Our Mission
The mission of the North Fair Oaks Community Alliance (NFOCA) is to improve life for all in North Fair Oaks.
To pursue its mission, NFOCA works to engage the North Fair Oaks community with the goal of increasing representation, participation and advocacy so that together the NFO community members can promote and advocate for equity, socio-economic and environmental justice.
Our Team
Everardo (Ever) Rodriguez, President – Ever has been a resident of North Fair Oaks (NFO) for nearly 30 years, and has been doing community work for over 20 years with various Bay Area non-profit organizations, including the Green Branch Library (which provided social justice library materials for children), El Tecolote (San Francisco’s oldest bilingual newspaper), the Stanford-Puente-Pescadero project (a Stanford School of Education interpretation program for immigrants in Pescadero, CA), the REACH Coalition, and the Climate Ready North Fair Oaks collaborative effort to advance equity and environmental justice.
Ever has served the North Fair Oaks Council since 2015 and was the Chairman for four years. His education includes an MA in Library & Information Science from San Jose State University, and he works for the Stanford University Libraries. He is part of the Bay Area’s letterpress printing community, and part of a traditional Mexican music coalition with members from all over the Bay Area who support cultural events and activism. Through his community activism, Ever is working to improve marginalized communities’ quality of life and enhancing opportunities for advancement in education, health, labor, housing, emergency preparedness, the environment, and other essential human needs.
Kathleen Daly, Board Member – Kathleen has lived in North Fair Oaks for five years and in Redwood City for over 30 years. For 15 years she owned and operated a community coffee shop, Café Zoë in Menlo Park. She sold the business in 2023, prior to that she held management positions in marketing and clinical communications for several small medical device companies in the Bay Area. Upon moving to North Fair Oaks, it became very obvious just how wonderful, and yet underserved parts of the area is and so she sought out opportunities to get better involved and advocate for change. She joined the North Fair Oaks Community Council in 2022 and joined NFOCA’s Board in 2023.
Graciela Eulate, Secretary – Graciela has been a North Fair Oaks resident since 1997. She is currently an art educator in San Mateo County. Her interest in local issues started after traveling to Latin America where she saw citizens come together to make positive changes in their communities. She attends the North Fair Oaks Community Council meetings and speaks out about issues that concern the quality of life in her neighborhood. She has been active in various NFO study groups and committees and is involved with the County’s Office of Education’s Visual and Performing Arts Strategic Planning Committee. She volunteers her time to work with the Culture Collective of North Fair Oaks (CCNFO) and the North Fair Oaks Community Alliance (NFOCA). She is a firm believer that the arts have a significant and transformative impact on the individual as well as the communities in which they live. She is motivated to help NFO residents stay informed and have a voice on issues that impact the quality of life.
Dale Miller, Technology Officer – Dale moved to the “Avenues” in 1990, was appointed to the North Fair Oaks Council in December 1996, served consecutive terms until 2017, and created the first Council website. He was the Council’s liaison to the Dumbarton spur and High-Speed Rail projects. He has participated in the North Fair Oaks Cultural Festival, community clean-ups, and the Fair Oaks Beautification Association’s tree plantings. Dale has been a North Fair Oaks resident member of the Bay Side Design Review Committee since 1995. Dale was a Member of the North Fair Oaks 2011 Community Plan Steering Committee. Dale has worked at the Stanford Linear Accelerator as a Science & Engineering Technician since 1992. He has represented SLAC’s Bargaining Unit members on the SEIU Local 2007 Union’s executive board for over 5 years.
Gabriela Valencia, Treasurer – Gabriela has lived in North Fair Oaks for more than 20 years. She works as a Nurse Practitioner at the Fair Oaks Health Center– a San Mateo County clinic in North Fair Oaks. In the past, Gabriela has volunteered at the Samaritan House Free Clinic, a free clinic located in the heart of North Fair Oaks. She also volunteered as part of the Middlefield Road Re-design Steering Committee, an effort that involved nearly two years working with other community members, project developers and county personnel to design a new Middlefield Road– a project which is now scheduled to begin in 2021. Gabriela also served as councilwoman of the North Fair Oaks Community Council in 2002. Prior to becoming a Nurse Practitioner, Gabriela worked in Research Administration at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Gabriela is committed to promoting health improvement and disease prevention, advocating for social justice and community representation, building a sense of community, and instilling community pride in North Fair Oaks.
Gloria Villaseñor Rangel, Board Member – Gloria is originally from Jalisco, México and has lived in the U.S. for more than 20 years. She is a resident of North Fair Oaks and has been an active community volunteer for over 16 years supporting local schools’ projects as well as the Sheriff Office’s efforts in the community. As a domestic worker herself, Gloria was one of the founding members of the Multicultural Institute’s domestic workers group called Women in Action –in Spanish Mujeres en Acción. Gloria is currently the very first Domestic Worker Coordinator for the Multicultural Institute, and she has also done community work for the local nonprofit Nuestra Casa. She loves to be part of NFOCA because it meets her desire to be part of the North Fair Oaks community and support it. Gloria brings exceptional passion and experience as a group organizer and liaison in various local committees.
Linda Lopez †, former Vice President and Emeritus Board Member – Linda was a resident of North Fair Oaks for 62 years. As a long-time community activist in the North Fair Oaks community, she advocated for communities of color throughout the Bay Area region. With 50 years of employment and volunteerism, Linda worked with community-based organizations, San Mateo County Superior Court Juvenile and Family Court Divisions, Mental Health Administration, Public Health and Service Employees International Union. Up until her recent death in May 2023, Linda supported NFOCA as an advisor, providing valuable feedback and a historical perspective about the NFO community. Her accomplishments include: being honored in the 99th “Congressional Record,” inducted in San Mateo County Women’s Hall of Fame, member of Latinas in County Government, El Concilio of San Mateo County Board of Directors, North Fair Oaks Community Alliance Vice President, La Raza Centro Legal San Mateo County Project, North Fair Oaks Community Councilwoman, Climate Ready North Fair Oaks, Cultural Collective North Fair Oaks, and the San Mateo County Housing and Community Development Committee.
Our Story
The North Fair Oaks Community Alliance (NFOCA) was started at the end of 2018 by a handful of dedicated residents and activists who had long been advocating for the improvement of the unincorporated community of North Fair Oaks. For a majority Latino community that has been underserved and neglected for decades, NFOCA works to help residents gain equality, representation, and empowerment.
The original group of founders included long-time community leaders Linda Lopez, Dale Miller, Graciela Eulate, Gabriela Valencia, and Everardo (Ever) Rodriguez. Together, they developed strategies to unify a segmented community, and continue providing educational support to a culturally diverse population while collaborating with the County of San Mateo to provide representation and services to the larger NFO community.
From their first meeting, the NFOCA founders recognized the need for a real community-based organization that could take on the arduous tasks of unifying different parts of the NFO community. NFOCA continues to work hard to develop unification and communication between neighbors, businesses, schools, and other organizations in NFO.
We welcome any and all NFO community members to join us in improving livelihood in all the different corners of the neighborhood so we can collectively thrive. We also welcome all government and private organizations to help advance the work we started and lift up community-driven solutions as we work to help the residents, businesses, and organizations operating in our neighborhood. We are committed, and we invite you to commit as well.
Our Funders
Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative
Individual donors
Our Partners
El Concilio of San Mateo County
Climate Ready NFO Coalition
Fair Oaks Community Center
North Fair Oaks Library
Stanford Future Bay Initiative
City Systems
Stanford Haas Center for Public Service
Climate Resilient Communities
California Community Air
Open Architecture Collaborative
Redwood City Together
Canopy
Hazebot