The 2014 SDLA Institute kicked off last weekend. Meet our 2014 Fellows!

The Fellows were selected from an incredibly qualified, inspiring, and unprecedentedly large pool of emerging progressive leaders. Through the Institute, they will develop the skills, opportunities, and relationships needed to make positive change in San Diego.

2012 SDLA Fellow Trinh Le has been honored as the Organizer of the Year at RootsCamp, an annual conference put on by the New Organizing Institute, a national organization that trains community organizers. Trinh was selected from among over 80 nominees from across the country. Organizer of the Year is awarded to an organizer who exemplifies four categories of engagement organizing: Respect, Innovation, Courage, and Excellence.

Trinh's profile for voters noted the hard work she does for the Center on Policy Initiatives (CPI), specifically through the Community Budget Alliance. "The Community Budget Alliance advocates for more equity in San Diego's neighborhoods. We also hope to bring more public participation into the budgeting process, and to make the budget and budgetary decisions more transparent and accessible to the general public," Trinh explains.

Through a public voting system, Trinh made it into the top five finalists. Among those five, Trinh was chosen for the top honor by the Most Valuable Organizing Awards Selection Committee - a group of 26 respected organizers from across the progressive movement.

Trinh was a 2012 Fellow of the SDLA Institute and is now Co-Chair of the Selections Committee on the SDLA Board.  Check out Trinh's Board Profile here.  

Cody Hooven, a 2013 SDLA Fellow and current board member, has been a leading force in the development of the recently adopted Port of San Diego Climate Action Plan. Cody has worked for three years with internal and external stakeholders to craft the plan to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on District tidelands, which is momentous both for the Port and especially for San Diego's delicate environment.

The plan will be used to provide a long-term and strategic vision for sustainability for the Port's entire jurisdiction including tidelands in all five of its member cities (San Diego, Coronado, Chula Vista, National City, and Imperial Beach) as well as the Port's tenant businesses.

San Diego's Port District is among the first in the nation to adopt such a sustainability guide voluntarily. The plan passed unanimously on December 10, 2013.

Please read more about the Port of San Diego's Climate Plan here.

2010 SDLA fellow Vivian Moreno was sworn in to MANA de San Diego's Board of Directors Wednesday, December 11 during the organization's Annual Holiday Party at the Lafayette Hotel. MANA de San Diego is a national non-profit whose mission is to assist young girls and women by providing them with the skills, tools, and support they need to succeed.

Vivian served as an Assistant Director for MANA's Hermanitas Program, organizing seminars for 80 pairs of mentors and mentees, after which she was named the 2009 MANA Member of the Year. Through MANA, Vivian mentored an at-risk youth (her "Hermanita") from 8th grade through completion of high school. Her Hermanita is currently completing her sophomore year at SDSU with a 4.0 grade point average and is preparing to studying abroad in Russia.

Vivian is currently a Community Representative for San Diego City Councilmember David Alvarez, and is the President of the San Diego County Young Democrats.

Second from right: Vivian Moreno

Two 2011 Fellows of the San Diego Leadership Alliance Institute have been appointed to serve on commissions in the City of San Diego.

Norma Rodriguez has been appointed to the City of San Diego's Commission for Arts and Culture, which advises the Mayor and City Council on promoting the region's artistic and cultural assets, integrating arts and culture into community life, and showcasing San Diego as an international tourist destination. Norma is a Community Organizer at the Center on Policy Initiatives. Her pre­vi­ous work expe­ri­ence includes grass­roots orga­niz­ing mainly focus­ing on immi­gra­tion issues and civic par­tic­i­pa­tion.

Matt Ellis was appointed to the Sustainable Energy Advisory Committee. This Committee addresses the City's Climate Action Plan, a critical document setting the City's long term strategy around a number of far-reaching matters related to--among other issues--growth and the environment. Matt has just completed a term on the Funds Commissions, and is the Associate Director of Sustainability at CB Richard Ellis (CBRE), a commercial real estate services firm.

Both Norma and Matt were nominated to their respective positions by Interim Mayor of the City of San Diego, Todd Gloria, and their appointments were confirmed by votes of the City Council.

November 22, 2013

San Diego CityBeat featured a profile of SDLA Alumna Sarah Boot on Wednesday. Boot, who was a 2010 SDLA fellow (New Leaders Council San Diego, at that time), is now running for City Council, District 2. CityBeat's Kelly Davis credits NLC, in part, with Boot's rise:

But Boot, who's 32, didn't come out of nowhere. In 2010, she was selected as a fellow for the San Diego chapter of the New Leaders Council, which aims to train "progressive political entrepreneurs" for leadership roles, elected office among them. She's also a founding member of Run Women Run, a local organization focused on getting politically progressive women in office. She was student-body president at the University of Michigan, where she earned her undergraduate and law degrees. There, Boot founded the Students First party and recruited a slate of candidates.

Read the full article, "The new girl: Sarah Boot," here.

Ali Tarzi - a 2013 SDLA Fellow and Associate Vice President of Classes and Coaching at Community HousingWorks - spoke with NBC San Diego about a Trulia report that lists San Diego as 5th least affordable housing market for the middle class in the nation.

San Diego Ranked Among Least Affordable Housing Markets

Chris Chan and Monica Garske, nbcsandiego.com, October 11, 2013

...Ali Tarzi, of Community Housing Works, counsels homebuyers when they're ready to purchase homes.

Tarzi says the recent rise in home prices have left a lot of people waiting for a housing opportunity to come along that fits their budget.

"We have a lot of families who want to take advantage of the low – still low interest rates, but going up – but still historically low. They're ready; they even have their down payment, they're just priced out of the market and there's nothing available," Tarzi explained.

But, for those who don't own homes, Tarzi says there are some benefits.

"Renters have the freedom to move where work is, and where the jobs are," Tarzi said.

However, there are some downsides to renting, including dealing with the whims of a landlord since renters aren't necessarily able to lock-in their expenses for housing.

"What we're noticing is increases in their rent," said Tarzi. "So every time they sign their lease agreement, [rent] bumps up a little bit."...

Click here for the full article and video.

The San Diego Leadership Alliance is hosting its third Boards and Commissions Training on Wednesday, October 9th from 6:00-7:30 at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law.

https://sdboardtraining.eventbrite.com/

The training will cover the importance of board service and current government and non-profit board opportunities. Panelists include:

• Mona Pasquil, Appointments Secretary for Governor Jerry Brown
• David Hall, San Diego County Assistant Clerk of the Board
• Efrem Bycer, Founder of BoardNext

Space is limited so reserve your spot today! Light refreshments and food will be served.

This event is cohosted by:

• Leaders 2020
• The San Diego Foundation
• American Constitution Society, San Diego Lawyer Chapter
• Thomas Jefferson Law School
• Lawyers Club of San Diego
• Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy, San Diego Chapter

Four San Diego Lead­er­ship Alliance (SDLA) alumni and two SDLA mentors have been named 40 Under 40 Award winners by San Diego Metropolitan Magazine. Alumni Sarah Boot of the 2010 class, Omar López and Brittany Applestein Syz of the 2011 class, Kimberly Simms of the 2013 class, and mentors Christopher Ward and Christopher Yanov will be honored at a September 26 luncheon.  Congrats to our winners!

For more information on the 40 Under 40 awards, click here.

Learn more about our alumni winners:

• More on Sarah*
• More on Omar*
• More on Brittany*
• More on Kimberly*

*Note: Profiles of SDLA alumni are taken at the time of entry to the Institute.