OUR STORY
"The Manzanita is an indigenous evergreen plant whose many species offer an important connecting layer within the Californian chaparral. Growing in clusters low to the ground with twisting red branches and edible flowers and berries,
it sustains local life in abundance. "
- The Manzanita Report & Alternatives Analysis, December 2019
Bay Area Forward
Manzanita Works grew out of a community organization called Bay Area Forward which was founded in 2014. For about five years, it supported a network of "good growth" groups engaged in the creation of local housing and transportation options in their respective communities. Collectively, we built capacity among residents with diverse perspectives in the public process and cultivated participation.
On December 14th, 2016, over 150 people gathered for a community conversation on how we might be able to collaborate to build a more inclusive Bay Area. Elected officials from Mountain View, Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Redwood City, East Palo Alto and San Jose, along with policy experts and essential working neighbors shared the nuanced issues they wrestled with and the ideas they had for improving our region.
Manzanita Talks
In 2019, under the branch of a Manzanita in a Bay Area house of faith, private industry and public stakeholders gathered around a series of multi-lateral talks "to explore how the region’s public transit pipelines could connect commuters to job centers in a nuanced way using existing transportation infrastructure."
Moderated by Joint Venture Silicon Valley and utilizing the planning expertise of Good City Company,
Bay Area Forward transformed into Manzanita Works
and helped negotiate the creation of best practices
for transportation management association formation, published by Joint Venture Silicon Valley
Manzanita Conference
On March 20th, 2020, the Manzanita Conference convened local thought leaders on some of the pressing issues faced by the region's working families: transit, housing, education and the future of work in collaboration with Joint Venture Silicon Valley and California Urban Partnership. Richard Rothstein, author of The Color of Law was the keynote speaker.
As the COVID-19 global pandemic unfolded, the setting for the conference shifted from the UCSF Mission Bay Convention Center to an online format with pre-recorded sessions. We were filming on March 16th as the Governor of California announced the shelter-in-place order. Still, videos of all the discussions were made widely available and offered insights for multi-disciplinary approaches to workforce needs.
In Service of Essential Workers
The COVID-19 pandemic had the Manzanita Coalition and the Manzanita Works team rolling up our sleeves!
Here's what we accomplished:
- Distributed 5,000 face shields
- Brokered access to long-haul private shuttles
- Helped host workshops on eviction prevention
- Hosted a vaccine dialogue among community stakeholders
- Expanded access to vaccines through pop-ups
- Brokered childcare and youth enrichment options
- Secured laptops for youth of essential workers
- Compiled best practices for COVID-19 testing logistics with local emergency response teams
- Hosted a series of talks between teachers and parents about the return to in-person learning
- Volunteered group service at soup kitchens
- Mentored a youth campaign for essential working heroes
- Provided a safe space for community members to share their lived experiences
Setting Seats at the Table
Today, we are honored to serve voluntary civic society with:
- Consortium creation and facilitation;
- Program development and implementation;
- Coalition convening;
- Local distribution networks for shared resources; and
- Provision of community benefits.
Like the Manzanita plant itself, we adapt to local conditions.
Our efforts play an important role in connecting infrastructure with enlightened, collaborative interests.
