December 30, 2005

LeyVa’s Community Action Team chooses its newest president

Tiara Sotelo brings fresh ideas to the Evergreen neighborhood

By Michelle Hecht
Staff Writer

A bingo night, antique street lamps and a revitalization of Neighborhood Watch are just a few of Tiara Sotelo’s plans for Evergreen’s LeyVa community.

Sitting in Evergreen’s Meadowfair Park, LeyVa CAT’s newly elected president Tiara Sotelo says she wants to give back to her community. Photo by Michelle Hecht

As the new president of LeyVa’s Community Action Team, Sotelo has a long list of ideas. Though the presidency came as a surprise to her, she said she’s “very, very excited, and very motivated.”

Wanting to volunteer and help her community, she attended her first CAT meeting on Dec. 5. Immediately, former CAT president Kathy Antl approached Sotelo to take the reigns. “When she asked me to be president, I said ‘I’m ready, I’m ready.’”

Sotelo knew of CAT, having grown up in the LeyVa area—designated between Capitol Expressway, Aborn Road, King Road, Barberry Lane, Corda Drive and Monrovia Drive—since she was two years old. She had attended Neighborhood Watch meetings at Antl’s house and other community events throughout the years. Her brother, Eric Zarate, even designed CAT’s logo. But it was only this year, kick-started by recent volunteer work, that she felt ready to get involved.

Through her job as a real estate agent at downtown San Jose’s Crystal Estates, Sotelo has been exposed to many volunteer opportunities, including cooking Thanksgiving lunch for a homeless shelter. “Just by doing that made me realize I want to give back to my own community where I was raised,” Sotelo explained.

The origins of CAT
CAT arose from a neighborhood’s desire to unite for its well-being and safety. LeyVa residents first held a series of Neighborhood Watch meetings initiated by Inez Creps in 1997. According to Antl, who hosted several, more than 90 percent of the homes sent at least one person to these meetings.

In the summer of 1997, the community hosted a National Night Out gathering, where neighborhood organizations, law enforcement and local businesses come together the first Tuesday in August to strengthen crime and drug prevention. “The idea is that you turn on your porch light, you come out of your home and you get to meet your neighbors,” said Antl. More than 100 people attended.

LeyVa CAT has been involved with numerous projects throughout the Evergreen community, including the City of San Jose’s Adopt-A-Park, Adopt-A-Street and Adopt-A-Stop programs. Photos by Michelle Hecht

“There was a clear message being sent to me that the community is concerned, that the neighborhood wants to come together,” said Antl. For that reason, Antl and fellow residents organized their first community meeting at LeyVa Middle School with the assistance of San Jose’s Neighborhood Development Center in December 1997.

Through NDC’s help in assessing the community’s needs and prioritizing issues, they found their main concern to be the lack of activities for children. “Our youth weren’t engaged; there weren’t after-school activities in the immediate community,” said Antl.

After completing the paperwork to be a nonprofit and working with NDC, LeyVa residents formed its official neighborhood association, CAT, in Spring 1998. They soon took the steps to organize events for children, including Spring Fling with an egg hunt and carnival games and Parade in the Park the weekend before Fourth of July. These events continue to this day, along with an after-school activities program five days a week.

CAT partnerships
Continuing its work with children, CAT partnered with local schools to enhance the community. To assist students of Rouleau Children’s Center, a county school for the disabled, CAT worked with the city to provide ADA curb cutouts and smoother sidewalks throughout the area for those in wheelchairs and crutches. CAT also planted daffodil bulbs at the school.

A relationship developed between CAT and LeyVa Middle School as well. One of CAT’s beautification projects included planting trees provided by the non-profit organization, Our City Forest, on the LeyVa campus. In turn, the school provides the organization with a place to meet, and students from both LeyVa Middle and Rouleau distribute CAT’s newsletter.

Furthermore, local businesses have demonstrated their support. For CAT’s first anniversary in 1998, Sizzler provided a salad and spaghetti dinner. On another occasion, the manager invited residents for ice cream after picking up litter in the neighborhood. Coffee Lovers also treated them to free smoothies.

And when CAT members and residents were planting trees in the area, the cafe provided bagels and coffee. Throughout the years, these businesses, including Baskin Robbins and a nearby taqueria, have continued an alliance with CAT.

The organization today
Sotelo plans to involve even more residents in CAT’s efforts. “I know a lot of the young parents that live in the area, so I’m going to try to target them, my friends, my son’s friends’ parents. I didn’t see them at the last meeting, so I’m telling them they have to come out and support. I want to draw a big crowd,” said Sotelo. “I’m going to need the help of the whole community to pull together to accomplish all this, because it’s for them.”

Before her first meeting as president on March 6, Sotelo will utilize NDC’s Community Leadership Academy. “I’m new to this and I want to do a good job, I want to be very informed,” explained Sotelo. A series of free classes will instruct her on promoting and marketing the organization, motivating others, and learning aspects of business and grant writing.

CAT has utilized various grants to bring about neighborhood safety and upkeep, which includes safer crosswalks, the elimination of graffiti and an annual Dumpster Day so that residents can clean out their garages, attics and backyards without paying a few to take their extra junk to the dump themselves.

Many financial resources have also come from the Strong Neighborhoods Initiative, which provides redevelopment money and assistance. Sotelo has already started talking with SNI’s Community Activity Worker Teresa Gutierrez to determine which projects to work toward.

Sotelo remembers Evergreen when it was all fields and trees, so beautification is naturally high on her list. “We could all help out together to bring (the neighborhood’s value) up,” said Sotelo.

One of LeyVa CAT’s beautification projects included planting trees and constructing trails at the corner of King and Aborn. Photo by Michelle Hecht

She plans to apply for a program which would help several residents, who would otherwise not have the resources, maintain their homes’ exteriors—the front yard, house paint and framing. She also believes installing antique street lamps throughout the community will “bring back the beauty.” At the same time, they would afford safer streets with light lower to the ground.

Safety is an important issue for Sotelo, so she wants to strengthen Neighborhood Watch. “It’s a good neighborhood, I feel safe walking down the street,” said Sotelo. “That’s why I want to keep the Neighborhood Watch there so we do feel safe.”

To further bring residents together, Sotelo hopes to add a bingo night to CAT’s yearly events. “I’m really working on that, because I think that would be so much fun for the adults with some fun prizes.”

For someone who said she had no idea she’d be president, Sotelo appears to have it all under control. And she is realistic about it all. “It’s my first year and I don’t want to over promise or under promise, so that’s why I want to keep it to where I get my goals accomplished. And then if I get re-elected next year, we can do more things,” Sotelo said.

LeyVa residents have another strong leader looking out for their best interests. They also have much to anticipate. “It’s a lot to do and I’m ready to take it on,” said Sotelo.