The Latino Policy Center’s work will revolve around two key areas: Policy Development and Policymaker Development.
Policy Development
The Southern California Latino Policy Center will work with research and academic institutions throughout the country to secure the most recent and credible research reports and studies relevant to the Latino community.
The areas of research will include: Jobs and workforce development, municipal and school district infrastructure, ACA implementation, changes in school funding, Core Curriculum implementation, regional economic development planning, graffiti removal and prevention, and juvenile obesity prevention to name but a few topics. These topics were all recommended by local Latino elected officials.
The Latino Policy Center’s research reports will be utilized to develop Policy Forums conducted on a quarterly basis. These intense sessions will feature panels of experts, interactive presentations, and facilitated discussions. They are designed not only to educate the memberships but also help them work with each other towards collaborative and even regional solutions.
Policymaker Development
A secondary focus for the Latino Policy Center will be helping Latino elected officials increase their “capacity” as policymakers through professional development opportunities. We will provide useful information, best practices and other resources through our digital platforms (website, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) as well as produce quarterly Workshops. These gatherings will include speaker experts, panel discussions as well as opportunities for one-on-one training sessions.
Our partner in these Workshops will be the NALEO Educational Fund, an organization that essentially wrote the “book” on elected official development. NALEO’s Institutes are recognized nationally for their thorough and highly accessible curriculum.
Based on interviews and interaction with local Latino elected officials from Southern California, Workshop topics should include: the Brown Act, identifying and contracting effective legal services, evaluating and/or hiring executive leadership (such as city managers and school superintendents), the latest in campaign finance laws, ethical leadership, social media and political campaigns, effective constituent outreach strategies, and shared services agreements to name but a few.