About Us

 PUEBLO

Although Santa Barbara County is one of the wealthiest communities in the United States, the local economy is dominated by low-wage jobs in the service, tourist, and agricultural industries. These jobs are mostly filled by immigrant workers, many of whom have limited access to resources because of their immigration status.

The high cost of living has forced working people to hold multiple jobs, to commute long distances, and to live in overcrowded apartments. Santa Barbara County has the highest rate of uninsured children in the entire State, and working people are often forced to decide between medical care, paying the rent, or feeding their families.

When working people are unable to meet their basic needs, the entire community suffers!
Unfortunately, many in the larger community know little about the economic and social problems faced by the working poor in their community.

PUEBLO is dedicated to:

1. Working with low-income people to improve their lives through educational programs and civic participation.

2. Developing organizational leadership within the working community.

3. Educating the larger community to the problems and needs of the low-income families whose work supports the entire economy.

Our Model

PUEBLO's organizing model includes the following programs designed to build the power and voice of working families in Santa Barbara County.

House Meeting Campaigns

In house meetings, a volunteer invites several neighbors or friends to their house to talk about building a strong voice for working families. House meetings identify new leaders in the community, increase PUEBLO’s membership, and lay the foundation for our Neighborhood Chapters. Each year, PUEBLO conducts at least one house meeting campaign. Since 2003, PUEBLO organizers and volunteers have organized about 250 house meetings, reaching over 1,000 people.


Neighborhood Chapters

Neighborhood Chapters are committees of neighborhood leaders who decide and act on pressing local issues. Current Neighborhood Chapters are established in Carpinteria, Goleta, Santa Barbara Eastside, Santa Barbara Westside, Santa Maria North, and Santa Maria South. Each chapter decides its campaigns, meets with elected officials in their community, works in coalition with other chapters on regional issues, and organizes neighbors to take action. Neighborhood Chapters are represented on PUEBLO’s Board of Directors.

Voter Registration

Every election, PUEBLO identifies and contacts infrequent voters, helping them register and vote through providing education on candidades in their precinct. Precinct leaders walk door-to-door and talk with voters about issues and initiatives endorsed by the Neighborhood Chapters throughout the year. PUEBLO is often the only contact for many of these voters, who are often ignored by campaigns that primarily focus on “likely” voters. PUEBLO currently has over 30 Precinct Leaders throughout Santa Barbara County and we have contacted over 15,000 voters in five elections.


Issue Campaigns and Coalition Work

Each Neighborhood Chapter decides and works on local issues. Current issues include affordable housing, stopping winter flooding in mobile home parks, stopping water rate increases, and education. PUEBLO engages in strategic campaigns that ensure that the needs of working families are prioritized through public policy. PUEBLO currently participates in coalitions for living wages, health care, immigrant rights, and public transportation. PUEBLO participates in coalitions on local, regional, statewide, and national levels.

Leadership Training

PUEBLO is continuously working to build the skills, knowledge, and organizing capacity of our Neighborhood Chapters and general members through training. Training is both by outside trainers as well as by the PUEBLO staff. Training topics include fundraising, media relations, meeting facilitation, voter registration and participation, recruitment of volunteers, campaign development, and working with local government.