Local advocacy group hosting phonebanking event demands lawmakers to push back against federal funding cuts

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) — One local political advocacy group is assembling to "send a loud and clear message" to elected officials representing the Coachella Valley.

Lift to Rise, a group based in Palm Desert, is taking to the phones on Tuesday to urge representatives to push back against federal funding cuts. The group says the valley's seniors, children, veterans, and families depend on federal funding for essential programs, like affordable housing, food, and more. They say any proposed funding cuts could hurt low- or fixed-income populations the hardest.

The phonebanking initiative ran from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the organization's Palm Desert headquarters. 

Volunteers called Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, as well as Representatives Ken Calvert and Raul Ruiz. The group provided scripts and calling information. Volunteers also received tacos once they finished making their calls, which is why the nonprofit dubbed the initiative "Taco Action Tuesday."

This comes after Lift to Rise and 26 other cities, local leaders, and organizations came together to write a letter to these representatives to urge the Trump administration to stop proposed federal funding cuts last week.

Ian Gabriel, Lift to Rise's Director of Collective Impact, says the work they're doing has had a positive impact. "We've received positive feedback on our letter that we sent out last week from the elected officials’ staffers who have reviewed it. They assured us that they're going to be fighting for these resources."

Gabriel says Lift to Rise sees safe, affordable housing as the key that lets Coachella Valley residents thrive.

"We view housing as a nonpartisan issue ... we'll work with anybody and everybody that is interested in seeing more affordable housing get built here in the Coachella Valley," he explains.

Since 2018, the nonprofit has worked toward its goal of creating 10,000 affordable housing units with the partners it works with. As of 2025, it says almost 9,300 units are in various stages of the development process. Gabriel sees this progress as great, but says an endeavor like that is impossible without help from the federal government.

"The federal government plays a huge role in affordable housing development. So without those funds, it's going to be very difficult to for us to meet our goal."

Leticia Olvera is one of the people who volunteered their time. She works at a local nonprofit, El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center, that works closely with the community to provide information and resources for victims of domestic violence and unhoused people. When asked about potential impacts of federal funding cuts, she says, "It's going to impact them very bad."

She would be affected, too, as she's worried that those cuts could also lead to the shuttering of her nonprofit, leaving her and her colleagues without a job.

Opportunities like Lift to Rise's "Taco Action Tuesday," though, provide Olvera and other volunteers an opportunity to make an impact. Olvera, who was able to speak with staffers from two of the four congressional offices she called, says, "I felt heard. I feel like maybe we can do much more and maybe they are going to listen to us."