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Orange County Civic Engagement Table and Its Newest Members—VietRISE, Resilience OC, and Orange County Environmental Justice
By Lorrie Goldin
One of the biggest success stories from the 2018 mid-terms was Orange County, the once solidly Republican vast population center in Southern California. All four of Orange County’s Republican-held U.S. House seats flipped blue, as did a district attorney, county supervisor, and two state legislature seats. Voter turnout was the highest it has been in decades for a mid-term election.
These victories are in no small part due to grassroots organizations like Airlift-funded Orange County Civic Engagement Table, a consortium of community, faith-based, and labor organizations in Orange County empowering low-income and people of color by working to broaden civic participation and effectiveness. Key issues are health care; living wages and working conditions; public education; immigration; policing; and housing needs. OCCET has focused all summer on a massive campaign to make sure everyone is counted for the 2020 Census. Recently Trump called for the exclusion of undocumented immigrants from the numbers that determine redistricting, and a federal court has just blocked this. Trump may be thwarted by the courts for now, but it underscores how vital it is to counter his intimidation tactics with tireless outreach.
The groups are making a big difference in this once-formidable bastion of Republican strength. Republican registration has dropped 13% since 2000, while Democratic registration has increased by 2% and No-Party-Preference—often the choice of newer, more progressive voters--has mushroomed 14%. Hillary Clinton carried Orange County by 9% in the 2016 election. The Latinx and Asian-Pacific Islander communities now comprise the majority of the population, which is also trending younger. OCCET groups contacted 61,000 low-income voters of color in 2018—instrumental in the blue wave that swept Orange County. As we enter the home stretch, OCCET has endorsed candidates and made recommendations about various propositions on the ballot.
Here we highlight three of OCCET’s newest members:
Orange County and environs is home to the largest population of Vietnamese immigrants and their American-born descendants in the country. Although the older generation who settled there following the Vietnam War were mostly staunch Republicans, their children and grandchildren are far more progressive. These are the generations powering VietRISE and changing the electoral politics and policies of the region. Their mission is to “increase civic participation, create ongoing opportunities for leadership development, and foster transformative relationships and practices that advance economic, gender, and social justice in the Vietnamese community in Orange County.” In just three months, VietRISE spoke to and assisted more than 4,500 people in filling out the 2020 Census. They also established a Covid-19 Immigrant Community Relief Fund, which provided cash supplements to undocumented residents affected by the pandemic. VietRise is in the forefront of advocating for the release from ICE detention of a Vietnamese refugee who has lived in the community since age 6. They have also called upon the newly appointed ICE director—himself a refugee from Vietnam—to honor “the human rights of all immigrants and refugees.”
Resilience OC formed when two organizations merged in 2016, bringing together the anti-deportation/ICE movement with those fighting the schools-to-prison-to-deportation pipeline. According to its website, their mission “is to promote resilient youth leaders that engage in the critical work of building youth-oriented institutions in Orange County. We . . . work towards social-systemic transformation while promoting healing, trauma-informed and culturally relevant practices that are inclusive of all members of the community.” Resilience OC focuses on issues that affect childhood health and well-being, including: housing, exposure to severe stress and trauma; lack of child/youth programs and services; poor access to early childhood education; the threat of deportation; environmental hazards and limited green space; and punitive discipline policies in schools. They emphasize youth leadership training and engagement to enhance political power and the younger generations’ future.
Orange County Environmental Justice
OCEJ describes itself as a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic grassroots organization that “brings the fight for environmental justice to Orange County through advocacy, public accountability, healing, and systemic transformation.” According to OJEC’s website, they have:
Canvassed and surveyed 4,000 people living in Orange County communities most vulnerable to pollution and negative environmental impacts
Produced an analysis of the region’s most pressing environmental justice issues as identified by these residents
Organized a committee of resident leaders who want to get involved in environmental justice issues
Launched "Let's Talk EJ," a series of education and outreach events bringing together a broad community of activists and leaders who are concerned about environmental justice in Orange County
All of these dynamic young groups are meeting the moment, from COVID-19 to standing in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and other racial and social justice groups; to the 2020 Census; to November’s election; and beyond. They’ve got the energy and dedication, and with your help, they’ll have the resources to continue this vital work.
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Your generosity makes a difference. Please support OCCET and all the other great grassroots organizations Airlift funds by donating at https://secure.actblue.com/donate/airlift. Thank you!