Marcos Vargas is the founding Executive Director of the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE), which is a community-based social movement organization serving the California central coast. In this interview with Our Ventura TV host, MB Hanrahan, Vargas provides an overview of some of the groups activities.
Vargas speaks about their roots in advocating for living wages and talks about building power through grass roots initiatives.
He talks about how the organization works to better conditions of local residents based upon community wants and needs, including advocating for the rights of immigrants, climate change issues, environmental justice matters, and increasing the minimum wage.
In brief, their long-term vision is creating a sustainable economy.
Vargas also references Rosa Parks, as a grass-roots leader. Parks was an African-American Civil Rights activist, named “the first lady of civil rights” and “the mother of the freedom movement” by the U.S. Congress.
Vargas and Hanrahan also talk about youth engagement in local educational issues and their overall achievements in spite of political polarization.
Vargas earned his doctorate degree in urban planning from the University of California at Los Angeles. His 2004 dissertation addressed the theory and practice of community transformation and the expanding public policy and community development role of racial and multi-racial community-based organizations in California.
Producer: GeorgeAlger.com
Director: Petrina Sharp
Sponsor: NONPROFIT FIRE, Fundraising for Nonprofits
NonProfitFire.org
Sponsor: PJ MURALS, We Paint Your World Beautiful
PJmurals.com
Sponsor: SKYWORKS MARKETING, Performance Advertising
SkyworksMarketing.com