"Organizing People for Stronger Communities"
The Inland Communities Organizing Network (ICON) is made up of churches, synagogues, unions and non-profits,
who take action together to build the power of the people in public life, to address issues of common concern, and
to build on the assets of families, neighborhoods and local institutions. ICON identifies, develops and trains local
leaders.
"What does a decade of standing for families in Inland Communities look like?
Turn on the Lights.
Many neighborhoods on the South side of Pomona (the poorer side) were without
street lights. This promoted crime and kept families isolated from one another in their own homes on dark streets.
ICON leaders talked with fellow residents in house meeting after house meeting, asking, “What do you want to see
changed?” A groundswell of enthusiasm formed around getting street lights for South Pomona. After 2 years of
research and discussions with public officials, which culminated in a public action involving 500 people calling the
city council to respond, $1.2 M was released for street lights in South Pomona. ICON leaders discovered that
money which had been budgeted for street lights had been redirected for 10 years to foliage improvements in the
wealthier part of the city.
Immigrant Advocacy.
DUI check points held during the day nabbed more mothers with children than
drivers under the influence. Due to exorbitant month-long storage fees, towed cars could not be retrieved or
caused an economic hardship on the poorest in Pomona. ICON leaders negotiated with the Pomona Police to hold
cars no more than 24 hours for people who did not have licenses. This initiative of the ICON has saved immigrant
families hundreds of thousands of dollars in vehicle impoundment fees.
School Infrastructure.
Lincoln Elementary did not have air conditioning. How were students supposed to
learn on blistering hot days? ICON leaders challenged school district leaders to spend a day at the school. The VP
of Finance and VP of Operations visited the school, and didn’t last until noon. But in a district with severe budget
shortfalls, where would the money come from for building improvements like this? ICON worked with the Pomona
Unified School District to help pass Measure PS to address crumbling infrastructure in schools. ICON leaders
organized with local parents and conducted precinct walks in neighborhoods around Pomona schools. The
measure generated over 200 million dollars for school building projects.
Parental Access to Schools.
When Pomona parents tried to become volunteers in their children’s
classrooms or on field trips, they met with insurmountable obstacles. Parents missed their kids’ field trips, due to
long waits for processing their finger prints and volunteer application paperwork. Parents without drivers’ licenses
were prohibited from volunteering—so immigrant parents were excluded. The high cost of finger printing
excluded low-income parents. ICON worked with leaders of the Pomona Unified School District to remove these
obstacles and streamline the process. Identification, other than a driver’s license, was accepted, which opened
access to immigrant parents. Low- income schools were given a budget to cover finger printing costs for parent
volunteers. These efforts benefitted and strengthened both families and schools.
Up-the-ladder Training.
What is ICON doing about unemployment? ICON negotiated with CTEC (the
Career and Technical Education Center of the Fairplex) in 2010 for the development of a training program for
hourly-rate manual workers that enables them to build high-level skills. The first course had 35 members of ICON
institutions receiving training that assures them of jobs. In 2011 ICON organized and conducted a skilled labor
course from March through August through CTEC, with 13 students recruited from ICON institutions.
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Interview/Resume Honing.
ICON created a Jobs Team that prepared a workshop in 2010 in resumewriting, use of the Internet to make job applications, and honing interview skills. The workshop proved so
successful that a permanent effort is now being created to enable members of ICON institutions to find jobs. Two
more workshops were offered by the ICON, one in 2011, and another in 2012, providing a variety of seminars to
equip people with job search skills.
Inland Healthcare/Lifesciences Industry Cluster Initiative.
ICON is spearheading an
economic development initiative to catalyze the formation of a vibrant industry cluster around the substantial
healthcare and lifesciences assets which already exist in Pomona and Inland communities. The Inland
Healthcare/Lifesciences Cluster initiative currently includes 21 healthcare institutions, graduate schools,
community groups and churches, city agencies and businesses. The initiative is working on a demonstration
project that will combine efforts to prevent the onset of diabetes as well as treat the disease with a revolutionary
model of patient care. The larger goal is to make the Inland region one of the premier locations for innovative
health care and the life science industry.
Don’t Trash Pomona.
ICON led a campaign for nearly 2 years to stop the building of a regional waste
transfer station in Pomona, which was proposed to serve 11 cities and unincorporated Los Angeles, and to add 610
large diesel truck trips per day, violating air quality thresholds. Over 6,000 letters of opposition were submitted to
the City of Pomona, hundreds of organized residents and business owners attended public hearings to oppose the
project, and numerous articles, neighborhood walks, and presentations by ICON made the public aware of the
realities of this project. After being voted down by the Pomona Planning Commission, the company appealed the
decision to the Pomona City Council. It was clear the council was favorable to the project. While never
relinquishing its opposition to the project, ICON presented a set of demands directly to the company. Several
important concessions were won: The trash tonnage processed by the facility was reduced by 1/3; the company’s
trucks were all converted to CNG alternative fuel; No diesel trucks were allowed to use the facility; A diesel
refueling station was removed from the project site, which reduced truck trips by an additional 12%; With the
elimination of diesel from the project, the cancer risk was removed. The company funded a full-time code
enforcement officer for $100,000/year to work to improve code compliance in Pomona’s highly polluted industrial
zone; and Pomona residents were guaranteed job placement priority and training at the facility.
Adult Education.
Hundreds of teachers in the Pomona Unified School District were warned in the early
spring of 2011 that they might be laid off, including shutting down the entire adult education program and
drastically cutting pre-school. ICON got involved in working with one of ICON’s members, the Associated Pomona
Teachers, to get some of the adult education program restored.
Neighborhood Safety.
The area surrounding First Presbyterian Church of Pomona had lots of criminal
activity—including drug dealing, prostitution, and violence. Church and community members were especially
concerned about the safety of children attending the Pomona Hope After-School Program at the church. Members
of the ICON mission group at First Presbyterian organized meetings with the police to change the situation. The
Pomona police helped the church develop a lighting plan to make the church building safer, gave extra resources
to patrol the area especially during Pomona Hope hours, and crime decreased significantly.
School Lunches:
ICON leaders met with leaders in the Pomona Unified District to address the
mismanagement of a school cafeteria at which students were served incomplete lunches for several days in a row.
The district changed leadership at that site. ICON leaders also prompted food services to experiment with a salad
bar at that cafeteria, which was a great success. One ICON leader, who is a professional chef, offered free on-site
consultation to several PUSD kitchens.
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