As we start the new year, MEDA would like to introduce our Policy team and highlight the goals and central strategies used in their work to advance equity and policy changes that uplift the San Francisco Latino community. Since its official launch in 2013, our Policy team has been engaged in coalition-building, community leadership development, and non-partisan policy advocacy strategies to build a dynamic movement ecosystem that has secured crucial funding for affordable housing production and preservation, championed cultural stabilization legislation at the local and state levels, and helped ensure that all San Francisco immigrant families have a voice in school board elections. Driven by a vision where the Latino community is empowered, civically engaged, and are decision-makers in the institutions that affect their lives, MEDA’s policy team remains at the forefront of social, political, and economic justice, advancing systemic change and lasting impact for the years ahead.
Our Focus Areas
Policy is dedicated to retaining, amending, and advancing policies that increase funding and structural equity for Latino families, while at the same time advocating against policies that undermine these goals. The key policy areas that we focus on to achieve equitable community outcomes are:
- Workforce Development
- Housing
- Small Business
- Education
- Land Use
- Cultural Prosperity
We are audacious in our commitment to push for social, political, and economic changes that benefit the San Francisco Latino community.
Meet the Team Making It Happen
Our policy team is composed of experienced professionals with a wide range of skills, expertise, and a shared passion for creating meaningful and lasting change. Meet the individuals driving our efforts:
Susana Gil Duran, Youth Engagement Specialist – A Mission native with over 9 years of experience in advocacy for youth and families. Susana’s deep connection to the community drives her passion for empowering those most impacted by gentrification. Her work is all about community activation and social change.
Crista Alarcón Luna, Community Organizer – Raised in San Francisco, Crista’s personal experiences with gentrification ignited her commitment to social justice. She believes in the power of connection, empowerment, and collective action to create lasting positive change.
Peter Papadopoulos, Senior Policy Analyst – With extensive experience in cultural placekeeping and neighborhood prosperity strategies, Peter focuses on stabilizing low- and moderate-income Latino families, small businesses, and nonprofits in the Mission. His work ensures that the Mission remains a vibrant cultural hub.
Jessica Rubio Rincón, Policy Director – A lifelong organizer, Jessica is dedicated to eradicating racial disparities, expanding access to higher education, and increasing civic engagement. Her strategic thinking helps elevate voices and create systemic change.
Policy Impact in 2024:
MEDA’s policy team is committed to uplifting community voices in the public policy arena. Here’s a look back at some of our most impactful policy victories in 2024.
- Stabilize and Support Mission Street: In partnership with the San Francisco Latino Parity and Equity Coalition (SFLPEC), Calle 24, city and state officials, and other community organizations, we succeeded in fundamentally changing the Mission Street vendor narrative by moving away from the criminalization of street vendors and into supporting legitimate vendors as an important cultural and entrepreneurial asset, while targeting theft rings only for enforcement. Furthermore, community and city conversations resulted in a crucial amendment that ensured vendors were informed of their right to retrieve their merchandise in the event of confiscation.
Supporting street vendors.
- Strengthen Small Business Protections: Working with the California Association for Micro Enterprise Opportunity (CAMEO) and other statewide partners, the policy team successfully advocated for the passage of SB1103, strengthening commercial tenant protections by requiring that small businesses have access to leases written in their preferred language and receive timely notification about any lease changes. Given that 76% of MEDA’s small business clients identify Spanish as their preferred language, this was a critical step in safeguarding Mission District small businesses.
- Expand Affordable Housing Opportunities: MEDA is proud to be part of the citywide coalition that passed Prop A in the 2024 March Primary Election, securing $300 million for affordable housing, and Prop G in the November General Election, which will provide up to $8.25 million per year to assist extremely low-income residents in remaining safely housed. In partnership with local and statewide allies, we were able to streamline the Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) process, secure exclusive access to Pro-Housing Incentive Program (PIP) grants, and successfully lobbied the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) to include parts of the Mission in a new mapping layer by the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (TCAC), expanding the neighborhood’s access to state funding for affordable housing production.
Advocacy for affordable housing
- Civic Engagement during an Election Year: Ahead of the 2024 November General Election, Policy collaborated with local partners to host a community forum with candidates running to represent San Francisco District 9 and ensure that community members are civically engaged, empowered, and informed decision-makers during a critical election year. Held at the historic Women’s Building and attended by over 150 Spanish-speaking community members, the forum was an opportunity for candidates to speak directly to community members, and share their vision and solutions to problems most heavily impacting the Mission.
D9 Community Forum
- Budget Advocacy to Secure Funding: To secure vital funding for programs that uplift the Latino community, Policy worked tirelessly at all levels of government. In partnership with SFLPEC, Latino Task Force (LTF), and other coalitions, we met with San Francisco supervisors, provided public testimonies at hearings, and participated in rallies to retain funding for small business and entrepreneurial programming. At the state level, we mobilized Mission Promise Neighborhood (MPN) families, wrote letters to state officials, and traveled to Sacramento to champion continued investment in anti-poverty programs like Medi-Cal, CalWORKs, CalFresh, and Child Welfare Services. Nationally, we worked with the National Promise Neighborhoods Coalition to advocate U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler and secured $2.6 million for the California Promise Neighborhoods Coalition, which looks to mirror MPN’s structure and success statewide in California.
Looking Ahead: The Role of Policy in 2025 and Beyond
We ended last year on a celebratory note with the passage of Mission Action Plan 2030 (MAP2030), a resolution that highlights San Francisco’s commitment to prioritizing affordable housing and placekeeping in the city budget. As we step into the new year, MEDA’s policy team remains committed to advancing equity in affordable housing legislation, strengthening partnerships at the local, state, and national levels, and securing vital funding for programs that support and uplift the Mission community.
In 2025, our key priorities include formalizing MEDA’s policy platform, continuing the Mission Youth in Action initiative to foster the next generation of community leaders and expanding Negocios Unidos to amplify the voices of small business owners in advocating for their success, increasing civic participation and fostering community-driven leadership. Together, we are steadfast in our mission to build a thriving future for the Mission. Stay tuned for more!
If you’re passionate about advancing equity for San Francisco Latino families, take action now! Contact us at medapolicy@medasf.org or complete this form to discover how you can make a meaningful impact and get involved today.
Leave a reply