Unidos.Network, Kettleman City, CA (2026)

06/15/2026

Preparing Together, Building Resilience Together

This week, the UNIDOS Network team was out in Lost Hills going door-to-door to let residents know about Round 2 of our upcoming emergency preparedness event.

Through our Emergency Preparedness Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP), we will continue providing resources and information to help families prepare for emergencies and extreme weather events.

Saturday, June 20

Participants will receive:
- Emergency preparedness tips and training
- FREE DIY air purifiers
- FREE emergency preparedness kits
- Food and refreshments

A total of 60 DIY air purifiers and 60 emergency kits will be distributed to community members.

This event builds on the success of our first workshop and reflects our continued commitment to ensuring rural communities have access to tools, resources, and information that help families stay safe and prepared.

We are grateful to the residents of Lost Hills for welcoming us into their neighborhoods and helping spread the word. We look forward to seeing everyone on June 20th!

06/09/2026

For years, residents of Kettleman City and Stratford have raised concerns about the air they breathe.

Today, we’re proud to share that seven AirGradient air quality monitors have been deployed across both communities through California’s Community Air Grants Program and the California Air Resources Board.

These monitors will provide real-time information on PM2.5, TVOCs, and other pollutants, with data available to the public in both English and Spanish.

This project is about more than technology. It’s about making information accessible, building community knowledge, and ensuring residents have access to local air quality data in their own neighborhoods.

A special thank you to the resident leaders, youth participants, community members, and partners who helped make this project possible.

Watch the video to learn more.

Learn more about our work at:
unidos.network

05/12/2026

UNIDOS Network was honored to be invited by Magali Sanchez-Hall, Founder and Executive Director of EMeRGE, to host a community training in Wilmington for residents from Wilmington, Altadena, and Compton.

During the training, we shared information about Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs) — what they are, how communities can access them, and how they can be used to support community-driven environmental and public health improvements.

We were also proud to support this work by helping develop a SEP proposal alongside community leaders and residents.

Workshops like these are important because they create opportunities for communities to learn, build skills, and explore resources that can support local priorities and long-term investment.

Thank you to EMeRGE and everyone who participated for welcoming us and creating space for collaboration and learning.

03/31/2026

Know who to call in your community

If you see issues like fire hazards, unsafe living conditions, or trash and debris, this guide can help you report them to the right department.

Sharing resources like this helps keep our communities safe, clean, and connected.

02/20/2026

Community Voices Shaping the Next 20 Years

Today, a community workshop was held at the Kettleman City Public Library, hosted by Kings County, to gather input on priorities and investments for the county’s long-term plan.

The goal was simple: hear directly from residents about what they want to see in Kettleman City over the next 20 years.

UNIDOS Network supported outreach efforts by going door to door to make sure community members knew about the opportunity to participate. Kings County provided outreach materials, and together we worked to ensure residents had access to this space.

More than 15 community members showed up to share their thoughts, priorities, and ideas for the future of their town.

Workshops like this matter. They create space for residents to speak on infrastructure, services, economic opportunity, safety, and long-term community investment.

We’re grateful to everyone who took the time to attend and share their voice. Community participation is what shapes stronger plans and better outcomes for rural and unincorporated communities.

12/27/2025

As we close out this year, we want to reflect on what community power, trust, and consistency made possible for UNIDOS Network.

This year, we hosted a multi-community Toxic Tour with nearly 70 participants, including youth leaders, educators, advocates, and government representatives. Together, we moved through the places that shape daily life in our communities and created space for learning and honest dialogue.

We invested deeply in strengthening our organizing work. We completed Rural Organizing training, launched the UNIDOS Podcast to uplift local voices, secured a Supplemental Environmental Project, and formally built out our youth internship program, now supporting up to five youth leaders at a time.

Our team grew. We welcomed Adamaris, Yesenia, and Miriam, each bringing lived experience, care, and commitment. Together, we knocked on more than 1,500 doors across unincorporated communities—meeting people where they are and building trust face-to-face.

We continued showing up in policy spaces, attending Board of Environmental Safety and Environmental Justice Advisory Committee meetings, while also hosting four community trainings on knowing your rights, community benefits agreements, energy policy, and hazardous waste oversight.

In partnership with Kings County, we hosted a community forum in Kettleman City with over 100 residents in attendance. We also hosted four senior luncheons, creating space for connection and dignity with elders in our community.

On environmental health, we launched air monitoring efforts in Stratford and Kettleman City alongside resident leaders, including youth, and expanded this work with university partners to prepare for advanced monitoring.

None of this happened by accident. It happened because community members trusted us and chose to build alongside us.

As we head into the new year, we remain committed to supporting youth leadership, expanding environmental monitoring, and continuing to show up where we are needed most.

If you believe in community-led solutions, we invite you to support our work.

With gratitude,
Brian & Miguel
UNIDOS Network

12/09/2025

UNIDOS Network Hosts Our First Toxic Tour – December 6th

UNIDOS Network, in partnership with SEED and the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center, hosted our first Toxic Tour across Kettleman City, Lost Hills, and Buttonwillow.

Participants saw firsthand the environmental realities rural communities face — from hazardous waste landfills and oil operations near schools, to pesticide drift and biosolids composting facilities. Community members shared their lived experiences and the history behind local advocacy.

Intergenerational Leadership
The tour was led by Miguel Alatorre, Executive Director of UNIDOS and a third-generation environmental justice leader from Kettleman City.
His mother, Maricela Alatorre, a second-generation EJ leader, also spoke about her family’s long history of environmental advocacy.

Our Guest Speaker Yvonna Cázares, former CalEPA Deputy Director and founder of Viridian Group Management, shared her story as an advocate for frontline communities.

Tour Highlights
• 50+ participants
• Agency, academic, and nonprofit leaders
• Community residents and youth

This space allowed people to listen, learn, and connect with the lived realities of rural communities in the Central Valley.

We are grateful to everyone who joined us and to our partners who made this possible. Together, we continue ensuring rural voices guide conversations about environmental health and community well-being.

12/05/2025

New Air Monitors Installed in Kettleman City & Stratford!

UNIDOS Network is excited to share that we have installed AirGradient air monitors in Kettleman City and Stratford to help bring accessible, community-centered air quality data directly to residents.

This project is a true community effort:
- Youth from Kettleman City helped install the monitors, gaining hands-on experience in environmental monitoring and civic engagement.
- Professor Javier Rocha of UC Santa Cruz joined us during installation, supporting our work to build community capacity and local knowledge.

Why this matters:
The data collected from these monitors will be used with residents at the center, helping develop community-focused solutions for cleaner air and healthier neighborhoods.

The AirGradient platform includes a public portal, where community members can view:
• Real-time air quality
• Pollution trends
• Local conditions — 24/7

We are also working to connect these monitors to existing community networks such as the Kings IVAN Network, ensuring the data becomes part of broader regional efforts to understand and improve air quality.

This is another step toward empowering rural communities with tools, knowledge, and resources to advocate for healthier futures.

11/26/2025

UNIDOS Network at the Rural Organizing Academy – Session 2

UNIDOS Network attended the two-day Rural Organizing Academy at UC Merced, hosted by the UC Merced Community and Labor Center. This training series is designed to strengthen organizing skills across the Central Valley, helping organizations build campaigns rooted in community needs and worker leadership.

This was Session 2 of the academy.

Over the two days, our team joined community partners in learning about:
- How to develop campaign strategy
- The core elements of comprehensive organizing
- Building plans that center workers and community priorities
- Real case studies and lived experiences from frontline organizers
- Collaborative planning with organizations across the region

Day 1 Highlights:
• Opening and welcome joint session
• Review of Session 1
• Small group work introducing campaign strategy
• Deep dives into campaign elements
• Worker panel and case study discussion
• Q&A and networking dinner

Day 2 Highlights:
• Joint session welcome
• Comprehensive plan components
• Creating and presenting campaign plans
• Closing reflections

These learning spaces help us continue strengthening our work in rural communities and deepen our commitment to building leadership, connection, and long-term solutions. We are grateful to UC Merced Community and Labor Center for creating this space for growth.

11/25/2025

UNIDOS Network at the Environmental Justice Summit – Imperial Valley

Our team was honored to attend the Annual Environmental Justice Summit hosted by Comité Cívico del Valle — a two-day gathering of community organizations, researchers, advocates, and partners committed to building healthier and more resilient communities across California.

This year’s summit brought powerful conversations, hands-on learning, and stories of leadership from across the region.

UNIDOS Network in the Program:
• Miguel Alatorre, Executive Director, spoke on the main panel:
“Building Equity Through Community Benefit Agreements.”
He shared how community-driven priorities must shape new investments, clean energy projects, and development across the state.

• Brian Cadena, Chief Operations Officer, presented during the workshop:
“IVAN: Clearing the Air, Together,”
alongside Comité Cívico del Valle and the Central California Environmental Justice Network. Participants learned how accessible air monitoring tools help communities understand pollution, protect public health, and build local solutions.

Summit Highlights Included:
• A live taping of In Simple Terms, featuring the new POWER Coalition
• Workshops on community electrification, air monitoring, indoor air quality, farmworker rights, and extreme heat
• Panels on building resilience, community health worker programs, and binational EJ partnerships
• Deep dives into clean energy, economic opportunity, and community-led research
• A keynote from Dr. Shubhayu Saha, Director of Tracking California
• A keynote from Luz Gallegos, Executive Director of TODEC

Each session reminded us that environmental justice grows strongest when communities lead, when stories are centered, and when organizations work together.

UNIDOS Network is grateful to stand alongside so many partners building a healthier, more equitable future for the Central Valley and beyond.

Unidos.Network

06/15/2026

06/09/2026

05/12/2026

03/31/2026

02/20/2026

12/27/2025

12/09/2025

12/05/2025

11/26/2025

11/25/2025

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