California Food &

Justice Coalition

:: May 2010 Newsletter ::

IN THIS ISSUE:

:: CFJC Member of the Month

:: Events and Announcements
:: In the News
:: Take Action
:: Grants & Fundraising Opportunities
:: Jobs & Internships
____________________________________________________________
Member of the Month

On the Ground with Pesticide Watch, by Deborah Rich

People call Pesticide Watch because they’re upset. “They’re

distraught, scared, mad,” says Elizabeth Martin-Craig, Northern
California community organizer for Pesticide Watch. “Maybe
they’ve experienced a reaction to a pesticide, or maybe one of
their loved ones has.”

Pesticide Watch helps callers channel their fear and frustration

into positive change. “We go into their homes and
neighborhoods, get a handle on the scope of the problem, then
work with them to break the problem down into components that
can be addressed,” says Martin-Craig.

Particularly important is helping clients analyze the power

structure influencing their situation, and strategize how to align
the interests of those in power with their own. In many cases, the
pesticides affecting callers are being used legally, so eliminating
their use requires buy-in from individuals who can affect the
situation. “If the person with decision-making authority has an
asthmatic child,” says Martin-Craig, “that’s a house-card we
might play. Or maybe the authority figure responds well to a
show of people power, and we’ll help the client develop a
signature or call campaign. Maybe correcting the problem offers
the person in power the chance to be a hero and garner positive
press.”

Established in 1991, Pesticide Watch is a statewide non-profit.

While Pesticide Watch collaborates with Pesticide Action
Network North America (PANNA), Californians for Pesticide
Reform and other organizations on statewide campaigns like the
effort to stop the authorization of methyl iodide use, Pesticide
Watch’s particular niche is on the ground: working in people’s
homes, helping them figure out what steps are necessary to
correct a pesticide problem, and empowering individuals to take
those steps.

Martin-Craig recently responded to a call from a group of low

income tenants in Contra Costa County who are dealing with an
infestation of bedbugs in their housing. Because bedbugs are not
disease vectors, the landlords are claiming that they don’t bear
responsibility for eliminating the pest. Martin-Craig has brought
together the tenants, the county housing authority, a county
Integrated Pest Management coordinator, Bay Area Legal Aid,
representatives from county social services, pesticide applicators
who specialize in non-toxic treatments, and several local
nonprofits such as the Monument Community Partnership and the
Michael Chavez Center. This larger working group has formed
several subcommittees to tackle specific aspects of the problem.

Pesticide Watch’s goals for the next two to three years include
expanding their reach through additional staff, funding, coalition
work, and upgrading their online presence. “We’re constantly
working to get the word out that we’re here and can help,” says
Martin-Craig.

Pesticide Watch is 60% membership funded, with the balance of

its funds coming from grants. Pesticide Watch does not accept
any corporate or government grants. And though it encourages
everyone it works with to become members, Pesticide Watch
does not turn anyone away based upon ability to pay. “We think
that all who call us deserve help,” says Martin-Craig.

For more information, or if you have a pesticide concern, contact

Pesticide Watch at:

369 Broadway, Suite 200. San Francisco, CA 94133

415-622-0036
info@pesticidewatch.org
____________________________________________________________
Events and Announcements

:: On August 16–18, 2010, the Center for Ecoliteracy will host a

three-day seminar for educators, “Sustainability Education:
Connecting Art, Science, and Design,” at the David Brower
Center in Berkeley, California. Participants will explore how to
improve science education through art, use design as a form of
critical thinking, and employ strategies for applying bio-inspired
design to student projects. For more information, visit:
http://tinyurl.com/ecolit

:: Los Angeles Members: Visit the People’s Farm Stand at the

Proyecto Jardin, Fridays from 7:30am-12pm, 1718 Bridge Street,
Los Angeles, CA 90033. You’ll find fresh veggies and botánica
medicinal, such as aloe vera, borage, caléndula, consuelda,
epasote, hoja santa, etc. You will also find seedlings, licuados,
and artesans. For more info, contact Irene at 323-774-7824 or
info@proyectojardin.org

:: For youth: this year’s Rooted in Community National Conference

will happen July 21-25th in Durham, North Carolina. Rooted in
Community is a national grassroots network that empowers young
people to take leadership in their own communities. They are a
diverse movement of youth and adults working together and
committed to fostering healthy communities and food justice
through urban and rural agriculture, community gardening, food
security, and related environmental justice work... and every year
we host a five day conference for youth to come together, share
their knowledge and skills, and learn about other programs that
are working to create a just world. For more information, visit:
http://tinyurl.com/ricconf

:: The President’s Task Force on Childhood Obesity released its

report and action plan to tackle childhood obesity. The report
addresses five main strategies (early childhood, empowering
parents and caregivers, healthy food in schools, access to health,
affordable food, and increasing physical activity) and includes
key recommendations and strategies related to land use, zoning,
complete streets, food system planning and the built
environment. Find the full report at
http://tinyurl.com/preschobrpt.

:: Join the webinar, Working with Small Grocery Stores in Rural

America, on June 8 at 12:30 PST. Rural grocery stores are a critical
part of a community’s infrastructure. In recent decades, small
rural stores have struggled to provide affordable, fresh products,
even when the store is located in a farming community.
Presenters from rural California, Kansas, and Nebraska will discuss
the opportunities and challenges for working with small store
owners to build a sustainable, healthy business model. You can
register for this webinar, hosted by Planning for Healthy Places
and the Healthy Corner Stores Network at
http://tinyurl.com/smgrocstores

:: Join South Central Farms on June 12th for Farmchella! This is a

celebration of a new well and a groundbreaking for the new 85
acre farm in Buttonwillow, CA. Find more info at
http://www.southcentralfarmers.com/
________________________________________________________________
___________________
In the News
:: The Coalition of Immokalee Workers is busily pushing large
chain restaurants and supermarkets to take a good look at the
treatment of farm workers. Check out their webpage to see the
most current news, which includes: Quiznos starts talks with CIW,
NPR’s “Latino USA” runs hard hitting, national story on Publix,
slavery museum, and Chipotle’s CEO Ells continues to duck
Chipotle Challenge. http://www.ciw-online.org/

:: In the Sacramento Bee viewpoint article, “Cotton is king of

unhealthy subsidies,” Kari Hamerschlag points out that most of
California’s subsidies go towards funding cotton. Her main
contention is that there are many other ways this money could be
spent in order to solve environmental problems, to address access
to healthy food, or to build new opportunities for minority farmers.
Check out the article here: http://tinyurl.com/sacbeecotking

:: Follow the National Urban Farm Tour, a cross country tour of

America’s urban farms. WhyHunger is partnering with a talented
media team to launch “Breaking Through Concrete.” Driving a
school bus converted with the option to run on waste vegetable
oil, the team will visit more than 15 urban farm projects from
Seattle to Santa Cruz to New Orleans, Brooklyn, and Chicago.
Following their journey from May 19 – July 10, you can watch the
visual stories of the people and places which are transforming our
cities, bringing healthy options to food deserts, and creating
community. Follow the tour blog via WhyHunger.org and
breakingthroughconcrete.com.
________________________________________________________________
_____________________
Grants and Fundraising Opportunities

:: USDA will award grants of up to $5 million to improve access to

and increase participation in the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP) through the Healthy Initiatives Pilot
grant. The deadline to submit grant proposal applications is June
23, 2010. For the press release, go to: http://tinyurl.com/snappr.
To apply, go to: http://tinyurl.com/fnshipap.
:: Rural Business Opportunity Grants are now being offered by the
USDA. These grants are meant to help rural communities create
wealth, attract more residents and become economically self-
sustaining. Funding under the RBOG program can be used to pay
for economic planning, technical assistance, and training for rural
communities, entrepreneurs or economic development officials.
Applications are due on or before June 28, 2010. For more
information, visit: http://tinyurl.com/usdarbg

:: Nature’s Path Organic Foods is offering grants to plant organic

gardens in two US communities. To get your community
nominated, all you need to do is submit a 500 word essay telling
how your community garden would benefit the larger
community. Deadline is June 14th. For more information, visit:
http://tinyurl.com/natpathcomgard
________________________________________________________________
____________________
Jobs and Internships

:: The Pew Charitable Trusts, Washington D.C., is hiring a project

director and communications manager to work on improving the
safety and nutritional quality of school food. Follow the links for
more information on the positions. Project director:
http://tinyurl.com/pewprojdir . Communications manager:
http://tinyurl.com/pewcommang.

:: Bon Appetit Management Company, Palo Alto, is seeking a

Health and Wellness Manager. They are looking for a registered
dietitian who believes that fresh, local food is an important
component to a balanced diet. RD registration with the
Commission on Dietetic Registration and state licensure /
certification in California is crucial but the right candidate will also
have a passion for the culinary arts, an understanding of effective
education strategies in target populations, experience with
nutritional analysis software / process, be a strategic thinker and
be well versed in the current science of sustainable food systems.
Experience developing corporate or college wellness programs
would be a huge plus. The ideal candidate will have 3-5 years
experience in a non-clinical setting. Please submit a resume and
cover letter to maisie.greenawalt@bamco.com. Resumes without
a customized cover letter will not be reviewed.

:: The Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems at

UC Santa Cruz is seeking a farm and facilities manager and
facilities assistant. For more information, click on the appropriate
link. Farm & facilities manager: http://tinyurl.com/ucscfarmfac
Facilities assistant: http://tinyurl.com/ucscfacasst

:: Full Circle Farm, Sunnyvale, is seeking an Education Program

Manager. The Education Program Manager oversees all aspects
of the education garden; develops curriculum for the garden
classes for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students, supervises AmeriCorps
and other education staff, facilitates lesson and garden planning
and guides the garden team in the development and
maintenance of a productive, educational garden. For more
information on this position, go to: http://tinyurl.com/fullcirfarm

:: Southeast Food Access, Bayview Hunters Point in San Francisco,

seeks Food Guardians. Food Guardians will help advocate,
promote and create a sustainable food system, including access
to healthy food for all residents in the BVHP. For more information
on the position, visit http://tinyurl.com/sefafoodguard

:: The Urban & Environmental Policy Institute at Occidental

College in Los Angeles is seeking a Farm to Preschool Coordinator
to work directly with the program manager to develop and
implement year two of the program by collaborating with
participating preschools (administrators, teachers, students, and
parents) through nutrition education, experiential garden-based
learning, teacher trainings; implementing comprehensive
evaluation; and promoting the program through conferences
and other venues. This position offers both hands-on and
administrative opportunities with the potential to help expand the
program regionally and nationally. Find more information at:
http://tinyurl.com/oxyfarmtopre

:: The University of Maine Department of Plant, Soil and

Environmental Sciences is seeking a Post-doctoral Research
Associate in Weed Ecology and Management. For more
information, visit: http://tinyurl.com/umaineweeddoc

:: City Slicker Farms, West Oakland, is seeking qualified

applicants for a half-year apprenticeship. Urban Farm
Apprentices work in all areas of the program, including farming
(planning, obtaining supplies, propagating, planting, harvesting,
etc.), volunteer management, farm-stand sales, community
outreach, event planning, technical assistance for community
members, administrative work, and record-keeping. You can find
applications at http://www.cityslickerfarms.org/

:: People’s Grocery, Oakland, is seeking a Program Director.

People's Grocery is a community-based organization that
develops creative solutions to the health problems in the
community that stem from a lack of access to and knowledge
about healthy, fresh foods. For more information on the position
and how to apply, visit http://tinyurl.com/pplgrocprogdir

:: Food and Water Watch is hiring two California Water Bond

Campaign Organizers, one in Los Angeles, the other the San
Francisco Bay Area. The duration for this position is six months,
and the focus is to coordinate campaigns to defeat the Water
Bond that will be on the November ballot in California. For more
information on the position and how to apply, visit:
http://tinyurl.com/fwwcabondorg

:: The Organic Farming Research Foundation, Santa Cruz, is

seeking a temporary Lead Researcher to conduct a
comprehensive review of U.S., Canadian, and European scientific
literature on the environmental and social impacts of organic
agriculture, including economic impacts on farms and society as
a whole ("multifunctionality"). The Lead Researcher will produce
an approximately 40-page report on the potential multiple
benefits of organic agriculture in North America with specific
policy and research recommendations and an annotated
bibliography. Applications are due to OFRF June 18. The position
will begin July 1. Please send applications via email by June 18,
2010, to Maureen Wilmot, maureen@ofrf.org. For confidential
related inquiries or additional information, phone Maureen Wilmot
at 831-426-6606.

:: Collective Roots, East Palo Alto, is seeking an Interim Executive

Director. The Interim Executive Director (ED) is the chief executive
of Collective Roots, a non-profit organization focused on garden
based learning and food system change. Accountable to the
Board of Directors, the ED is responsible for overseeing the
operational management of Collective Roots, as well as the
administration of community-based programming, in order to
achieve the organization’s mission and vision. For more
information on the position and how to apply, visit:
http://www.collectiveroots.org/IED

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The California Food and Justice Coalition is a statewide

membership coalition working to ensure
the basic human right to healthy food while advancing social,
agricultural and environmental justice.
We collaborate with community-based efforts in California
working to create a socially just, ecologically
and economically sustainable food supply. We envision a
California food system in which all activities,
from farm to table, are equitable, healthful, regenerative, and
community-driven.

California Food and Justice Coalition

2530 San Pablo Avenue, Suite F, Berkeley, CA 94702
Phone: 510-704-0245
FAX: 510-548-8896
http://www.CAFoodJustice.org <http://www.cafoodjustice.org/>
<http://www.cafoodjustice.org/>
email: info@CAFoodJustice.org

CFJC is a fiscally-sponsored project of the Ecology Center.