Former California Senate Majority Leader Bill Monning reminds us that regardless of your political affiliation, voting provides the opportunity to make sure that your opinions and beliefs are represented at the local, state, and federal levels when decisions about public policy are being made. It is tempting to think that mid-term elections in which there are no major national candidates on the ballot are less important. However, every election provides you with the opportunity to make sure that your voice is heard.

Dr. Chad Harris reminds us that defending health care equity is a fundamental community value that is important to all of us. Dr. Harris serves as CEO of Natividad Medical Center, the safety-net hospital for Monterey County. He also serves on the executive committee of the California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems that advocates for comprehensive, high quality, equitable health care services for all Californians, regardless of insurance status, immigration status, ability to pay, or other circumstance.    

The Community Foundation for Monterey County works with individuals, families, and businesses to make a positive and lasting impact on our community. The Foundation's mission is to create healthy, safe, vibrant communities throughout Monterey County and beyond. It serves as a design studio for philanthropy, creating a bridge for generous people from all backgrounds and financial levels to join together to address critical community needs.  

At Rancho Cielo, students learn in a safe, supportive environment that affirms them as individuals and builds self-esteem and belonging. CEO Chris Devers discusses the mission of Rancho Cielo to enrich the lives of young people and empower them to become accountable, competent, productive, and responsible citizens who will earn a sustainable living wage, become financially independent, and help end the cycle of poverty.    

Food Share of Ventura County is a leading example of how a community can successfully join together to address food insecurity and hunger. President/CEO Monica White joins SideBar to explain how Food Share of Ventura County distributes nearly 20 million pounds of food, providing over 16 million meals annually through its hunger programs and 175 pantry and program partners to more than 250,000 hungry friends and neighbors with compassion and respect.  

We desperately need access to trustworthy, fact-based information about key issues impacting our communities. SiseBar welcomes Tani Cantil-Sakauye, president and CEO of the independent, nonpartisan, Public Policy Institute of California. PPIC has long been recognized as an independent, credible source of information on the most pressing issues facing California. From 2011 to 2022, she served as the 28th Chief Justice of California and led the judiciary as the chair of the Judicial Council—the constitutional policy and rule making body of the judicial branch—the first person of color and the second woman to do so. 

Mindy Romero is the founder and director of the Center for Inclusive Democracy that is part of the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy based in Sacramento, California. Romero is a political sociologist whose research focuses on political behavior and race/ethnicity. The research and reports of the Center seek to explain patterns of voting and political underrepresentation, particularly among youth and communities of color in California and the U.S.

For over 40 years, Louis Clark has led the Government Accountability Project (GAP), an organization dedicated to protecting whistleblowers and ensuring government accountability. During the Trump administration, GAP is overwhelmed with the number of government employees seeking support in disclosing illegal, unethical, and fraudulent conduct. It is also addressing a new form of retaliation against whistleblowers, physical harm, and death threats. Learn more about the organization and its work at https://whistleblower.org.

Vanessa Priya Daniel’s first book, Unrig the Game: What Women of Color Can Teach Everyone About Winning, centers the work of women of color in social justice movements. Daniel discusses her personal journey from community organizer to the founder and Executive Director of Groundswell, a philanthropy organization committed to intersectional organizing. She shares the three superpowers of successful WOC leaders that we can all adopt: a 360 vision, boldness, and generosity.

We The Action has a simple premise – lawyers have the power to do good. The organization started in 2017 to help connect lawyer with pro bono causes, from immigration and domestic violence representation to non-profit governance and tax issues, from voting rights to copyright.  Anna Chu, the Executive Director, describes how nimble organization started the Federal Workers Defense Network to provide pro bono support for the thousands of federal workers who were fired from their positions in violation of law and without legal process. You can find pro bono opportunities at https://wetheaction.org/lawyers

Erica Pinheiro serves as the Executive Director of Al Otro Lado providing holistic legal and humanitarian support to refugees, deportees, and other migrants in the US and Tijuana through a multidisciplinary, client-centered, harm reduction-based practice. The organization provides direct, free, legal services on both sides of the US-Mexico border and beyond through zealous individual representation,  medical-legal partnerships, and impact litigation to protect the rights of immigrants and asylum-seekers.

Thirty years ago, Cassandra Dahnke and Tomas Spath founded the Institute for Civility with the goal to promote civility—in government, workplaces, schools—and to catalyze change. They describe their journey, how they define civility, what they have learned about reducing polarization, and why they have hope for the future.  https://www.instituteforcivility.org/.

Meals on Wheels does more than just provide home delivery of healthy food for Seniors. President Christine Winge reminds us that maintaining human connection is a critical and essential part of physical and mental health as we grow older and risk becoming more isolated.

After a long career in the corporate world, Beth Wilbur decided she would serve children as the Executive Director of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Monterey County.  She discusses the incredible work that CASA volunteers do to support children in the foster care system and how they change lives through their efforts.  She describes her motivation as a moral call to protect children.

Lisa Sperow is the Executive Director of the Cal Poly Low Income Taxpayer Clinic. The clinic provides free representation to low-income taxpayers in disputes with the IRS. Many of the clinic’s clients have nowhere else to seek help when they receive frightening notices from the IRS. It is even more alarming for taxpayers who do not speak English and who are completely unfamiliar with the process and documents necessary to respond to government claims, even if the claims are in error. As Lisa says, “this program helps ensure the fairness and integrity of the tax system by educating low-income taxpayers about their rights and responsibilities and by ensuring that their individual rights are protected.”

Cathy Sakimura has spent her entire professional life empowering young people, first as a youth organizer, then as the Deputy Director at the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and now as Executive Director of Legal Services for Children (LSC) in San Francisco. In this episode, Cathy describes why she has dedicated her life to serving children and families, how she manages the challenges, and what each of us can make a difference in a child’s life, including donating money to LSC because it lost its federal funding that allowed it to serve immigrant children in detention. https://secure.everyaction.com/cVYzZjzhqkC12TIE2v3q7A2

Brad Adams and Climate Rights International believe that progress on climate change cannot succeed without protecting human rights – and the fight for human rights cannot succeed without protecting our planet against climate change. Brad and CRI work in partnership with local and international groups, activists, and affected communities to demand justice and accountability from powerful interests.

Providing pro bono service to small businesses in Dallas, Texas not only persevered through the pandemic - it expanded. The innovative program developed by attorney Fawaz Bham coordinated more than 40 law firms and community organizations through a transition from in-person to remote clinics to sustain a program that has served over 25,000 clients. Bham's efforts were recognized by the 2024 American Bar Association's Pro Bono Publico Award for exceptional volunteer public service.

John Echohawk has served as Executive Director of the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) since 1977. Under John's inspired and continuing leadership, NARF has successfully asserted and defended the most important rights of Indians and tribes in hundreds of major cases, and has achieved significant results in such critical areas as tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, natural resource protection, voting rights, and Indian education.

Nisha Anand, the Chief Executive Officer of Dream.org, joins SideBar to discuss how she builds bridges across political divides to find real solutions. Nisha employs the “radical act of finding common ground” with unlikely allies while still staying true to her progressive values. She provides a hopeful message that collaboration can achieve change and overcome polarization and political divides.