Community Leadership Academy graduates complete resource fair serving unhoused residents

Monica Sardina, Community Service Manager for the City of Salinas, briefed commissioners on the 2025 Community Leadership Academy, a six-week program of 12 sessions that ran from mid-September to late October and was designed to introduce residents to local government and community organizing.

"We met twice a week, from September 16 to October 23," Sardina said, describing a curriculum that covered government structure, public speaking and a community impact project. The class had 18 initial registrants and 11 graduates. Guest speakers included city staff across departments and Monterey County Elections; one student registered to vote during the program.

The academy's community impact project culminated in a resource fair on Dec. 4 at the Salinas Sports Complex. Sardina said the event hosted "probably, like, 75 unhoused people" and delivered mobile showers, clothing, beds and referral services; the event included participation from churches and local partners. Tim Heaven, a participant who helped organize the fair, told the commission the experience helped him build leadership skills.

Commissioners asked about program promotion and whether the academy could be offered more often; staff said the city posts the program on the city website and CivicRec, and is considering additional sessions, including possibly in spring as staffing allows. Staff also said the academy collects language preference in applications and provides translation, child care and meals as part of accessibility measures. No formal policy changes or budget requests were made during the report.