For immediate release: April 29, 2026
Media Contact:
Kacey Bonner: comms@unseenus.org
Hispanic Federation: media@hispanicfederation.org
Ad Hoc Latino Leaders Group Releases the 2026 Health, Wealth, and Dignity Agenda for California
The agenda outlines policy priorities critical to California’s future and elevates the concerns of communities too often excluded from political discourse at a critical juncture in the gubernatorial primaries
Sacramento, CA – The Ad Hoc Latino Leaders Group today unveiled a comprehensive, coordinated policy agenda to advance a more just, inclusive, and prosperous California. Grounded in three pillars – health, wealth, and dignity – the agenda lays out a bold vision where health is centered as a human right, economic security is the foundation for mobility and ownership, and dignity is embedded across law, policy, and everyday life. The agenda provides a roadmap for the future governor of California and all elected officials to address the issues facing Latinos across the state.
The full report can be found at https://hispfed.info/CAagenda and was offered to the 10 leading gubernatorial campaigns in advance of its public release.
The Ad Hoc Latino Leaders Group is a statewide, cross-sector coalition of Latino leaders, formed in 2018 to address urgent challenges facing Latino communities, that coordinates leadership during pivotal political moments to advance data-driven, community-rooted policies expanding opportunity, representation, and equity across California.
The 2026 Agenda reflects a collective, cross-sector vision to shape the policies, investments, and institutions that define California’s future. Four community-based organizations served as facilitators of an inclusive working group process: Latinos for a Healthy California (Health), Hispanas Organized for Political Equality HOPE (Wealth), the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights CHIRLA, and Hispanic Federation (Dignity) designed to elevate community priorities, lived experiences, and bold policy ideas.
“The Ad Hoc Latino Leaders Group is seizing a critical window of opportunity – amid a transition in leadership of the world’s fourth-largest economy – to center the needs of California’s youthful and diverse population in the face of leadership gaps at every level of government and across key sectors,” said Sonja Diaz, founder of Unseen. “The 2026 Agenda invites candidates to adopt transformational policies that can take on the crises of our time: a healthcare system that our communities struggle to access, a growing affordability crisis with barriers to wealth accumulation, and legal systems that seek to deprive us of our humanity and dignity.”
The Health pillar outlines proposals to expand access to care, including a state constitutional amendment to guarantee universal healthcare, sustainable revenue streams for whole-person care, and reinvestment in healthcare infrastructure, workforce, and telehealth systems.
“We’re calling on our next governor to reimagine care as integrated, trusted, and culturally responsive,” said Seciah Aquino, Executive Director of Latino Coalition for a Healthy California. “California must lead the nation in healthcare, and this requires challenging the status quo where a zip code determines your level of care. We need a whole-person, community centered primary care model to deliver equity driven care through an inclusive workforce that integrates our community health workers and promotoras into our safety net systems.”
The Wealth pillar focuses on rebuilding California’s opportunity infrastructure through sustained investments in workforce development, housing access, and family support systems. It also calls for realigning economic development strategies to create debt-free pathways to high-wage careers and build intergenerational prosperity for every Californian from birth to maturity.
“For too many families, the question isn’t how to build wealth – it’s how to make it through the month,” said Helen Iris Torres, CEO of HOPE. “This agenda is about changing that. It’s about making sure people have a real shot at stability, at owning something for themselves, and at retiring with dignity. That means opening pathways to good jobs, making higher education work for today’s workforce, and ensuring our communities aren’t left out of where the economy is going – especially as technology and AI reshape the future.”
The Dignity pillar establishes dignity as a governing standard, recognizing that California’s long-term stability and prosperity depend on whether all residents can live with safety, security, and full participation in civic and economic life. It advances a bold vision of belonging – calling for the creation of the Golden State Residency Program, expanding access to the ballot through the High Opportunity Voter Accessibility Act, protecting Californians with prior contact with the criminal legal system from discrimination as they rebuild their lives, and strengthening the state’s civic and cultural infrastructure through sustained, dedicated funding.
“California is at a crossroads. The next governor will set the principles that will guide the state’s legislative agenda for the next four years. Far too often, Latinos who drive California’s economy and culture are excluded from the policy decision-making process that directly affects our communities. California’s legislative agenda must advance policies that recognize our worth, values our labor, and respects our humanity,” said Frankie Miranda, President and CEO of Hispanic Federation.
“California must redefine belonging to include all residents – aligning legal safeguards with service access to uphold dignity and foster stable, inclusive communities,” said Angelica Salas, Executive Director of CHIRLA. “The 2026 Agenda provides our next governor with a bold blueprint to make that promise real in law and in practice, while also providing a roadmap for leaders across the country to protect and advance our collective dignity.”
The 2026 Agenda continues the work of the Ad Hoc Latino Leaders Group by framing gubernatorial transition, influencing appointments and judicial selection, and embedding equity, representation and accountability as enforceable standards of governance across California.
###
About Ad Hoc Latino Leaders Group
Since 2018, the Ad Hoc Latino Leaders Group has worked across sectors and generations to ensure that Latino voices shape the policies, investments, and institutions that define California’s future.
About Hispanic Federation
Hispanic Federation (HF) is a nonprofit membership and advocacy organization, founded in 1990, committed to empowering and advancing the Hispanic community, with a focus on low-income, marginalized, and immigrant Latine. With programs in 43 states and territories, HF’s focus areas include immigration, economic empowerment, civic engagement, disaster relief, philanthropy, education, health, and the environment. HF also maintains ongoing public education campaigns and meets the organizational development needs of its member agencies through grant-making and capacity-building assistance.
