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Redistricting 2021 Background Redistricting is a process that takes place every 10 years to redraw districts and determine who votes for who. The process typically goes one of two ways: it either lifts up underrepresented communities or it continues to suppress their say in government. GOALS BOOST AAPI numbers in District 6, the city's AAPI empowerment seat. Establish STUDENTS as STAKEHOLDERS in the redistricting process. IMPACT We partnered with over 40 community-based organizations to create the San Diego Communities Collaboration Map , the most diverse map on the table. We worked with the Associated Students of UC San Diego’s Office of Local Affairs to mobilize over 120 students during the redistricting process–––totaling 50% of all vocal public comments related to La Jolla/University City and 10% of all comments. We earned recognition for students as major stakeholders in the process, first acknowledged by the press on September 9th, 2021, and by the Redistricting Commission on November 4th, 2021. We successfully lobbied the commission to increase AAPI representation in District 6 to above 40%. The previous district was 35% AAPI, a difference of about eight thousand people. "There was significant testimony from students attending the University of California – San Diego (UCSD) and other community members seeking to move UCSD and University City to this district." "The Commission determined that the portion of University City east of Interstate 5 should move to District 6 based on the students’ requests and to achieve a 40% Asian population in this district." SAN DIEGO REDISTRICTING COMMISSION 2021 Final Redistricting Plan

REDISTRICTING REFORM "[The commission] simply [did] not reflect the diversity of San Diego , nor the experiences of most residents, and repeatedly proved themselves incapable of putting aside their own biases for the good of the city. No wonder the Commission has been incapable of handling the complex racial dynamics at the center of redistricting." AIDAN LIN Executive Director, OTTA United BACKGROUND Both API and youth suffer a lack of representation in the city politics of San Diego. Only three API city council members have been elected in the city's history: Tom Hom (elected 1963), Todd Gloria (elected 2008), and Chris Cate (elected 2014). Youth, on the other hand, face countless roadblocks to achieving legitimate stakeholder status in politics. GOALS REACH and ENGAGE API and youth citizens in University City. PROCESS From April to May , Our Time To Act will run a voter registration campaign in University City, targeting API and youth citizens. From May to June , and September to November , we will run two get-out-the-vote (GOTV) campaigns for the primary and general election, respectively. To contact voters, we will put boots on the ground with a trained team of approximately a dozen youth (age 18-24). This allows us to open new opportunities while building a team that best suits the University City community. In addition to door-knocking, Our Time To Act will plan a comprehensive community outreach campaign to complement our door-to-door efforts, including advertisements, community events, and business collaboration. TARGETS 15,871 Interactions with youth voters 9,384 Interactions with API voters 25,255 Interactions with target voters 29,951 Total visits to households $4.75 Cost of reaching one target voter

Over 1000 lives touched, 2000 hours... check out our impact on housing justice and youth organizing in our San Diego community! Check out our impact in 2023! Download

Everything newsworthy, right at your fingertips. Here you can find our updates, blogs, and social media feed. THE NEWS YOU OTTA SEE THIS WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO Our Press Releases Welcome to our Press Releases section, where we share our most current and important updates on the work we're doing. From the initiatives we're currently running to the impact we've made in the communities we serve, this space is dedicated to giving you an in-depth look at our progress. 07/17/2024 Announcing a new chapter of leadership at Our Time To Act! 03/04/2024 Announcing our new name: Our Time To Act 09/21/2023 Circulate San Diego Designates OTTA as Sustainable Growth Award Winner 08/22/2023 Activating Youth: Catalyst Leadership Second Workshop Page 1 of 7 ALL PRESS RELEASES The Newsletter SUBSCRIBE STORIES FROM OUR TEAM OTTA Blurb OTTA Blurbs is a unique corner of our nonprofit dedicated to showcasing the voices and insights written by our team members. Explore "Our Blurbs" to gain a deeper connection with our team, our mission, and the causes we champion. Aathmika: Your Guide to Changing Your Community Aathmika Radhachandran Jan 1, 2024 3 min read Michael Nguyen: Chess at OTTA Michael Nguyen Dec 4, 2023 2 min read 1 2 Press Releases Newsletter OTTA Blurbs

Anna Pierce is currently on the Strategy and Risk Committee of Our Time To Act. She was the Assistant Director of External Operations with Bayreach, Student Leader, and Woodwind Captain with her school’s marching band. In workspaces, she values collaboration and a shared desire for success. Outside of school and Our Time To Act, Anna loves to figure skate, horseback ride, and travel. She is also fluent in French and hopes to major in Sports Management. < Back Anna Pierce Board Director Anna Pierce is currently on the Strategy and Risk Committee of Our Time To Act. She was the Assistant Director of External Operations with Bayreach, Student Leader, and Woodwind Captain with her school’s marching band. In workspaces, she values collaboration and a shared desire for success. Outside of school and Our Time To Act, Anna loves to figure skate, horseback ride, and travel. She is also fluent in French and hopes to major in Sports Management. anna.pierce@ourtimetoact.org

Gala Program Thank you for being an integral part of this extraordinary evening! SCHEDULE MENU SUPPORT OUR WORK As we come together to celebrate, we invite you to join us in making a lasting impact. Your support means the world to us, and we believe in the power of collective generosity. If you're inspired to contribute and help us further our mission, we welcome your donations. SUPPORT OUR WORK CO-HOSTS Martin Campos Judy Ki Kevin Shin Abbey Reuter Marina Tostado Oliver Lin Carol Kim Tama Becker-Varano Indroneal Banerjee YMCA of San Diego County Josh Kavanagh Leif Gensert Viet Voices SPONSORS Marina Tostado & Oliver Lin San Diego Youth Homelessness Consortium LEAVE US FEEDBACK Thanks for submitting! How satisfied were you with the event? How engaging was the program? How did you hear about this event? Choose an option What did you think about the length of the program? How likely are you to attend our other events in the future? Please share any thoughts, comments, and ideas for future events. If you would like a direct response, please leave your email. If not, leave empty. Send Feedback SHARE YOUR MEMORIES! Here's a community Google Folder of all our Gala photos. Feel free to contribute to and download this digital album which captured fun and exciting moments this afternoon. December 30th: Our Time To Act meet-up in Stockton at T% over the holidays to work on Gala cards and speeches together. GOOGLE FOLDER

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Welcome to a night full of excitement, including food from local businesses, a project showcase highlighting this year's efforts, and keynote speakers. MENU: ITINERARY:

Join us in advocating for more housing opportunities through the City's Housing Action Package 2.0.

< Back OTTA United nominated for the Midcoast Award at Circulate San Diego's Momentum Awards Wednesday, September 14, 2022 Our Time to Act United Next Previous

< Back Aashika Srinivas, Policy Analyst, presents redistricting reform research to SD City Council Wednesday, April 20, 2022 Leana Cortez, Director of Advocacy If one were to describe the 2020-2021 San Diego Redistricting process, “equitable” would scarcely be used. The current structure of the process enforces the power of wealthy, single-family homeowners while leaving San Diego’s youth and BIPOC communities vastly underrepresented. As youth ourselves, OTTA United endeavored to disrupt this structure and begin our research for reform. These measures included: Changing the appointing authority. Partial district detachment. Implementation of a two-part selection process. These proposed changes would simply bring San Diego’s City redistricting process up to par with our neighboring cities and the state. Aashika Srinivas, policy analyst at OTTA United, brought these reform suggestions to the San Diego City Council Rules Committee on April 20th, 2022. She did a wonderful job presenting during non-agenda public comment and caught the attention of two councilmembers. Councilmember Chris Cate commented that he was "encouraged by some of [Aashika's] ideas." Council President Sean Elo-Rivera was "intrigued by the presentation," "appreciate[d] the level of civic engagement of the youth who presented," and thanked us for "having engaged in the redistricting process." With this encouragement, OTTA United will continue to meet with councilmembers to figure out the further development and implementation of such reforms to ensure just representation occurs for the diverse city of San Diego. Next Previous

< Back Circulate San Diego Designates OTTA as Sustainable Growth Award Winner Thursday, September 21, 2023 Our Time to Act United MEDIA CONTACT: Mariya Grabovska, Press Intern ( mariya.grabovska@ottaunited.org ) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: OTTA United has been honored by Circulate San Diego with the prestigious “Sustainable Growth” Award in recognition of its outstanding efforts in the San Diego region. "OTTA United has been side-by-side with Circulate San Diego in advocating for more housing and promoting denser, walkable, and more vibrant neighborhoods," says Masaki Mendoza, Housing Justice Organizer at OTTA United. The organization has been actively demonstrating its commitment to sustainable growth through its advocacy for policies that foster denser housing, particularly around public transit stations in San Diego. OTTA United firmly believes that denser housing addresses affordability concerns and contributes significantly to environmental preservation and climate action. By utilizing less land for accommodating the same or larger populations, OTTA United aims to combat urban sprawl which poses environmental challenges, transportation difficulties, and high land prices. Circulate San Diego has acknowledged the hard work being done by the very talented and passionate young individuals at our organization as well as what we have been able to accomplish in collaboration with their mission. The award ceremony took place at the San Diego Natural History Museum in Balboa Park from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm. The event aimed to acknowledge organizations, individuals, and projects that have significantly contributed to the mission of Circulate San Diego. Among the recognized individuals was California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who was lauded for his efforts in addressing the state’s housing crisis. OTTA United expresses gratitude for the recognition and remains dedicated to its mission of promoting sustainable growth; advocating for policies that create vibrant, walkable communities; and collaborating with organizations like Circulate San Diego to make a positive impact on urban development. In addition, receiving this recognition wouldn’t be possible without the hard work of the Housing Team at OTTA. We thank the individuals behind the scenes and those on the frontline. Next Previous