PICO: A Network That Helps Us Build Community and Power

OCO is a member of the People Improving Communities through Organizing (PICO) network. PICO is a national network with faith-based organization at work in over 45 cities in 12 states across the United States. As a member of the network, OCO receives consultation and technical support. Our staff and leaders receive training and professional development, every year through PICO's weeklong national leadership training retreats.

Many of the concerns of OCO families can only be properlyaddressed at the state and national level. Through PICO and the PICO California Project we are able to join with all of our sister organizations to build the power we need to address these issues. Since 2000, OCO joined 16 sister organizations as the PICO California Project for a series of actions involving 10,000 people that gained the following results:

•  $50 million for after-school programs
•  $9.2. Billion for school repair and construction
•  $30 million for parent/teacher home visits
•  Approval by the federal agency, Health and Human Services, to support California's waiver request to add 300,000 parents to Healthy Families
•  $50 million for primary health clinic infrastructure
•  Changes to application process making Medi-Cal coverage available to 500,000 more people
•  $400 million annual state share of the tobacco settlement commited to health care programs
•  $10 million increase in funding for primary care clinics
•  $20 million increase in the State's Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program
•  $2.1 billion Prop 46, successful statewide affordable housing bond,supported by get-out-the-vote campaign to 100,000 infrequent voters to support Prop 46