Mid-City Community Advocacy Network
MISSION
Mid-City CAN’s mission is to create a safe, productive, and healthy community through collaboration, advocacy, and organizing. We gather around the top issues that City Heights residents care about such as improving transportation, advocating for juvenile justice, and building community power. Some of our campaign wins include the City Heights Skatepark Campaign that resulted in two skateparks being built, advocating for a Youth Opportunity Pass (YOP) program since 2011 with YOP becoming a reality in May 2022, adding halal food to the Crawford High School menu, and helping establish a Commission on Police Practices.
What We Do
Mid-City CAN for over 30 years has empowered City Heights residents and youth through our Momentum Teams: Civic Engagement, Youth Council, Juvenile Justice, and Transportation Justice. In 2023: Our Civic Engagement team held their 2nd Annual Queer, Trans, and Intersex Pride Fair to “Protect Queer Youth.” Currently they are educating the community about Medi-Cal redetermination so families and adults won’t lose their coverage. Youth Council inspires and prepares youth to take an active role in their community and their current campaign is to revitalize the City Heights Urban Village. Last June youth secured $750K from the City of San Diego’s FY24 budget and continue to advocate for more funding for the busy Urban Village. Juvenile Justice invited community members to learn about Ending Girls Incarceration during Mid-City CAN’s September Networking Night. They also advocated and helped get Senate Bill 274 signed that will end defiance suspensions in grades K-12. The Transportation Justice team continues their hard work to make the Youth Opportunity Pass program permanent in San Diego County. Team members handed out PRONTO public transit cards at back-to-school events and spoke at press conferences.
Who We Are
Mid-City CAN works in City Heights which is the home of many immigrant and refugee families. City Heights is the most diverse neighborhood in San Diego with more than 80 dialects spoken.
Where We Work
Mid-City CAN works in City Heights which is the home of many immigrant and refugee families. City Heights is the most diverse neighborhood in San Diego with more than 80 dialects spoken.
BASE DEMOGRAPHICS
Our base demographics include Black, Brown, and Indigenous people of the global majority, ages 18-45 for voter engagement and all ages for majority of our other work. With City Heights being comprised of more than 80 dialects, our base demographics span over a rather large population of underrepresented folks.
ISSUES WE CARE ABOUT
Currently, we are incorporating community health/promotor(a) work to engage in civic health outreach. We are meeting the community where they are and using our resources to amplify and elevate their needs. We understand that life is complex, and we cannot solely address one issue at a time when caring for our community members. By promoting health and wellness and increasing awareness to topics such as COVID/FLU, Medi-Cal Renewals, and more, we are committed to helping City Heights and it’s residents thrive.
PAST CAMPAIGN SUCCESS
Mid-City CAN introduced the idea of a no-cost public transit program for youth in San Diego in 2011. After over a decade of advocacy the Youth Opportunity Pass (YOP) became a reality on May 1, 2023. YOP had over 6 million youth rides countywide in its first year and has been a huge success, giving youth access to school, jobs, internships, after-school activities, and more.
