Soledad City Council approves 2025 proclamation calendar, presents proclamations to Village Project and Lideras Campesinas

The Soledad City Council on a unanimous voice vote approved Resolution No. 6194, adopting the city's list of proclamations for the 2025 calendar year and began issuing several proclamations and certificates at the same meeting.

City leaders said the calendar helps staff plan outreach in advance. Mayor Velasquez read and presented multiple proclamations and certificates during the meeting, including a proclamation recognizing February as Black History Month and certificates for community organizations and volunteers.

The council moved the proclamation item forward so staff could issue proclamations throughout the year rather than preparing them at the last minute. Nicholas Valenzuela, the city's community engagement manager, explained the list includes events such as National Library Week, Park and Recreation Month, and other national observances city staff typically prepares in advance. Council members requested additions and adjustments for specific observances (for example, Cesar Chavez Day in March and a Transgender Day of Visibility observance on March 31) and discussed assigning council liaisons to help present specific proclamations.

Council members used the presentations to highlight local groups. The council presented a proclamation and invited representatives from the Village Project to the podium. Mel Mason and Regina Mason, co-founders of the Village Project, described their longtime community therapy and youth programs and introduced young people from the Imenyatta Warriors program, a culturally based youth leadership and mental-health program. Youth speaker Adela Damava described Imenyatta as a program that teaches African ancestral history and cultural identity as part of a youth mental-health approach. A program representative said Stanford- and state-level reviewers have described the model as community-defined and that the organization is listed among 35 culturally affirming community organizations in a state study on cost savings from those approaches.

The council also presented a Girl Scout certificate recognizing Natasha McCann for her Bronze Award project organizing a Wreaths Across America ceremony at the Soledad Cemetery. Later, the council read and presented a proclamation honoring Lideras Campesinas (Lideras Campesinas), an organization founded to support rural Latina and indigenous women on issues including labor rights, domestic violence awareness and pesticide safety.

Council members and presenters paused to take group photographs following the proclamations. The council then moved on to the consent calendar and other agenda items.

Ending: The proclamation calendar was approved to allow staff to schedule ceremonial recognitions across 2025; council members asked staff to accept late additions when needed and to coordinate with proposers to identify local organizations to receive proclamations so the presentations have local impact.