‘Tulare Avanza’ aims to boost Latino engagement and utilization of city investments, consultant says

Basilia (introduced as both 'Basilia Angel' and self‑identifying as 'Basilia Anken') of Include Us told the council on Feb. 6 that her firm is conducting a 90‑day diagnostic called “Tulare Avanza” to assess how residents, particularly the city’s large Latino population, find out about and use public investments.

Basilia described phase one as an internal diagnostic — cataloguing processes, language access, and communications infrastructure — and phase two as a community‑facing activation that tests outreach channels, develops a community ambassador (promotora) model, and recommends governance and measurement frameworks.

She told the council she had heard strong staff commitment to engagement but inconsistent systems across departments and urged a more systemized approach to language access (translation policies), two‑way outreach and culturally relevant marketing for venues such as the Zumwalt Park amphitheater and TBIZ programming.

Basilia proposed community validation activities — bilingual engagement labs at the TBIZ, resident and small business interviews, surveys and a proposed Feb. 24 bilingual engagement session — to identify barriers and co‑design outreach approaches. She described community ambassadors (promotoras) as trusted local messengers who have been used successfully in public‑health efforts and suggested the model could extend to arts, business promotion and city services.

Council members and staff agreed the work could help expand utilization and trust; staff said the output will include a strategy and recommended next steps for implementation and measurement.