Summer is one of our busiest seasons at CPA, from growing the leaderhsip and organizing skills of Tenant Worker Center leaders, to turning out to City Hall to fight for a budget that represents working class families, to launching a youth led housing justice teach-in, and much more — we wanted to highlight just some of the stories from this summer below.

Summer Reflections from Youth MOJO Member Kelly!

My name is Kelly, and I go to Burton High School. Growing up as a first generation Chinese immigrant, I have always noticed my parents working tirelessly to earn money and put food on the table. Although we were barely scraping by, they’d always make sure that I was well taken care of and happy. Their sacrifices and commitment ignited my passion for helping my community.

While browsing for summer programs, I was instantly drawn to MOJO. Although I had initially intended to participate with a friend, a sudden schedule change left her unable to join, leaving me in a space filled with unfamiliar people. I was scared that I wouldn’t fit in due to my introversion. But after my 1-on-1 with Michelle, a CPA staff, I realized that joining MOJO would help me get out of my comfort zone.

Throughout these past few months, I feel like I have pushed myself in many aspects. One moment I really started to see growth in myself was during public comment. I originally wasn’t going to take part in it because it sounded daunting. But with encouragement from everyone, I took up the courage. During that day, I could feel the spirit of the people and the value of community organizing. We were all there for one reason, to advocate for a budget that would benefit us—the San Francisco residents.

From the elders in CPA who came even when they were tired to children even younger than myself, we all showed up in support of each other. Everyone’s unwavering spirit gave me the courage to walk up on the podium and advocate for the restoration of worker’s rights and SRO programs funding. My heart was beating out of my chest and my voice probably cracked, but in the end, I said what I wanted to say. I felt proud of myself, of my fellow MOJO members, of everyone there. I was ecstatic when I found out that most of our funding to these crucial services were restored, due to our advocacy. Mine and so many other voices, mattered.

Over the summer in MOJO, we culminated our efforts into a housing justice campaign to educate our peers about upzoning, and Mayor Lurie’s new proposal promoting upzoning. If this were to pass, many tenants would be left homeless and unable to afford the increased rent of these new buildings. San Francisco would be made unlivable for the average middle income family of 4. We planned a teach-in to educate people on SF’s current housing problems, and on July 31, our teach-in commenced with a RSVP count of 43 people!!

All of this was made possible because of the commitment shown by members of CPA, my fellow MOJOers, and everyone who took the time to show up. This may just be one step towards a more livable and unified San Francisco, but together all these steps will grow into something even greater.

If you want to get involved in the campaign – here are a few ways to stay involved:

If you are in high school youth in SF, don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone, embrace unfamiliarity: Be a part of the change and join us at cpasf.org/youthapps.
Stay up to date on how you can take action on the @youthmojo Instagram!

Share our Fall 2025 Youth Interest form!

Summer Canvassing Brings Generations Together

In July, CPA hosted a canvassing series in collaboration with Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for Civic Empowerment Education Fund (AAPI FORCE-EF). We had over 70 volunteers including youth, young adult activists, and Tenant Worker Center members who canvassed with us over 5 days to speak to voters about tenant rights, affordable housing, protecting domestic workers’ jobs, and defending safety net programs! Only by speaking with our neighbors are we able to know what our city cares about and organize for a better system that will actually serve working families in San Francisco.

Throughout the month, we knocked on more than 1,600 doors, and spoke with over 130 residents in the Excelsior, OMI, Crocker-Amazon, Visitacion Valley, the Sunset, and Chinatown! Thank you to everyone who came out!

“Outreach is very important and needed in the community. Outreach allows us to reach people who might not have the resources and/or know how to be involved. Together with unity, we build power to fight for our collective rights, one small bit at a time.” – Sally Chan, District 3 Member Leader

Congratulations to our 2025 Tenant Worker Center Leadership Institute Graduates!

The Tenant Worker Center Leadership Institute (LI) trains community members to better understand how the city government and budget works, and how to make our voices heard and fight for what we need through community action & restorative justice practices.

It was our first graduation where we opened an invitation to participants to bring their loved ones. People brought their moms, dads, young people and honored them on stage. This is what our graduates had to say about their experiences:

Graduate Zhan Lian of D11 who speaks Mandarin said that because of CPA, we can feel safer, and said they appreciated the interpretation available to participate in the program. “When we have a question or challenge, we can bring it to CPA … It is important for Chinese people to have a place to learn how to organize and fight back!”
“I built more confidence in LI. I have a language barrier … Previously I had concerns over public comment [because I was worried] it would impact my safety/immigration status, but I got more courage from CPA. In the future I want to apply what I learned. This is just the starting point for me. I hope we can play leading roles in the community, recruit more people to CPA, and improve the happiness level in the community!”
“Thousands of people showed up [to give] public comment and I felt very inspired. There’s a saying in Chinese that helping others is helping ourselves … I want CPA to teach us more political education content and we can make more impact!”

That’s a Wrap for the 2025 Summer Dinner Series!

CPA Dinner Series helped us connect and showed how grassroots communities have built power in the past, present, and how we can continue building together in the future. From hearing from OGs to our current youth leaders speaking about their organizing journeys, there were many moments for shared learning and reflection.

Thank you to all our amazing movement speakers, the Activist Network Dinner Series Committee, youth, Activist Network members, and friends for a memorable summer!

Bite-Sized Summer Updates

CPA, in partnership with Chinese for Affirmative Action, Chinatown Community Development Center, and Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco, held a mass meeting on August 16! More than 200 community members from across the city came together to learn about how our lives as everyday San Franciscans are being affected by the new federal budget and the current administration.
Surrounded by colorful dahlias, CPA staff joined Sisterhood Gardens as they held their fundraiser on August 9 to celebrate their anniversary! Sisterhood Gardens was formed out of CPA youth organizing in 2016 and has since grown into a cross-cultural space fostering community care in the OMI neighborhood. You can learn more and support them by following on Instagram.

Get Involved!

Looking to get plugged in? We invite you to find a political home at CPA by giving your time and resources to sustain grassroots organizing. Together, we can build the power we need to form stronger communities. Make a gift or become a sustainer today, and join Activist Network to stay informed about upcoming actions.

Summer 2025 at CPA