aguirre.

As administrators await the official decision from the school board, ICUC is beginning to tackle the issue with “one-to-ones.” These are one-on-one meetings between community organizers and individuals for the sake of research.  They are also meeting with groups of parents and teachers to set up public partnerships. Allex Luna, a community organizer with ICUC, said the group hopes to solve this issue before the school year is over. They plan to mobilize the community with press releases, phone calls, and social media.

“Not many people know that there are people trying to make a change,” Luna said. “The (ICUC) leaders represent change.”

“I’ve always contended that students are the reason we have a job, without kids we don’t have that either,” said Aguirre, director of transportation at CVUSD. “In this district, transportation should be a right, not a privilege, because our district is very rural.”

“It is not safe to walk home.”

To join ICUC’s efforts, contact Allex Luna at (760)398-0877 or at [email protected].

(Photo: Rosa Say via flickr)

Coachella Unincorporated welcomes and publishes comments from our readers. We recently received the commentary below in response to Rogelio Montano’s article about growing up in poverty, “In Mecca, Dreams of Utopia” (See link below for article). Although now living in Mexico City, Rogelio’s article took the reader back to his childhood in the nearby rural community of Oasis. Like Rogelio, he used to spin a globe and wonder if anything existed beyond the Eastern Coachella Valley.

http://coachellaunincorporated.org/2012/01/10/in-mecca-dreams-of-utopia/

* Do you have a similar experience to share about growing up in the Eastern Coachella Valley? See below for more information on how you can be published on www.coachellaunincorporated.org.

Dear Rogelio and Community,

Your article touches on certain issues that I grew up with as a child in Oasis, just a few miles from Mecca. I too grew up into a hard working class family immigrated from Mexico. It was hard at times to not understand certain circumstances such as the financial aspect of life or why my parents did not know English. However, I do cherish the special kind of life that I had away from the hustle and bustle of what we see today in a globalized world…

It was then as a kid when I was able to walk out and play in the dirt, feel it through my toes – make figures out of mud, climb trees, make an army out of sticks and even create fantasies out of an innocent imagination. Going out with friends from the other trailers without a care in the world. Running around playing tag, discovering distance little by little where our only boundaries were limited to where the last trailer was parked.

Life had a routine, went to school, struggled with the English, had an amazing sloppy joe in the school cafeteria and dumped the disgusting celery, but wait, not if there was peanut butter! Then of course, the great bus ride home where only the unimaginable could happen. As I got home, parents were either there… or not. There were times of solitude because they would work until later hours and then came home to sleep on the floor because of back pains, cramps, oh, and start cooking ‘lonche’ for the next day’s meal at work. There was always a way into the trailer though. It could have been easy to drift away from trying to do homework or have a small sense of responsibility without their guidance.

However, all I heard was ‘estudia hijo, no quieres esta vida!’ That stuck with me. I too had a globe and associated Chad in Africa with the Chad that was in my class, or Mexico and what it meant to actually drive further south than my hometown of Irapuato. I too spun that globe and stopped it with my finger; but only to say to myself that none of those places could actually exist.

Today I remember and reminisce just like you do. I am currently living in Mexico City but travel extensively home – to Coachella where my family just managed to buy a house in a community. Yet, it doesn’t feel right. I always go back to Oasis/Thermal where we still have our trailer. I always take my shoes off, walk, look at those mountains that kept innocence near my life. I drive by those iconic palm trees that represent our valley and give me a sense of home. My parents continue to work in the fields; to a certain point it’s a sense of belonging and strangely enough I couldn’t picture them in any other capacity – neither my dad in a tie or my mom in a women’s suit. I embrace my life in that time. I embrace what Oasis School gave me. I cherish my CV high school education. I value the life I had.

We might be evolving as people, succeeding in different capacities, but you and I agree that we would never change what we had then and can only assure that we can help our community by giving them a better future and the options to mature into a successful career yet embrace their roots to strengthen pride, that sense of belonging and appreciation. Struggle never has to be a bad thing, our parents struggled and go figure, the product is you and I, and many other proud immigrants – first, second and now third generation… Some of us went ahead and got an education, were able to visit those countries; the same ones we were placing our fingers on the globe. But, lets face it, we are a particular group of people. It’s always hard, confusing or frustrating not knowing when to call yourself Mexican, American or even Chicano. Hispanic, Latino? Sometimes I just feel like saying that I’m from the Coachella Valley – a special place that back then knew no racial difference (we were too far away from all the affluent communities northwest of the valley). We are a special kind.

Thank you for writing this article, for taking me back in my imagination, thoughts and heart. For a moment, I felt that dirt in between my toes.

Diego Zaragoza Tejas
Oasis ’93
CV ’97

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