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), 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 has been 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.
Linda Lopez, 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. Recently retired, Linda continues supporting NFOCA as an advisor, providing valuable feedback and a historical perspective about the NFO community. Her accomplishments include:
Honored in 99th “Congressional Record”
San Mateo County Women’s Hall of Fame
Latinas in County Government
El Concilio of San Mateo County Board member
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 member
Cultural Collective North Fair Oaks member
San Mateo County Housing and Community Development Committee member
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.
Our Story
The North Fair Oaks Community Alliance (NFOCA) was conceived at the end of 2018 by a handful of dedicated, long-time residents and activists who had been advocating for the betterment of North Fair Oaks (NFO) in their different capacities as community stakeholders. Although the initial invitation was sent to many advocates in the community, only a handful replied with their commitment to do the work that seemed necessary to advance the collective goals of the community. And at the beginning of 2019 the first formal meeting was held at the offices of El Concilio– our incubator, and a long-long time stalwart organization helping various underserved communities in San Mateo County.
The original group of founders included long-time community leaders and activists Linda Lopez, Dale Miller, Graciela Eulate, Gabriela Valencia, and Everardo (Ever) Rodriguez, who rolled up their sleeves to work on identifying the various issues and divisions that needed attention in NFO, as well as developing goals and strategies that could unify a segmented community, provide educational opportunities and information to a culturally and linguistically diverse population, collaborate with the County of San Mateo authorities to provide appropriate services as needed, and also to represent the larger NFO community, to promote wellness, and help the residents to attain equality and representation as deserved by a community that has been underserved and neglected for decades.
At our first meeting NFOCA founders recognized the need for a truly community-based, formal organization that could take on the arduous tasks of unifying the different segments of the population in NFO (including businesses, associations and organizations operating in NFO) that could work towards getting sound and efficient ways of intercommunicating NFO residents, as well as developing relationships with the surrounding neighborhoods, the schools that serve our children, and the private sector now sharing living spaces with us.
We welcome any and all NFO community members to join us with their expertise to work in solidifying the foundation of a truly community-based organization and work together to improve the livelihood in our different corners of the neighborhood and to thrive collectively and be prepared to take on any challenges. We also welcome all government and private organizations to join and help us to advance the work we have started, and to help us lift up community-driven solutions so that our organization can expand and scale our efforts. In return we will help the residents of NFO, the businesses as well as the associations and the organization operating in this unincorporated 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
North Fair Oaks Library
Stanford Future Bay Initiative
San Mateo County Office of Sustainability
Stanford Haas Center for Public Service
Climate Resilient Communities
California Community Air
Open Architecture Collaborative
Canopy
Hazebot