---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Our Neighborhood Voices Education Corporation <
info@ourneighborhoodvoices.com>
Date: Thu, Oct 8, 2026 at 6:25 PM
Subject: Lets Restore Local Control!
To: Rubye Cervelli
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Rubye, Restoring Local Control in California Communities
Our Neighborhood Voices and major progress in the statewide effort to
challenge state housing mandates
*Rubye, something big just happened!*
*A Statewide Vote for Local Control*
On Friday morning, September 25, delegates from *233 California cities*
voted to challenge the state government and *take back local control* of
how their communities grow. This has been a long time coming and is a
reaction to state development mandates that have displaced residents,
altered neighborhood character, degraded public safety, and placed strain
on local infrastructure.
Since *2019*, the California State Legislature and Governor have passed*
hundreds of laws* that result in the destruction of neighborhoods, parks
and public open spaces, paving them over for huge residential buildings.
Historic landmarks and quiet, safe communities are being destroyed,
while real-estate
speculators are being made very rich.
*The Loss of Local Authority*
The state seized cities’ local control of zoning and land use. Any action
by a city to alter or refuse to approve an inappropriate, unwanted building
project is met with bullying from the state Attorney Generals office -
lawsuits, using state taxpayers money to financially ruin individual
cities. The state is doing this with the ostensible goal of making housing
affordable. *The unintended result is that housing is significantly less
affordable in California than it was in 2019. * The historical data
collected from cities in the U.S. and around the world predicted this
outcome.
Cities Working Together
Individual cities don’t have the resources to combat these oppressive and
ineffective state laws, *so they have banded together* to change them. *The
path to this groundbreaking vote for cities to converge and challenge the
state was difficult and included tragedy...*
*The Founding of Our Neighborhood Voices*
The resistance to these unwanted state housing mandates began in *2019*
with the founding of *Our Neighborhood Voices*, a statewide grassroots
coalition. *Bill Brand*, a popular two-term mayor of Redondo Beach,
activist, surfer, environmentalist, and accidental politician, organized
and led the group, assembling elected officials and activists from across
the state to take on the state mandates. Bill died of cancer in 2024 while
still in office and never saw the September 25 vote, but the movement he
built is growing.
*Building Public Awareness*
In 2024, Our Neighborhood Voices, a 501(c)(4) campaign committee, welcomed
the formation of a 501(c)(3) sister organization, Our Neighborhood Voices
Education
.
The sister organization was created to illuminate the issues and empower
the public and city governments regarding their rights and possible
solutions regarding local control. It has built a statewide following and
a network of local activist groups. Together, these groups increased public
and local-government awareness of the issues and possible solutions,
culminating in Friday’s vote of 253 California cities.
ONV Volunteers at the League of California Cities Conference Anaheim,
September 23, 2026
*The Work Continues, With Your Help
*
Public officials and local groups of concerned residents are now reaching
out to Our Neighborhood Voices from all over the state. More collaborative
local and statewide plans are being formulated and *funded
*
by concerned residents like you. We will have more big statewide news for
you soon. The fight is not over, but Bill Brand would be proud to see that
his vision of restoring and securing cities’ local control is advancing
successfully.
Our Neighborhood Voices and Our Neighborhood Voices Education are led by
past-elected local public officials, commissioners, and activists - all
volunteers. We welcome your participation! Visit us at
OurNeighborhoodVoices.com
,
or write to us at Info@OurNeighborhoodVoices.com
.
Thank you!
Our Neighborhood Voices Education
A 501(c)(3) organization
You can donate to work for your voice. Click here! (its tax-deductible,
and anonymous)
[image: Weekly Posts]
Weekly News Posts
We post weekly on our website. We post about groundbreaking research and
uncomfortable truths about the broken housing narrative, as well as the
implementation of state law disasters.
Read all about it in our news section on our website.
*Read Our Weekly News Updates*
[image: Send us to Cal Cities in September]
Cal Cities Conference!
ONV is excited to announce that we exhibited, informed, and engaged local
elected officials from across California at the Cal Cities 2026 Annual
Conference and Expo at the Anaheim Convention Center, Sept. 23-25. The
resolution ONV supported won the vote of 233 cities across California!
*Who is Cal Cities and what is this conference?*
The League of California Cities is an organization that almost all cities
in California belong to, providing education, networking, advocacy, and
events throughout the year regarding statewide, city-related issues and
policies.
*Learn More Here & Ways to Help*
We Are Social & Connect Every Week
[image: Facebook]
[image: X / Twitter]
[image: Web]
[image: Linkedin]
[image: Instagram]
[image: Youtube]
[image: Resources to Download & Help]
Rubye, you can help!
Take five minutes to send your council member a request to support the
initiative. This is simple, easy, and fast.
Getting an endorsement from your local Councilmember or Mayor (or both!)
helps us build our base. A resolution to support local control brings us
media and major community support when a city council passes it.
*Both are wins!*
We have a template for you to follow; we make it easy!
*Head over to our Downloads Here*
[image: Free Ways to Help ONV]
Free Ways to Help Spread the word
Endorsements, Resolutions, Friends & Family emails. By sending everyone an
email helps us get the word out.
Let your local city councils know about ONV Education, the impacts of new
state laws.
Youll be the first one to let everyone know about ONV and what we are
doing.
Every marathon starts with a simple step forward.
*Free Ways to Help*
[image: Donate to Keep the lights on and move us forward.]
Donations & Ways to Help
Our Organizations needs money to keep the lights on!
Websites, help, insurance, forward movement, expenses, all take money and
resources.
We accept all forms of financial assistant: Stocks, Bonds, Gold, Jewelry,
Cash, Credit Card and anything of financial value.
Your donations are vital to our pathway forward.
Thank you!
*Tax Deductible Donations Here*
[image: Weekly Wednesday Zoom Meetings]
Weekly Zoom on Wednesdays: 6pm
We hold Zoom meetings on Wednesdays at 6pm.
Everyone is invited, it’s only an hour. We discuss projects, zoning, state
laws, events, issues and ways to help.
We have events across the State, both in-person and online. This is the
place to learn and find out about everything.
*Register for our Zoom Here*
Our Neighborhood Voices Education 501c(3)
This email was sent October 8th, 2026 6:25 PM
[image: Facebook]
[image: X / Twitter]
[image: Web]
[image: Linkedin]
[image: Instagram]
[image: Youtube]
