Yesterday we joined with our colleagues across the state, to pledge our commitment to California’s values. CCF stands resolute in its mission to protect our people and our progress, to shepherd bold investments that empower our communities, and to speak out against injustice.

As we collectively process the results of yesterday’s election, our dedication to our mission is clearer than ever. We are here to fund change, to protect the most vulnerable, to do the work and to share in the risks that will be needed to deliver a brighter tomorrow.

It is our dedication to empowering change that drove us to invest an unprecedented $10 million to support community-led voter engagement, education, and advocacy efforts – from Palmdale to San Pedro. It also led CCF’s efforts to bring accountability and reform to one of our region’s greatest challenges.

We helped draft and place Measure A to repeal and replace the existing homelessness sales tax with an initiative that raises $1.1 billion a year for affordable housing and mental health services. This measure, currently positioned to win, creates a guaranteed source of revenue for our region to care for its most vulnerable and expand affordability. This will seed a local ecosystem for our region to address its homelessness and housing crisis protected from shifts in the economy – or changes in federal policy.

As we work to implement this effort, CCF will continue to lead conversations with our broad coalition of partners to ensure that we give the people of Los Angeles what they voted for – results, transparency and accountability. Delivering on that promise will not only ensure that we get people the help and relief they so desperately need – it builds trust between our community and our institutions at a critical moment in history.

Our Board Chair, Tom Saenz, often says that CCF is the community’s foundation. With that distinction comes a huge responsibility. In times of uncertainty, it is our obligation to protect our community and demand they be heard and respected. We will use our resources to uphold the American promise that everyone, regardless of legal status, identity, race, or income, can have access to a good life.

Delivering on that promise and creating the Los Angeles that we all dream about is at the core of CCF’s strategic framework process, which launched last month. This roadmap will guide our work and investments for the next decade and couldn’t come at a better time as we map out the work that lies ahead. It will be essential to have community voices shaping our mission.

Today, we may feel tired, scared, and anxious. We have been here before, but we must reject the urge to retreat. Our resilience is our strength. Our purpose is to persist. And our power lies within our people.

Our community is counting on us.