WCCC Blog

Save the Date: Triangle Speakers 20th Anniversary Celebration

Census Data Access Workshop

Presented by Congressman Sam Farr

in conjunction with the U.S. Census Bureau

Data for Local Community Organizations

Workshop 1- August 25, 2011, 9am to 12pm

Workshop 2- August 26, 2011, 9am to 12pm

Pajaro Valley Community Health Trust

Conference Room

85 Nelson Street, Watsonville, CA  95076

You are invited to attend a three hour workshop that will show you how to access the Current Census data products via the new American FactFinder (Census data search tool).  This revamped website is very different than the original American FactFinder. This workshop will illustrate the great features of the new American FactFinder to help you successfully navigate through it!

Topics Include:

• Census Data Overview –  Jerry Wong, Luz Castillo and Lia Bolden,

US Census Bureau Representatives

v     Decennial Census- Data files, SF-1 and future releases

v     American Community Survey- Finding the characteristics of your community

v     Population Estimates Program

• Census Data Access- The New American FactFinder(AFF) and online exercises

RSVP today or by August 18 by e-mail at:

julian.chacon@mail.house.gov

and elaine.lia.bolden@census.gov

The Pajaro Valley Community Health Trust makes the meeting room available to organizations for their meetings. The use of the meeting room does not imply the Pajaro Valley Community Health Trust’s endorsement of approval of the organization’s activities or actions.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND NON PROFIT AGENCIES RESPOND TO FORECLOSURE CRISIS

Foreclosure Event Sunday, August, 28^th, 2011

Watsonville, CA ­– On Sunday, August 28^th, 2011 from 1:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. at the Monterey  County Office of the Agricultural Commissioner at the Agricultural Center Conference Room, 1428 Abbott Street, Salinas, 93901. The Central Coast Foreclosure Collaborative, a working group of city and county agencies, community-based organizations, and community groups, will be hosting an event that will help embattled local homeowners at risk of foreclosure.

The collaborative will bring together a panel of experts as well as representatives from federal, state, and county government. This is a panel with information for homeowners facing foreclosure or who have been through foreclosure who want to know what to expect and what options might be available.

As many residents who are facing foreclosure know, foreclosure is a very complicated and emotionally devastating process. It is difficult to know what is best for a family in the long-run, and people need specific information and useful advice.

Spanish translation will be provided.

This is a free event.

Hello Everyone,

This is just a friendly reminder that our next Watsonville Community Connections Collaborative General Meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 19^th, 2011 from 9:00AM-10:30AM.  Our meeting will be held at Women’s Crisis Support-Defensa de Mujeres at 233 East Lake Avenue, Watsonville, 95076.

Please see the attached agenda for your reference.

If you have not already done so, please complete the WCCC Fundraising Survey by following the link below.   The sustainability of the WCCC depends on your input!

WCCC Fundraising Survey (https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DQD38PH ).

Thank you!

Best,

Michelle Decker

The Watsonville  Law Center is hiring a bilingual paralegal for the Language Access to the Court Program through the Santa Cruz County Superior Court Self Help Center.

See a description of the position below.

Language Access to Court Self Help Center

BILINGUAL [Spanish/English]

Availability: This position is available August 5, 2011; recruitment closes July 29, 2011. The job location is in Watsonville, California with local travel.

Salary: 40 hours a week, rate begins at $15.52/hr, salary commensurate with experience.

Benefits: Benefits include paid health, dental, vision, life insurance, and paid sick, vacation and holiday leave.

Duties and Responsibilities:

This position provides access to the courts for Spanish-speaking self-represented civil litigants (individuals using the civil courts without attorney representation).  Duties include providing information to individuals about the courts and legal process and helping individuals complete court forms and pleadings under the supervision of court staff.  Duties may also include developing Spanish-language outreach and education materials regarding court services and occasional Spanish-language community outreach to the public.  This position is located in the Self Help Center of the Superior Court of the County of Santa Cruz in downtown Watsonville.

Qualifications:

Applicant must have excellent spoken and written language skills in both Spanish and English.  Applicant must have at least three years paralegal experience or an undergraduate degree or comparable education with at least three years of supporting experience in a law office or court setting.  Experience in civil and family law matters and mediation are desirable.  This is not an attorney position.

Program Description:

The Watsonville Law Center (WLC) is a nonprofit legal aid office providing low-income individuals equal access to the law by assisting them to understand, exercise and enforce their rights. WLC addresses legal barriers faced by immigrant and other low-income individuals as they strive to access health care and financial sustainability.  More information about WLC and the Language Access to the Courts project is available at www.watsonvillelawcenter.org.

To apply: Forward resume and cover letter to:
Monica Pereira, Office Manager

The Watsonville Law Center
315 Main Street, Suite 207
Watsonville, CA 95076

Fax: (831) 761-3295
E-mail: monicap@watsonvillelawcenter.org

THE WATSONVILLE LAW CENTER IS AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION, EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER. Applicants shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, marital status, or medical condition.

What are the social, financial and emotional costs of foreclosure and the protracted economic downturn? How have these two concurrent issues affected households and communities and what needs to be done to assist with recovery? You are invited to attend a workshop that will explore these questions in a practical and productive way.

The workshop will take place on July 28, 2011 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in Salinas, CA at the Harden Foundation. A full agenda along with a page to register can be found at the following link:  http://www.frbsf.org/community/resources/events.html.

This community-based session brings together local experts and resource providers to share information about the range of remedies being pursued to help stem the crisis, including new funding and foreclosure alternatives. Practitioners from a variety of community based organizations will be on hand to discuss the resources and tools that are available to assist with the multifaceted process of foreclosure recovery. As a result of this convening, attendees will learn more about the various aspects of foreclosure recovery and how they can play a role in facilitating this process for individuals and the community.

There is no cost to attend, but registration is required by July 25, 2011. This is not a consumer event. It is intended to allow key community partners an opportunity to network with other local stakeholders that I hope will result in stronger partnerships for the Central Coast. Please feel free to share with others and I look forward to seeing you there.

Lena Robinson

Federal Reserve Bank, San Francisco

Working With Oaxacan Populations“Working with Oaxacan Populations” a community workshop featuring the Binational Center for Development of Indigenous Oaxacan Communities / El Centro Binacional para el Deasarrollo de Indigenas Oaxaqueno (http://centrobinacional.org/) was organized by the Watsonville Community Connections Collaborative (WCCC) and cosponsored by the City of Watsonville. Service providers learned how to better serve indigenous farmworkers on the central California coast. More than 110 people from over 50 organizations attended!

Community Television of Santa Cruz County (www.communitytv.org) filmed the entire event in order to enable us to share this important information with the world.  You can view this video on the Community Television website.

http://communitytv.org/programs/online/working-oaxacan-population

This program is scheduled to play on Comcast 25/Charter 71, and will also be streaming LIVE at www.communitytv.org on the following dates and times.

6/11/2011 at 8:30 PM
6/12/2011 at 3:30 PM
6/13/2011 at 11:30 AM
6/17/2011 at 10:40 AM
It can also be found on You Tube  by clicking here.