COMMUNITY RALLIES TO SAVE POPLAR YOUTH PROGRAMS AND THE LARRY ITLIONG RESOURCE CENTER

Poplar, California: The Central Valley Empowerment Alliance (CVEA) is calling on the Poplar Community Services District Board to immediately rescind its eviction notice against the Larry Itliong Resource Center and allow the community a meaningful opportunity to be heard before life-changing decisions are made that affect children, families, workers, and seniors throughout Poplar.

The eviction notice, which requires CVEA to vacate the Center by July 11, 2026, threatens the future of one of the community’s most important gathering places and service hubs.

Unless this decision is reversed, CVEA may be forced to suspend or significantly reduce portions of LUPE’s Promise Youth Leadership Program, a program that has inspired and supported generations of local youth through leadership development, educational opportunities, mentorship, civic engagement, college exposure, cultural enrichment, and community service.

“This isn’t just about a building,” said Mari Perez-Ruiz, Co-Founder and Executive Director of CVEA. “This is about children. This is about a youth who found a second home here. This is about families who receive food, workers who learn their rights, seniors who need support, and a community that spent years building something beautiful together.”

Since receiving the eviction notice, community members have mobilized in overwhelming support of preserving the Larry Itliong Resource Center. In less than a day, a community petition calling for the rescission of the eviction notice received hundreds of signatures from residents, supporters, and stakeholders who believe the Center should remain open and serve the public.

Community members have expressed concern that they were not included in discussions regarding the future of the facility and have questioned why a resource that serves vulnerable residents is being removed without a broader public conversation.

Many residents are also concerned that opportunities for public comment and community participation regarding the future of the Center have been limited.

The current Poplar Community Services District leadership, including Board President Rachel Serna Lucio, Director Alex Lucio, Director Arturo Rodriguez and Vice President Billy Soto now faces growing calls from residents and supporters to explain the rationale behind the eviction and to engage the community in a transparent process.

For nearly a decade, CVEA has worked alongside residents to address the effects of poverty, food insecurity, housing instability, educational inequities, and barriers facing farmworker families in rural Tulare County.

The organization helped create Nagi Daifallah Unity Park and transformed a long abandoned former fire station into the Larry Itliong Resource Center after investing more than $83,000 in repairs and improvements.

Today, the Center serves as a hub for:

• LUPE’s Promise Youth Leadership Program serves over 600 hundred youth from the ages of eleven to 24.

• Emergency food distribution where up to 25,000 families have benefitted

• Worker rights education and legal counsel. Facilitated five legal clinics and eleven know your rights workshops

• Housing assistance to seven families that were facing homelessness

• Emergency support services during the floods and fires 

• Cultural and community events including Tierra Mia, Larry Itliong Day, Cinco de Mayo and Filipino Day of Self-Determination

• Community and leadership development trainings

• Faith-based gatherings in the absence of a catholic place of worship community use the Larry Iltiong Resource to celebrate mass

• Workforce development opportunities to over thirty community numbers

Over the years, more than 25,000 families have received food assistance through CVEA programs, while thousands of workers and families have received direct support, advocacy, referrals, and educational services.

Supporters argue that facilities such as the Larry Itliong Resource Center cannot simply be replaced. They represent years of trust-building, volunteer labor, fundraising, and community investment.

“The true measure of leadership is not what we take away from communities, but what we help build,” Perez-Ruiz said. “The people of Poplar built this center together. The children of Poplar helped give life to this place. We are asking our elected leaders to listen to the community they were elected to serve.”

CVEA, community leaders, faith leaders, labor advocates, partner organizations, and residents will continue calling for the preservation of the Larry Itliong Resource Center and the programs it houses.

The organization remains committed to serving Poplar and will continue fighting to ensure that local youth, families, and workers have access to the resources, opportunities, and support they deserve.

About Central Valley Empowerment Alliance

Founded in 2016, the Central Valley Empowerment Alliance works to advance community empowerment, youth leadership, worker rights, food security, housing stability, and economic opportunity throughout California’s Central Valley. Through the Larry Itliong Resource Center and other community initiatives, CVEA serves thousands of residents each year and remains committed to building a more just and equitable future for rural communities.