Empower - Leading with Hope

THEY’RE LIFTING UP THE VOICES OF THOSE WHO DON’T HAVE A VOICE.

HELEN TORRES, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HOPE

LEADING WITH

HOPE

Hispanas Organized for Political Equality

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

ANNUAL GIVING

HIGHLIGHTS

CULTIVATING COMMUNITIES

2022 ANNUAL GIVING LETTER

When it comes to leadership, Dolores Huerta, a lifelong activist and advocate for workers’ rights and social justice, once said: “Every moment is an organizing opportunity, every person a potential activist, every minute a chance to change the world.” Her words highlight the importance of leadership and community engagement in improving our world. HOPE and Dolores Huerta understand that progress requires societies to work together to achieve common goals, and their work aligns directly with SoCalGas’ values of Doing the Right Thing, Championing People, and Shaping the Future.

HOPE’s commitment to community is mirrored in the actions of other Los Angeles organizations like the LA Urban League, whose workforce training programs provide career opportunities and increased earning potential for Angelenos. Covenant House California helps at-risk young adults experiencing challenges related to housing and provides educational and vocational support, and the American Red Cross: Los Angeles Region is boosting emergency preparedness, customer safety education, resilience, and response efforts.

With the many challenges facing us as a society, community giving is more important than ever. Donating time and resources to local organizations helps support communities and creates a more just and equitable society.

All around us, Southern California organizations are doing outstanding work for local communities. Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE), the subject of this issue of Empower’s cover story, is elevating Hispanas to positions of influence to give them a voice regionally, statewide, and nationally. HOPE’s sustained efforts are paying off, as 70 alumnae of the HOPE Leadership Institute (HLI) have held or are currently holding public office, and over the last 25 years 1,600 alumnae have held nonprofit board and statewide commission positions.

SoCalGas is proud to support these organizations and others in many ways, including initiatives like the SoCalGas Climate Champions, which spotlights nonprofit organizations working to clean the air, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and provide organic waste diversion solutions. The Climate Champions are part of the nearly 1,000 nonprofits SoCalGas supports to help create a future of opportunity, prosperity, and a deep sense of belonging.

The work being done by these outstanding organizations to promote customer safety, social justice, and sustainability is inspiring and humbling, and SoCalGas is honored to support them. Together we are building a better California.

Scott Drury / CEO

IN THIS ISSUE

Hispanas Organized for Political Equality® (HOPE) elevates Latinas through leadership, advocacy, and education, creating engagement and impact in our communities.

A SoCalGas volunteer assembles hygiene kits for the Downtown Women’s Shelter at a RISE event.

On the Cover: Erika Contreras (HLI 2010) being sworn in as Secratary of the California Senate

2022 ANNUAL GIVING HIGHLIGHTS

At SoCalGas, our commitment to provide customers with safe, reliable service goes beyond natural gas. We are also dedicated to improving the quality of life in the communities we serve. We give our energy, time, financial support and focus our efforts in areas where we can make a difference.

BREAKDOWN BY SOCALGAS PILLAR

SAFETY

American Red Cross: Los Angeles Region

A grant was provided to support American Red Cross Los Angeles Region’s PrepareLA Mission Adaptation program which supports resilience and response efforts for communities across Los Angeles County. The program equips and trains volunteers to provide preparedness, emergency, and customer safety education to diverse populations; install free smoke alarms in vulnerable communities and making emergency plans with their residents; and prepositioning material assets to safely provide food, shelter, comfort, and relief supplies to people affected by disasters of all types across Southern California. Simultaneously through this program, American Red Cross continues to prepare the most at-risk communities to be their own first responders, make strategic investments to adapt relief services, and augment capacity to help people in need, especially the most vulnerable, including: people with low incomes, disabilities, mental illnesses, chronic health concerns, access and functional needs, children, and the elderly.

Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Planning Grants

SoCalGas awarded $150,000 to three local cities for their climate adaptation solution projects that address climate vulnerabilities in disadvantaged communities. Awardees include the City of La Puente, McFarland, and Colton. To date, SoCalGas has provided $50,000 grants to 11 municipalities to support local planning efforts in preparing for and recovering from extreme weather events.

Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation

SoCalGas’ grant supported the funding for one of two much-needed Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) helicopters. A light-duty helicopter is primarily used for “Helicopter Command” purposes - command, communication, control, and observation of wildfires, high-rise fires, and other major emergency incidents. On average, the command aircraft is activated twice per day. This number significantly increases during fire season when aircraft support is needed around the clock. Acquiring a versatile aircraft ensures the reliability and customer safety of the essential services provided by LAFD.

Covenant House California

Through a comprehensive continuum of age-appropriate housing and supportive services, Covenant House California (CHC) serves an average of 2,000 youth (ages 18 – 24) each year in Los Angeles who are experiencing homelessness. SoCalGas’ grant supported two projects – the expansion of the Hollywood campus which would increase the capacity by 20% in the Safe Haven Emergency Shelter program and the opening of Olive Tree Commons, which is a brand new 16-unit apartment complex. Olive Tree Commons, will have an on-site residential manager living at the complex and will represent a new opportunity for CHC to provide housing that serves parenting youth.

SUSTAINABILITY

SoCal Climate Champions Grant

SoCalGas awarded $200,000 to five nonprofit organizations through the SoCal Climate Champions Grant initiative. The program was designed to encourage and foster clean, safe, and innovative solutions towards a clean energy future. Awards were given for climate solution projects that aimed to reduce, mitigate, and sequester greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, improve air quality, or provide organic waste diversion solutions in the communities SoCalGas serves. Over 20M people reached, 1,350 trees and shrubs planted, and over 1.8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent were omitted from the atmosphere as a result of the programs that received funding.

California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA)

A grant was provided to support CSULA’s capstone senior design project: “A Solar System Design for a Renewable Production of Hydrogen (H2) at the Hydrogen Fueling Station at Cal State L.A.” The Hydrogen (H2) fueling station at CSULA, with an onsite storage capacity of 60 kilograms H2 (kg), is the largest university-located hydrogen fueling facility in the U.S. The station uses grid-sourced electricity to run an electrolyzer to produce hydrogen via electrolysis throughout the day, including during peak demand periods when the cost of electricity—and, therefore, hydrogen—is high. To promote the utilization of renewable energy, sustainable production of hydrogen, and reduce the cost of H2 production, this project aims to investigate efficient ways of utilizing solar energy onsite to produce all or a portion of the electrolyzer’s energy (kwh) demand. The solar system would be a stand-alone off-grid system that can also be utilized as an emergency backup and alternative power system for the electrolyzer to ensure a smarter production schedule and a lower usage of electricity from the grid.

Energy Independence Now (EIN)

SoCalGas provides financial support to Energy Independence Now’s DriveH2 Mirai Donation Program which ensures local nonprofits can carry out their program work with zero emissions. With nine vehicles already donated across the region, SoCalGas’ grant will allow EIN to donate a Toyota Mirai to Via Care Los Angeles to support their mission, as well as engage directly with their community and beneficiaries to further educate them on fuel cell technology. The grant allows EIN to spread the word far and wide on the donation, its impact, and support the ongoing success and future of this program

SOCIAL JUSTICE

California Restaurant Foundation

SoCalGas was a founding partner and lead sponsor of the Restaurants Care Resilience Fund in 2021. This fund provides critically needed grants to small business restaurants owned by women and people of color struggling since the start of the pandemic. In 2021, the fund supported 318 small restaurants. In 2022, SoCalGas provided additional funding that focused on the two things that keep a restaurant running - kitchens and crews. Grants of $3,000 could be used for retention bonuses or new kitchen equipment. With collective support from SoCalGas, San Diego Gas and Electric, Pacific Gas and Electric and Wells Fargo, 162 independently owned restaurants across Central and South California received grants in 2022 and year-long support services from Wells Fargo which provided restaurant owners with resources to enhance and streamline their business.

Gas Assistance Fund

SoCalGas provided $300,000 to United Way of Greater Los Angeles’ Gas Assistance Fund, a program that helps income-qualified customers pay their natural gas bills. United Way works with various nonprofit organizations throughout SoCalGas’ service territory, and helps customers pay their gas bill with a one-time grant of up to $100 per household. The program helps low-income customers avoid disconnections due to financial burden, ensuring that they can maintain utility which are critical to a livable environment for families to survive and thrive in. Additionally, by alleviating utility bill challenges early, we can ensure that arrears do not impact future connection services and impact debt and other opportunities for continued financial stability.

SoCalGas Scholarship Program

In 2022, SoCalGas awarded more than $300,000 in scholarships to 25 students studying STEM, accounting, finance, and various trades. $1,000 awards were provided to students planning to attend a community college or trade school and $5,000 awards were provided to students planning to attend a fouryear university. Recipients attending a four-year university can renew their scholarship for an additional three years to receive a total of $20,000 over the course of four years of study. Recipients were evaluated on their academic achievements, community involvement and personal statement regarding California’s clean energy future. Eighty-seven percent of the scholarship recipients identified as students of color. Since the program’s inception in 2001, SoCalGas has awarded over $3.2 million in scholarships to more than 2,290 students.

STEAM: CODERS

SoCalGas provided financial support to STEAM: CODERS 2022 Summer of STEAM camp and the MathPods program. The weekly summer camp uses age and grade-appropriate curricula to introduce a variety of activities and classes in coding, game and web development, robotics, art, design, and music. The MathPods program is designed for students who are performing below grade level in mathematics. Sessions are developed and based upon a student’s need. Students work together in small pods (typically 4-6 students), using the same learning materials to broaden their foundational knowledge, apply problem-solving and critical thinking skills, and learn to solve complex math problems as they progress. These small groups allow for students to collaborate, as well as receive personalized assistance from instructors.

Workforce Development

Creating pipelines to employment, SoCalGas invested $328,000, in 18 workforce development programs throughout Los Angeles and the Inland Empire. Our program support provided youth, women, veterans and other underserved populations with customer service and technical skills training to ready them for viable employment. The Los Angeles Urban League’s Construction Career Academy is one of our key partner programs. To date, we have hired 11 individuals from their program.

LOCAL CHAMBERS ORGANIZATIONS

Women’s Business Enterprise Council – West

SoCalGas has been a long-standing supporter of the Women’s Business Enterprise Council. In 2022, a grant was provided to support several of their programs that advocate for procurement opportunities for women businesses, deliver innovative certificate programs, and promote business models that support growth and fiscal resiliency. SoCalGas’ financial support was directed towards the annual Strategic Procurement Opportunity Conference, the Platinum Supplier Program, and the annual National Black Business Pitch. The annual Strategic Procurement Opportunity Conference focused on creating genuine connections for success in the new normal by providing workshops on sustainability, industry engagement and networking. The Platinum Supplier Program is for certified women business enterprises that are looking to launch into corporate contracting – providing comprehensive training on corporate procurement processes, roles and responsibilities of supplier diversity professionals, and assistance with the completion of a capability statement and value proposition. The annual National Black Business Pitch is a virtual competition designed to connect Black-owned businesses to corporations that look to expand and diversify their supply chain with new products and services.

Jaymee Lomax, Vice President Community Development & Engagement Women Business Enterprise Council - West

& BUSINESS

Veterans in Business Network

SoCalGas provided a grant to the Veterans in Business Network for their national conference that is designed to help veteran businesses build connections between corporations, government agencies and primes looking to create partnerships for contracting opportunities. The conference helps build a supply chain of veteran businesses that are prepared to establish contracts with new clients. The Veterans in Business Network provides a free veteran business directory, business resources, educational seminars, outreach opportunities, a Veteran 2 Veteran Business cohort program, Boots to Contracts program, business development scholarships and more.

National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce

SoCalGas provided financial support to the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce for the International Business and Leadership conference that brings together nearly 2,000 LGBTQ and allied entrepreneurs, business owners, corporate representatives, and LGBT chamber leaders from across the country. The event delivers innovative leadership programing, networking and engagement opportunities, educational programs, one-on-one matchmaker meetings between suppliers and corporations, affiliate chamber programming, panel discussions, development seminars, and more. The conference is considered the most prestigious and largest LGBTQ business event in the world.

EMPLOYEES IN ACTION

United Way of Greater Los Angeles – WalkUnitedLA

SoCalGas was the top fundraising and participant team for United Way of Greater Los Angeles’ WalkUnitedLA at SoFi Stadium in November 2022, raising more than $100,000 and mobilizing nearly 900 team members both in person and virtually. With SoCalGas’ $25,000 major sponsor grant, United Way was able to raise much needed funds to go directly to the mission work and mobilize Angelenos to raise awareness countywide, celebrate their achievements, and discuss the work that needs to be done to break the cycle of poverty for our unhoused neighbors, students and working families. SoCalGas has raised more than $2 million for WalkUnitedLA (formerly HomeWalk) since its inception in 2007.

In 2022 , together with the Sempra Foundation, SoCalGas employees raised a total of $2.3M for nearly 1,500 charitable organizations and logged more than 18,500 volunteer hours .

Spark of Love

SoCalGas supported ABC7’s 30th annual Spark of Love holiday toy drives in Ontario and Santa Ana, the largest of its kind in the nation. Employees donated numerous boxes of toys for underserved youth, who may not otherwise receive one during the holiday season. In addition, SoCalGas made a $20,000 grant in support of the program. All toys are sent to the Los Angeles City Fire Department, where they are sanitized and distributed throughout Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Orange, Ventura, and Riverside Counties.

SoCalGas and the Building Industry Association of Southern California –Rose Parade

More than 200 SoCalGas volunteers joined the Building Industry Association of Southern California (BIASC) and youth volunteers to decorate their “Building the Future” 2023 Rose Parade float from Dec. 27 – 31, 2022. The float was designed by students from the BIASC’s Junior Builders program and featured homes of the past, present and future. The home of the “present” demonstrates the latest in sustainable and resilient home building. It was inspired by SoCalGas’ [H2] Innovation Experience, located in Downey, California, site of a new, clean renewable hydrogen microgrid and LEED platinum certified home (pending certification).

LEADING WITH

HOPE

CHAMPIONING ORGANIZATIONS THAT UPLIFT OUR COMMUNITIES

Participants of HOPE’s Latina Action Day during legislative visits in Sacramento

From left: HOPE Board Chair Vanessa Cajina (LHI ‘07), Former HOPE Board Member Yammilette Rodriguez (HLI ‘02), and Board Member Nicolina Hernandez (HLI ‘14)

Helen Torres, Executive Director and CEO of HOPE at the 31st Annual Latina History Day

Helen Torres, Executive Director and CEO of HOPE with the Leadershop Initiative Class of 2019

Everyday, by way of advocacy, leadership and education, HOPE – Hispanas Organized for Political Equality – lives up to its namesake. The nonprofit has been lifting up Latinas all over California since 1989, and has empowered them to pursue positions of positive influence that have instilled hope across communities for the past 33 years. Helen Torres, the Executive Director and CEO, has had the opportunity to bear witness to the long-term impacts of this valuable work. She has seen firsthand how the organization’s successful programs –the HOPE Latina Empowerment Day Series, the professional summits and the Leadership Institute – have elevated Latinas to make meaningful changes locally, across the state and even at the national level.

The nonprofit was founded in 1989 by five women who noticed that Latinas were being overlooked in the political decisions made throughout Los Angeles County. They put together programming to honor the historic contributions of Latinas, including Latina History Day, which is still celebrated on the second Friday of Women’s History Month each year. Over the next 10 years, HOPE expanded and developed new initiatives. Eventually, the organization transitioned from having a regional focus to hosting programs all over the state. “You can look at the ripple effects everywhere because of the growth of the organization,” Torres said.

Roughly 3,000 women participate in HOPE’s overall programming. One of the core founding members of HOPE, Minnie Lopez Bafflo, was an employee at SoCalGas. Today, SoCalGas continues to support the nonprofit by sponsoring sessions during the HOPE Leadership Institute, hosting an empowerment day, providing volunteers and by donating their time, resources and guidance. “SoCalGas is an active and impactful partner in our work,” Torres said.

You can look at the ripple effects everywhere because of the growth of the organization.

In 1999, the nonprofit started the HOPE Leadership Institute. According to Torres, that program is really the crown jewel of the organization. “25-50 women go through the Leadership Institute every year, and by the end of 2023 we anticipate having close to 700 HOPE Leadership Institute Alumnae throughout the state” Torres explained. “HOPE Leadership Institute alumnae have held over 1600 nonprofit board and statewide commission positions over the past 25 years. 70 HLI alumnae have been or are currently elected officials.” HOPE is now recognized as a national organization and has expanded to support Latinas in high school, college and even those who hold high-level government positions.

The impacts of HOPE’s initiatives are uniquely tangible. “We’re able to track the women who went through the Leadership Institute,”

Torres said. “We have some incredible examples. They’re in office. They’re using their platforms to get legislation passed to support communities. They’re lifting up the voices of those who are underrepresented.” Torres even remembered meeting a young woman who had gone through HOPE’s programs and now works for the President of the United States.

The positive impacts at the regional and national levels are mirrored by those on the local level. Lucia Diaz, Executive Director of the Mar Vista Family Center in Culver City, California, attended the HOPE Leadership Institute back in 2003. “Lucia is a great example of a non-elected official doing amazing work in the nonprofit sector,” Torres said. The skills Diaz learned during her time with HOPE have helped the Mar Vista Family Center reach its 45th year of service in the community.

Former Assembly Member Lorena Gonzalez and members of the CA Latino Legislative Caucus celebrate 30 years of HOPE

U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (then Secretary of State) and Helen Torres, Executive Director and CEO of HOPE, promoting HOPE GOTV pledge card

California State Senator Monique LimÓn, 2019 HOPE Binational Fellow

They’re lifting up the voices of those who are underrepresented.

Lucia Diaz, Executive Director of the Mar Vista Family Center

The Mar Vista Family Center was founded in 1977 as a resource for low-income families. The goal of the organization was to encourage parents and educators to work together, so parents could play an active role in the development of their children. “It’s called a shared responsibility model,” Diaz explained. “Community members learn how to take responsibility for their lives, the community and their families.” At the beginning, the center supported six families and was entirely funded by the government. As time went on, that funding dissipated. Even without steady support, the community’s needs continued to grow and Diaz knew that she needed to secure sustainable funding so they could continue their indispensable work.

Through the HOPE Leadership Institute, Diaz not only gained valuable leadership skills, but also met a fellow organization continually looking to further their positive impact in the community. That organization was SoCalGas, who in turn began to fund the Mar Vista Family Center for long-term success. Incredibly, the Mar Vista Family Center now supports about 300 local families annually.

Supported by her renewed funding, Diaz has utilized the tools she learned with HOPE to amplify the work she’s doing at the family center. “We do training at Mar Vista that helps everyone with personal and professional development,” Diaz explained. “I brought a lot of that work from my training with the HOPE organization, and after 45 years, there’s been a great transformation in the community,” Diaz said.

Today, Mar Vista hosts their original preschool program where parents and educators work in tandem, after school programs, college prep programs, a food pantry and community gardens. These initiatives provide the young people in the community with opportunities for education, upward mobility and prolonged success. That’s a seismic shift for this neighborhood, which looked very different when the family center opened its

doors. “Parents didn’t believe their kids could graduate from high school, but now we have a 98% graduation rate,” Diaz explained. Young people have even approached Diaz to express how the organization has changed their lives. “I remember one of the kids coming and saying, ‘I have a choice now. I used to only have the chance to join a gang and now I have a chance to be a part of something,’” she recalled.

SoCalGas has fortified the family center with financial support, educational programs and tangible resources for the families that Diaz works with. Now that the organization relies partially on corporate funding, the financial contributions from SoCalGas are invaluable. However, the connection between Mar Vista and SoCalGas runs so much deeper than that. “They make me feel like I count,” Diaz said. “I always know I can call them if I need support or information.”

According to Helen Torres at HOPE, SoCalGas has been a fantastic partner in expanding their reach. In addition to all the other support they provide, they play a key role during the Latina Empowerment Day Series by facilitating energy training sessions. These mini-training days provide the women with an opportunity to learn about the intersection between government and natural resources. HOPE started these sessions after they realized that Latina representation on natural resource boards in California was severely lacking. Now, SoCalGas and HOPE work together to teach Latinas about water, air, soil, energy and the

environment. “SoCalGas has always looked out for the organization,” Torres explained. “They’ve helped us not only to grow, but also to dig deep into key issues that Latinas aren’t always invited to be a part of. SoCalGas has really opened that door, valued our voices and invested in Latina leaders.”

Both Diaz and Torres are able to call on SoCalGas for volunteers, resources and even if they just simply need a friend. “It’s not easy to have that with every partner,” Diaz explained. “Not everyone will understand the work that you’re doing. Not everyone will just support you. But with SoCalGas, we don’t have that challenge.” The relationship between HOPE, the Mar Vista Family Center and SoCalGas continues to touch thousands of lives across California. SoCalGas has provided these two organizations with a structural support system that they can lean on so the people they serve can continue leaning on them. And in challenging times, it’s that foundational support that can create the strongest ripple effects for California’s communities.

SoCalGas has really opened that door, valued our voices and invested in Latina leaders.

HOPE founders, board members and program alumnae at HOPE’s 30th Anniversary Celebration

HOPE board members at HOPE’s 30th Anniversary Celebration

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