Ella Adelante

04/17/2026

This right here is why representation matters and representation making ALL the difference.

When our communities are truly represented, our culture, values, and lived experiences show up in policy. That’s how meaningful change happens.

This is why electing community-rooted leaders is so important. When leadership reflects the people, the work reflects the people too.

By the people, for the people, this is what it looks like. Our community finally being seen and heard!✊🏽

04/09/2026

Workers are not disposable!

We refuse to move backward into an exploitation model that treats labor as replaceable. Local farmworkers deserve protection, stability, and the right to organize — not displacement.

The H-2A program has too often been used to weaken worker power, making it harder for people to advocate for themselves while reinforcing a system where workers are treated as temporary and removable.

We believe in dignity, fairness, and justice for all workers. No one should be treated as disposable. Ever.

03/29/2026

No podríamos estar más orgullosos de Maricela, nuestra Coordinadora de Justicia Ambiental. Ella desempeña su labor con profundo amor, compasión y dedicación hacia nuestra comunidad. Maricela se ha ganado la confianza y el respeto de las familias a las que servimos, pues lidera con el corazón y la mente abiertos, siempre acercándose a las personas desde su propia realidad e integrándolas en la labor de proteger nuestra salud y bienestar colectivos. Su compromiso con nuestra comunidad es inquebrantable, y su presencia fortalece todo lo que hacemos. Estamos verdaderamente agradecidos de contar con ella como una parte tan esencial y valiosa de nuestro equipo.

Conozca a Maricela Santana, coordinadora de Justicia Ambiental de la organización no lucrativa ELLA (Empoderando el Liderazgo y la Acción Latina).

03/29/2026

At a public hearing about a project that could impact Sunnyside’s air, water, and health, a PacificAg representative was seen texting remarks about our community, calling the Mayor “that bitch” and describing residents as “uneducated.” The photos have been shared.

While our community showed up informed and engaged, PacificAg showed us exactly how they view Sunnyside. This is the epitome of racism, misogyny and xenophobia!!

This is unacceptable.

You do not get to bring a project of this scale into our city, fail to properly inform residents, and then disrespect the very people who will live with the consequences.

PacificAg owes this community a public apology. Pacific Ag owes this community respect!

We will continue to show up, we will continue to ask questions, and demand transparency. We will not be dismissed.

Please see Vicky’s full statement below and let’s send Pacific Ag the message that we will not tolerate their blatant racism, misogyny and xenophobia!!

Deadline for public comments is March 30th.
Email public comments to [email protected]

This project is highly likely to exacerbate that already significant air quality problem. We have higher than normal rates of asthma, especially among children and elderly. These vulnerabilities must be considered. We need a full and thorough Environmental Impact Statement. Please email your concerns by March 30th to [email protected].

03/27/2026

La fecha límite para los comentarios públicos es el 30 de marzo.
Envíe sus comentarios públicos por correo electrónico a [email protected].
Ya nos encontramos en el percentil 95 del aire más contaminado de todo Estados Unidos, según la Agencia de Protección Ambiental. Es altamente probable que este proyecto exacerbe este problema de calidad del aire, de por sí ya significativo. Presentamos tasas de asma superiores a lo normal, especialmente entre niños y personas mayores. Estas vulnerabilidades deben ser tomadas en consideración. Necesitamos una Declaración de Impacto Ambiental completa y exhaustiva. Por favor, envíe sus inquietudes por correo electrónico antes del 30 de marzo a [email protected].

Decenas de residentes del valle bajo de Yakima abarrotaron la oficina de la Agencia Regional de Aire Limpio de Yakima para pedir a las autoridades que frenen un proyecto que

03/27/2026

Deadline for public comments is March 30th.
Email public comments to [email protected]
We are already at the 95th percentile of the most polluted air in all of the United Stated according to the Environmental Protection Agency. This project is highly likely to exacerbate that already significant air quality problem. We have higher than normal rates of asthma, especially among children and elderly. These vulnerabilities need to be considered. We need a full and thorough Environmental Impact Statement. Please email your concerns by March 30th to [email protected].

Project leaders say the Sunnyside biodigester will support agriculture, environmental stewardship and economic growth, but residents say they’ve been left out of the conversation.

03/22/2026

At ELLA, we’re clear about this: you can’t fight for the land while sidelining the people who have stewarded it since time immemorial. The Lower Yakima Valley sits on Yakama homelands, and any work toward clean air, safe water, and community health has to be rooted in relationship, respect, and true collaboration with Indigenous communities.

That means moving beyond performative “land acknowledgments” that sound good but change nothing. Real accountability looks like showing up consistently, building trust over time, and creating pathways for Indigenous leadership inside the systems that make decisions—like establishing tribal liaison roles, consulting regularly (not once), and centering Tribal knowledge in environmental planning.

Because when agencies treat Indigenous voices as an afterthought, they repeat the same extractive pattern: take what they need, leave the community behind. ELLA is committed to doing the opposite—building coalitions that honor sovereignty, elevate Indigenous expertise, and protect the land for future generations.

03/15/2026

Our cities provide for critical needs such as transportation, infrastructure, and public services. When someone enters the City Council and appoints inefficient city managers, the damage goes far beyond headlines.

We talk about opportunity cost because every dollar, every hour, every ounce of focus spent managing chaos is something taken away from serving residents. The short tenure of Theresa Hancock on City Council didn’t just cost the city financially, it cost momentum, trust, and the ability to focus on what truly mattered.

The question isn’t just what was spent, but what was lost while attention and resources were pulled into a political disaster instead of community needs. Leadership matters because the consequences are real.

Our mission at ELLA is to empower leaders who will serve their community well. We hold our leaders accountable, ensuring that they don’t waste community resources and delay progress.

02/20/2026

Too many decisions get made without our voices in the room. That has to change.

Through ELLA Adelante, we train leaders to step up and serve.

Vicky Frausto, has expanded community engagement and pushed for policies that better reflect the needs of local families.

We are building a movement where families are heard and new leaders rise.

Be part of it.

Join us and help shape the future.

12/10/2025

We are pleased with the outcome of our litigation against the City of Sunnyside and Mayor Dean Broersma. This case was never about politics—it was about protecting a fundamental First Amendment right that belongs to every member of the public. The City’s previous rules of procedure improperly restricted speech at public meetings, and the mayor’s actions in enforcing those rules violated my constitutional rights.

Our lawsuit sought three things: to ensure the City’s policies comply with the U.S. Constitution, to obtain an acknowledgment of the harm caused, and to simply cover attorney costs only. ELLA Adelante did not seek to settle for damages because that was not our aim with the lawsuit. With the City having revised its violating procedure to be in compliance with the US Constitution, and issuing an apology, we believe this resolution affirms the principle that government officials must respect the public’s right to speak.

The message here is simple: constitutional rights are not optional. Public officials are obligated to respect them, and when they don’t, they will be held to account. I hope this case serves as a reminder that transparency, lawful conduct, and respect for public comment are non-negotiable in Sunnyside.

Sunnyside City Council has approved a settlement agreement in Fernandez v. Sunnyside, resolving a dispute stemming from a June 2, 2025, public comment period.

12/10/2025

This is in Toppen*sh. The H2A program is out of control in our Yakima County, in fact, all over Central WA. It is displacing our local farmworkers and we are made aware of abuses of the farmworkers participating in the program. Exploitation and abuses need to stop! Our communities need to organize around this issue. We will be looking to Community to Community Development and Familias Unidas por la Justicia for guidance on this issue here in our area.

Shinn & Son fired two crews of local farmworkers in 2023 and gave the work to foreign guestworkers under the H-2A visa program instead. Now people who lost out on work or were otherwise hurt by Shinn & Son’s actions will receive payments ranging from about $5,000 to $25,000 through a court-ordered settlement.

“Bringing in temporary guestworkers when there are qualified people here in Washington willing and able to do the work is an abuse of the system and a violation of our laws,” Washington Attorney General Nick Brown said. “I’m determined to hold employers accountable when they circumvent our state’s worker protections.”

En el 2023, Shinn & Son despidió a dos cuadrillas de trabajadores agrícolas locales y empleó a trabajadores temporales extranjeros bajo el programa de visas H-2A. Las personas que perdieron su trabajo o que se vieron perjudicadas recibirán pagos que van desde unos $5000 a $25 000, mediante un acuerdo judicial.

“Contratar trabajadores temporales extranjeros cuando en Washington hay personas calificadas y capaces de realizar el trabajo es abusar del sistema y violar nuestras leyes”, dijo Nick Brown, Procurador General de Washington. “Estoy decidido a responsabilizar a los empleadores que evaden las protecciones laborales de nuestro estado”.

Photo courtesy of the Washington Department of Agriculture.

https://www.atg.wa.gov/news/news-releases/farmworkers-receive-compensation-shinn-son-under-consent-decree-regarding

https://www.atg.wa.gov/news/news-releases/trabajadores-agr-colas-recibir-n-compensaci-n-de-shinn-son-por-pr-cticas-de