A marketing position in Silicon Valley didn’t satisfy Rosemary Soto. She had gained from relatives – her mother, an uncle, grandparents – who worked in local government a sense of duty to the community. She understood firsthand how a lack of opportunity can ripple into households. Her father was in prison for much of Soto’s life, and he died behind bars.
So in 2002 she left the Bay Area and returned home to Salinas, where work at the nonprofit Women’s Crisis Center proved more fulfilling. Soto became an effective community organizer. “That is where I feel my career began,” she says. “I was able to begin to fulfill my personal commitment to improving the lives of those who live in the same community I do.”
That was the start of a career in community service. She realized that local government and organizations have the power to address problems. So Soto headed the Monterey County Gang Violence Prevention Initiative, and led the county’s Governing for Racial Equity initiative. In November, after more than a decade with the county, Soto took a new role with The California Endowment, a nonprofit that focuses on providing access to healthcare for under-served communities.
Weekly: What changes have you seen in the county after the introduction of Governing for Racial Equity?
Soto: I think they still have a lot more work to do, but when they are making decisions, they’re also looking at the issues from a racial equity perspective. They’re asking the questions: Who does this impact the most? The District Attorney’s Office is looking to redevelop their Family Justice Center. [District Attorney Jeannine] Pacioni identified King City as a community where they can first start this. In the history of Monterey County, you’ve never seen a program or a project of that magnitude start in the South County community.
You have been involved in so many critical county projects – racial equity and also VIDA, the community health worker outreach during Covid, and 2020 Census outreach to boost participation.
I have a lot of interest in my community. That’s why you will see me everywhere, because there’s so much intersectionality that one thing affects another and you can’t just be in one place.
What should the Monterey County Gang Violence Prevention Initiative focus on in the future?
With laws changing and more individuals who have been incarcerated coming back to the community, there’s a lot more that needs to be done to prepare our communities to be able to receive them and help them integrate.
There are still communities that are seeing trends and violence fluctuate. We’re currently on a rise, especially in our South County cities. Many times when we see crime, people think, “Oh, we need more police, we need more boots on the ground to help with the suppression or the intervention.” In reality, you’ve got to be looking at what’s causing it.
Some people talk about a school-to-prison pipeline.
Some folks don’t believe that it is a real thing. And then others, who have lived it, can attest to how very real it is. There are multiple people in my family who struggled with just the fact that there were very little to no options or opportunities to achieve academic success, to pursue higher education, to really develop their natural, God-given talents into full-blown careers.
What do you like to do when you’re not working? Do you have any hobbies?
In the last several years, my hobbies have been looking a lot like my work [laughs]. I serve on a couple of boards of directors for nonprofits: South County Animal Rescue and the Arts Council for Monterey County.
Did you take a holiday break?
I think Christmas is my favorite holiday – I mean the smells, the tamales. Being together and enjoying all those delicacies of our culture. It’s the time to give and share with other people, and I love that experience.
Since you mentioned food, which tamal is your favorite?
I think tamales de puerco – pork – are my favorites. They are really good and the ones my mom makes, she learned from my grandmother and my grandmother learned from her mother. It’s a long family recipe. And shredded, too. Not everyone makes it shredded, some people have chunks and I don’t really like that.