SFOP is affiliated with the PICO National Network ( www.piconetwork.org ), a non-partisan, multi-cultural collaboration of more than 50 different religious denominations and faith traditions. PICO National Network includes more than 1,000 member institutions representing one million families in 150 cities and 17 states. The PICO faith-based community organizations work to create innovative solutions to problems facing urban, suburban and rural communities nationwide.

PICO California

SFOP is an active member of PICO California ( www.picocalifornia.org ) made up of 19 congregation-based community organizations representing 350 congregations and 450,000 families in California. PICO California seeks to create new public policies and to change existing policies in health care, education, housing, fair wages, immigration and other areas that emerge as priorities from member organizations, such as SFOP.

Regional PICO Affiliates

People Acting in Community Together (PACT)
1100 Shasta Avenue
San Jose, CA 95126
408-998-8001

Oakland Community Organizations (OCO)
7200 Bancroft Avenue #2 Eastmont Mall
Oakland, CA 94605
510-639-1444

Contra Costa Interfaith Supporting Community Organizations (CCISCO)
724 Ferry Street
Martinez, CA 94553
925-313-0206

Congregations Organizing for Renewal  (COR)
22634 Second Street
Hayward, CA 94541
510-727-8833

PICO History

PICO was founded in 1972 under the leadership Father John Baumann, a Jesuit priest who had learned community organizing in Chicago. PICO began as a regional training institute to help support neighborhood organizations in California.

With guidance from Dr. Jose Carrasco, a veteran organizer and teacher, PICO developed a new congregation-community model. In this model, congregations of all denominations and faiths serve as the institutional base for community organizations. Rather than bring people together simply based on common issues like housing or education, the faith-based or broad-based organizing model makes values and relationships the glue that holds organizations together.

The PICO Organizing Model

SFOP is committed to the PICO Organizing Model, which over time has proven effective in engaging thousands of people in sustained long-term campaigns that bring about systematic change at all levels of government. This grassroots, community-based organizing model:

• Builds community organizations based on religious congregations, schools and community centers, which are often the only stable civic gathering places in many neighborhoods.
• Helps congregations identify and solve local neighborhood issues before addressing broader issues at a city, state or national level.
• Provides intensive leadership training that teaches people how to use the tools of democracy to improve their communities.
• Brings people together based on faith and values not just issues or anger.
• Challenges its leaders to listen to the concerns and ideas of their neighbors through individual one-on-one meetings, house meetings and listening campaigns.
• Takes the time for leaders to meet with public officials and policy experts to research how things work and who really has the power to make changes.
• Teaches the art of compromise and negotiation.
• Conducts public business in public through large action meetings.
• Influences public policy from the ground up by starting with local problems faced by families and then doing careful research.