Highlights – Cesar Chavez Foundation

Chavez Foundation Celebrates Opening of Chris Hartmire Plaza in Pomona, Calif.

October 21, 2025, by CCF

Cesar Chavez Foundation Celebrates Opening of Chris Hartmire Plaza, a New Affordable Housing Community Linking Housing, Health, and Hope to Address Critical Need in Pomona

In a region where nearly two-thirds of renters are cost-burdened, the new 90-unit community brings affordable homes and on-site health services to individuals, families, and veterans

Pomona, Calif. — Community leaders, residents, and partners gathered today to celebrate the grand opening of Chris Hartmire Plaza, a new 90-unit affordable housing community developed by the Cesar Chavez Foundation (CCF). The development provides safe, high-quality homes for low-income individuals, families, and veterans in Pomona, a region where affordable housing is increasingly out of reach for working families.

“Today’s celebration and opening of Chris Hartmire Plaza is an example of how the ideals and values of Cesar Chavez remain steadfast in our work,” said Manuel H. Bernal, president and CEO of the Cesar Chavez Foundation. “The life work of Cesar Chavez and Reverend Hartmire was defined by humility, conviction, and service to others. Chris Hartmire Plaza reflects that enduring vision—linking housing, health, and hope for families in Pomona by creating a community where people feel seen, supported, and empowered to thrive.”

Chris Hartmire Plaza is a vibrant, service-rich community that integrates housing with on-site health and supportive services for residents. The LEED-certified development features 30 one-bedroom, 30 two-bedroom, and 30 three-bedroom apartments for households earning between 30 and 60 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI), including apartments reserved for veterans and people with disabilities, and individuals and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

“Chris Hartmire Plaza represents the best of what Pomona stands for — a city that believes in community, compassion, and opportunity,” said Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval. “This new development gives families and veterans a place to call home, access to health care and support, and a chance to build a better future right here in our city.”

The new community is named after the Reverend Chris Hartmire who worked with civil rights and labor leader Cesar Chavez and other early organizers before there was a farm worker union. Hartmire selflessly dedicated himself for decades to building what became the United Farm Workers (UFW). Always humble and soft-spoken, Chris inspired countless women and men to activism and “servanthood” by dedicating themselves to the UFW and other good works. During the celebration, a four-story mural by Los Angeles–based artist John Park was unveiled that celebrates resilience and the shared legacy of Cesar Chavez and Reverend Chris Hartmire, serving as a powerful symbol of unity and hope for residents and the Pomona community.

Chris Hartmire Plaza features a wide range of community amenities, including a park, community room, tot lot, picnic areas, counseling offices, laundry facilities, and dedicated spaces for after-school children’s programs and adult educational programs.

“Moving into Chris Hartmire Plaza has been one of the biggest blessings God could have given my family and me,” said M. Gonzalez, a new resident. “For five years, we lived across the street in a one-bedroom apartment with four people. This apartment complex has truly changed our lives for the better. We feel comfortable and, most importantly, safer. I’m so grateful to Klaudiah and Samantha, part of the on-site management team, for making this possible.”

Residents have access to on-site health and wellness supportive services through a partnership with Tri-Cities Mental Health Center. The ground floor of the community also includes a 6,756-square-foot Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) operated by East Valley Community Health Center, opening in 2026, that will provide medical, dental, and mental health services to residents and the surrounding community.

“Our partnership with the Cesar Chavez Foundation brings vital supportive and health resources to residents which is critical to their well-being,” said Ontson Placide, executive director, Tri-Cities Mental Health Center. “This collaboration helps ensure access to quality care right where people live.”

Chris Hartmire Plaza was made possible through a coalition of public, private, and nonprofit partners investing $75.8 million to bring high-quality affordable housing and supportive services to Pomona. Major public funding and support includes $25.4 million from the State of California through the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD); $1.7 million from the City of Pomona, along with 28 project-based vouchers, eight dedicated to veterans; and $1 million from the San Gabriel Valley Regional Housing Trust.

“Projects like Chris Hartmire Plaza show the power of partnerships in addressing California’s housing crisis,” said Gustavo Velasquez, director of HCD. “By combining state investment with local leadership and private investment, we’re helping families secure affordable and stable housing.”

Private sector funding partners include $58 million in construction financing from Citi and $13 million in financing from UnitedHealth Group through a partnership with the Community Preservation Corporation (CPC) and the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH).

“Chris Hartmire Plaza is an inspiring example of how affordable housing, supportive services, and sustainable design can come together to strengthen communities, said Hao Li, Originating Banker, Citi Community Capital. “By helping finance projects like this, we’re advancing our shared mission to expand access to safe, high-quality housing for all Californians.”

“At UnitedHealth Group, we understand that housing and health go hand in hand,” said Steve Cain, CEO, UnitedHealthcare of California, part of UnitedHealth Group, which has invested nearly $130 million in California to create and preserve affordable housing, working together with partners like Community Preservation Corporation and the Corporation for Supportive Housing. “Chris Hartmire Plaza underscores the importance of partnerships and our long-standing commitment to improving access to safe, stable homes that help people live healthier lives.”

“Chris Hartmire Plaza is a powerful example of how affordable housing, health care, and supportive services can come together to create lasting impact for individuals and families,” said Jason Osborn, Vice President, Mortgage Officer at The Community Preservation Corporation. “We’re proud to have partnered with the Cesar Chavez Foundation, our funding partners at UnitedHealth Group and the Corporation for Supportive Housing, and all of the local stakeholders and officials who helped make this important project possible.”

According to state and local data, the opening of Chris Hartmire Plaza comes at a critical time for California, where the state faces a shortage of more than 1.2 million affordable homes for extremely low-income renters, and 78 percent of those households spend more than half their income on housing. In Pomona, nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of renters are cost-burdened, spending more than 30 percent of their income on rent.

We Are Winning: A Revolution of Mind + Heart

September 25, 2025, by CCF

This Hispanic Heritage Month, the Cesar Chavez Foundation is proud to launch We Are Winning: A Revolution of Mind + Heart – a storytelling campaign rooted in culture, community, and action. This campaign spotlights people-centered stories that remind us of our power, courage, compassion, and the everyday revolutionary acts that move our communities forward.

Celia Martínez, behind the scenes of her interview, holding a Chavez Legacy Award and her book of poetry.

At the heart of this campaign are voices like Celia Martínez, a Yale graduate, content creator, and published Mexican-American bilingual poet who has built a platform that amplifies voices too often overlooked. Her poetry illuminates our struggles, celebrates the beauty of our traditions, and honors the achievements we continue to reach – even in the face of adversity.

Celia began writing poetry as a form of self-expression, and when she started sharing her work online, she realized how deeply people resonated with her words. She committed to making her poetry public so that others could “hear their own experiences through poems.” In doing so, she has touched millions, resonating across generations and offering strength in difficult times.

Her journey is deeply rooted in the movement’s legacy. Her mother, aunts, and uncles marched with the United Farm Workers and brought supplies to those incarcerated for the cause, including Cesar Chavez himself in the 1970s. Inspired by this legacy of solidarity, Celia uses her voice not only for herself but for others who may not be able to speak in times of adversity.

At the Cesar Chavez Foundation, we embody the same spirit through our collection of social enterprises designed to support working families in their pursuit of a more just and equitable society. As Cesar Chavez envisioned, the transformation that began in the fields continues today, carried forward by the next generation in their fight for equity in education, housing, and beyond.

Celia continues to win by creating inclusive, representative spaces where others feel seen. Her journey shows that authenticity, courage, and storytelling can spark lasting change.

Celia’s story is just the beginning. Through We Are Winning: A Revolution of Mind + Heart, the Cesar Chavez Foundation will spotlight young leaders, educators, community members, and CCF staff whose voices carry this legacy forward. Together, we honor our roots and celebrate the revolution of mind and heart that continues today.

✨ Follow the campaign and share your story using #WeAreWinning. Together, we continue to win through love, culture, and action.

Cesar Chavez began his activism 73 years ago by mobilizing Latino voters. Let’s do it again!

August 22, 2024, by CCF

The Legacy of Cesar Chavez in Activism

Before he organized farm workers, Cesar Chavez’s activism began by registering and turning out poor Latinos to vote. He also fought Republican voter suppression tactics as early as 1952 in the impoverished Eastside San Jose barrio called Sal Si Puedes (Get Out If You Can).

Think about it. Why did President Biden have Cesar Chavez’s bronze bust placed in the Oval Office on the first day he entered it as president—27 years after Cesar’s passing? Why did 17 million Americans support his boycott of California table grapes in 1975? Was it partly because the genesis of Cesar’s activism was community organizing and voter engagement? He was a civil rights leader before becoming a farm labor leader.

Cesar Chavez’s organizing career started at age 25, when he met Fred Ross Sr., one of America’s greatest community organizers.

Cesar Chavez and Fred Ross Sr.
(Bob Fitch)

“The first time I met Fred Ross, he was about the last person I wanted to see,” Cesar recalled when eulogizing his mentor and teacher in 1992. Ross arrived in the rough East San Jose barrio in the spring of 1952, organizing a local chapter of the Community Service Organization after forming the original chapter in East Los Angeles. Cesar had recently left field work. He initially believed Ross was one of the college professors who came down from Berkeley or Stanford while studying Mexicans and asking them rude questions. Once Ross started talking, he quickly realized that wasn’t the case. He spoke about empowerment through the ballot box—and Cesar’s life was forever changed. Ross wrote that night in his diary, “I think I’ve found the guy I’m looking for.”

Over more than a month of frantic days and nights, Cesar helped CSO register 4,000 new voters. When Election Day arrived, the local Republican Party dispatched “challengers” to threaten Latinos voting for the first time. It was reminiscent of voter suppression still taking place in too many places when people of color cast ballots. The tactic failed. One Latino voter exclaimed, “At first, I got really mad, but then thought if they go to all that trouble to keep us from voting, it means they are paying attention to us.”

The Impact and Importance of Mobilizing Latino Voters

So many Latinos turned out to vote that county authorities got packinghouses to stop dumping waste into barrio creeks. And they fixed cesspools that had been producing amoebic dysentery.

After that successful drive, Ross saw to it that Cesar was put on as a full-time CSO organizer. Together, the two men established 22 CSO chapters across California and in Arizona. More than 500,000 voters were registered.

Cesar Chavez mobilized the Latino vote while working with CSO in Oxnard in the fall of 1958.

Some 50,000 residents become U.S. citizens. This organizing produced indigenous leaders such as Edward Roybal, Herman Gallegos, and Cruz Reynoso, among many others. CSO attracted broad support by addressing the concerns expressed by the people who were being organized. It confronted voter suppression, battled police brutality, and opposed employment discrimination and school segregation. The diverse coalition it assembled included Latinos, African Americans, Jews, Catholics, Japanese Americans, and union leaders.

CSO registered 160,000 Latino voters and turned them out to the polls for John F. Kennedy’s 1960 race for president. Cesar won praise from Robert F. Kennedy, who met with him and would later play a key role in the farm worker movement.

Mobilizing for Today and Tomorrow

“You can’t do anything by talking,” Cesar explained. “You can’t do anything if you haven’t got the power…And the only way you can generate power is by doing a lot of work.”

This year, let’s do a lot more work by making sure everyone is registered to vote—and votes. How better to honor Cesar Chavez than by doing what he did? As he once said, “We don’t need perfect political systems; we need perfect participation.”

Let your voice be heard! Visit vote.org now to find your polling center and get all the info you need for your state’s election. Together, we can create a powerful impact on the future of our nation.

Category: Highlights