Executive Summary

For over 13 years, the Community Alliance for Safety and Peace (CASP) has coordinated and implemented a collective impact strategy to reduce youth violence in Salinas and Monterey County. I am incredibly proud to report that youth violence is down over 60% in the last 10 years! We are one of the most beautiful regions in the country - filled with hard working people and innovative businesses and organizations. I truly believe our collective work here at CASP changed the narrative of our community to one of beautiful weather, imaginative people, and active youth! Together we have accomplished what many believed to be impossible. This Strategic Work Plan lays out how we can continue these promising trends in reducing violence in our community.

- Mayor, Kimbley Craig

The City of Salinas and County of Monterey have witnessed a historic reduction in violence over the last decade. We must recognize this as a community and speak into existence the narrative of a peaceful and thriving Monterey County. For too long our County has been characterized with a reputation of being violent and dangerous. As Co-Chair of the Community Alliance for Safety and Peace I know first-hand the amazing collective impact of agencies working together to reduce violence. This Strategic Plan defines what has worked well, what programs we still need or need more of and the data showing the trends in violence in Salinas and Monterey County over the last decade. I am confident that with our continued commitment to strategic partnerships and the collective impact model that violence will continue to trend downward.

– Supervisor, Luis Alejo

I. Introduction

Much has happened since the Salinas Comprehensive Strategy for Community-wide Violence Reduction was drafted in 2013. The narrative in Salinas has changed dramatically since then, as reflected in the City’s updated vision statement: “A peaceful and thriving community achieved through equity.” Salinas has seen a shift from a focus on “at risk” youth perpetrating gang violence, to a strength-based approach, involving youth and residents in the improvement of their community. The City, County and community-based organizations have all contributed to a dramatic decline from the extraordinarily high levels of violence experienced in 2007. Since then, violent crime has dropped by 40% and the rate of violent assaults of youth has dropped by 57%!

The impact of gang violence has been powerful, including the loss of family members, increased medical costs, declines in academic achievement and stalled economic development. As we move forward from these years of violence, both root causes and community strengths to address these problems have been revealed: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), structural racism and housing instability have emerged as root causes of community violence. In response, community strengths have emerged to tackle these new challenges, such as the growth of the Community Alliance for Safety and Peace (CASP) and Building Healthy Communities (BHC), the Health Department’s teen dating violence prevention work in the high schools, a more prominent role for youth in making community change and the collective impact of many agencies aligned around shared goals to reduce violence.

SINCE 2007 violent crime is down 40%

57% SALINAS CITY VISION: A peaceful and thriving community achieved through equity

SINCE 2007 rate of violent youth assulats is down