PB Seeds - California
We’re seeding PB across California! The PB Seeds program connects and equips leaders and advocates across California with knowledge, tools, and networks in order to advocate for PB in their communities.
Do you want to bring PB to your community? Our first learning cohort is launching in spring 2025. Find out more information about the program below and how you can participate.
Our application is live! Join us on 1/16 at 4pm PST for our Program Application Kickoff and Virtual Panel. We’ll share more about the upcoming training cohort and hear from three exceptional PB leaders.
Apply Now!
Why PB in California?
Participatory democracy is essential in California because it gives community members a direct say in allocating public funds. Given California’s history of communities organizing and advocating for economic justice, participatory budgeting (PB) aligns with the state’s collaboration, transparency, and inclusivity values. By empowering residents to make decisions about public spending, PB can help rebuild and reimagine democracy to reflect California’s diverse and dynamic nature. This approach fosters a sense of ownership and engagement among citizens and can lead to a more equitable and impactful allocation of resources and gives citizen participation a sense of equity and justice.
In addition, California is home to a vibrant and dynamic economy, with a GDP of over $3.5 trillion, making it the fifth-largest economy in the world. Participatory democracy ensures that decisions about economic policies, environmental regulations, and social programs reflect the interests and values of the state’s residents.
Participatory democracy grows people power and replaces corruption with community led decision making. By shifting power directly into people’s hands, we can replace special interest politics with an inclusive, transparent, and equitable democratic process that addresses the real needs and ideas of the community. The PB Seeds California program does exactly that through a learning cohort and multi-week training curriculum on participatory budgeting (PB) to lay the groundwork for success by connecting with allies and partners across the state. PB Seeds provides tools, connections, and expertise on how to win support for PB and begin to implement it in partnership with the government and community.
As our cohort moves through the multi-week training course they will learn what participatory budgeting (PB) is, how to advocate for it, and best practices for successful implementation. By the end of the cohort you will have an advocacy plan to take back to your community, as well as, access to coaching and support sessions from us.
We will provide tools and resources for our program graduates and trusted partners to advance PB. We will also facilitate knowledge sharing across groups and share learnings from within California as well as across the United States!
Edna Sandoval
Edna Sandoval is our California Advocacy Manager and supports our organization as Technical Assistance Manager. She manages the PB Seeds California Program! Her background is as a community organizer and academic focusing on grassroots work with racialized communities and diasporas. Her work inside and outside institutions is rooted in a decolonial and abolitionist approach. Edna is also the co-founder of Guatemaya L.A. Mujeres en Resistencia, a solidarity organization that supports femme Indigenous communities in the isthmus, fighting for historical memory, transitional justice, and economic reparations. Edna resides in occupied Tonvga land but was born and raised on Iximulew-occupied territory. You can find Edna on the picket line with her two beautiful dogs. You can contact her at edna@participatorybudgeting.org.
