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Our Mission

CAUSE's mission is to build grassroots power to realize social, economic and environmental justice for the people of the Ventura and Santa Barbara counties region through policy research, leadership development, organizing, and advocacy.

 

Our Vision

CAUSE's vision is that together we can create a global community where we all contribute to, and benefit from, a sustainable economy that is just, prosperous and environmentally healthy.

 

Our Values

Dignity

Individuals and communities have inherent worth, untapped potential and power, irrespective of class, gender, race/ethnicity, or any other characteristic or circumstance

Justice and Social Equity

Justice recognizes "the urgency of now" (MLK Jr.) of the majority of people whose daily life is compromised and threatened by inequitable or discriminatory legal and social policies. Social equity is the application of fair and equitable public policy standards and practices including decision making, management and implementation that alter current inequities and prevent future inequities.  

Integrity

We conduct our work with transparency and honesty, self-respect and respect for others

Stewardship

We recognize our shared responsibility and collective power to create a sustainable environment and leave this world a better place for seven generations to come

Hope

The belief today, rooted in the certainty of past experience, that social change is possible; a "Si Se Puede" or "Yes we can" attitude; and the capacity for joy in the midst of struggle

 

Our Work

Since our formation in 2001, CAUSE has directly brought about improved wages, and or, health benefits for over 5,000 working families, engaged over 260 allied community, labor, and faith organizations, while directly engaging over 13,000 unduplicated number of individuals in local, regional, state and national campaigns and initiatives toward achieving the organization’s program goals of policy reform and meaningful social change.

CAUSE’s work is represented under four campaign areas:

Living Wage & Sustainable Development
Universal Health Coverage
Women's Social, Economic, and Environmental (SEE) Justice
Grassroots Power

Learn more about our latest campaigns and efforts.
 

Our Accomplishments

Working through hundreds of community leaders and in collaboration with many of the region's community, labor, environmental and interfaith organizations, CAUSE accomplishments have included:

2001
  • Adoption of County of Ventura living wage ordinance.  
  • Adoption of CAUSE proposed “working families” county redistricting Plan by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors.
  • First published report: Meeting the Challenge: Extending Health Coverage to Ventura County’s Uninsured Working Families. 
  • CAUSE’s Women Economic Justice Project established as a result of a campaign to include county in-home supportive service (IHSS) workers under county living wage ordinance.
2002
  • Adoption of City of Oxnard living wage policy.
  • Annual CAUSE Women Working for Economic Justice Conference
  • Publication of Challenging the Feminization of Poverty: Women in Poverty in the Central Coast 

2003

  • Adoption of the City of Port Hueneme living wage ordinance.  

2004 

  • Mujeres Unidada por Justicia, Educacion, y Respecto (MUJER), a grassroots membership-based working women’s organization, established as an outcome of CAUSE’s Women’s Economic Justice Project.
  • Through CAUSE led community-based unionization campaign 2,300, predominately women, home-care IHSS workers receive union contract under SEIU local 998.

2005 

  • Establishment of Ventura County Children’s Health Initiative, a broad-based collaborative to insure all of Ventura County’s 30,000 uninsured children.
  • CAUSE offshoot organization, Ventura County Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (VC CLUE), receives funding to hire organizing staff.  
  • Inclusion of big box and good paying jobs provisions into the City of Ventura General Plan.
  • Establishment of the Ventura County Social Justice Fund in collaboration with the Ventura County Community Foundation.

2006

  • Adoption of City of Ventura living wage ordinance. 
  • On-year moratorium on Ventura Wal-Mart development.
  • Opening of CAUSE’s women’s economic justice center, Centro Mujer.
  • 5th Annual CAUSE Women Working for Economic Justice Conference.

2007 

  • Organization of a successful grassroots environmental justice organizing campaign resulting in the defeat of the proposed BHP Billiton liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal off the coast of Oxnard.
  • CAUSE sponsors 20 leaders, representing 15 local community organizations, to attend seven-day Gamaliel Foundation Community Organizing training in Los Gatos, California.

Strategic Planning

We at CAUSE have a strong commitment to our organizational development, based on a long-term vision of regional sustainability and an open strategic planning process that meaningfully engages our board, staff, community leaders, allied organizations and stakeholders. We are currently in the process of planning for our 2008 strategic planning process, which we will commence with our annual board retreat in February 2008. Please take a look at CAUSE’s 2005-2008 Strategic Plan.