Listos California is a statewide initiative funded by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) to build disaster resilience among the state’s most socially vulnerable populations. Through grassroots partnerships, bilingual resources, and culturally responsive tools, Listos California empowers communities—particularly those historically excluded from traditional emergency preparedness efforts—to act before, during, and after disasters.
Since 2019, CERV has led four innovative Listos California projects focused on utilizing trusted messengers to reach the most vulnerable people in Monterey County, and has just launched its fifth Listos project, expanding into Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties. Over the past six years, CERV has consistently proven itself as a trusted partner supporting disaster readiness and recovery for vulnerable communities in Monterey County.
Project #1: 2019–2021 Countywide Initiative
CERV led a 19-month countywide initiative to boost emergency readiness among the county’s most vulnerable groups—including older adults, farmworkers, homeless women, people with disabilities, and non-English-speaking families. CERV:
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Distributed subgrants to 15 local grassroots nonprofits, empowering them to tailor outreach and training to their communities.
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Mobilized peer-to-peer networks to build trust and deliver culturally relevant preparedness education.
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Conducted over 29,000 COVID-19 communication outreach activities.
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Provided materials in Spanish, Mixteco, ASL, and English.
Impact highlights:
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Reached over 30,000 residents with accessible, equity-driven preparedness resources.
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Partnered with subgrantees to create and deliver Health & Communication Passport webinars in Spanish and English.
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Strengthened the capacity of grassroots organizations to serve Access and Functional Needs (AFN) populations.
Project #2: 2021–2023 Building Inclusive Disaster Resilience
CERV continued to focus on equipping Monterey County’s most socially vulnerable communities with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to prepare for disasters—using trusted messengers, culturally relevant materials, and peer-led engagements.
Priority Populations:
Farmworkers and migrant families, seniors, families with children with disabilities, and young people from multilingual households.
CERV provided technical assistance and peer education tools to its grassroots partners, who conducted community tabling at fairs, festivals, churches, and senior centers, enrolled residents in Alert Monterey County, and facilitated workshops on wildfire, flooding, and power outages.
Project #3: 2023–2024 Target Communities Preparedness Project
This project also engaged high-risk populations in Monterey County, including older adults, people with disabilities, immigrants, and farmworker families.
Achievements included:
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Delivered 45+ in-person trainings, Go Bag distributions, and safety planning sessions.
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Completed over 45,000 engagements.
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Materials provided in English, Spanish, and Mixteco.
Project #4: 2024–2025 Youth Disaster Readiness & Leadership Project
Designed to cultivate a new generation of preparedness champions, this youth-driven initiative is engaging young people—many of them from farmworker families or with disabilities—across Monterey County.
Achievement examples:
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5,786 engagement actions recorded via the Cal OES tracking dashboard.
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Introduced Seaside High school students to first responder careers.
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Young people with disabilities creating disaster preparedness videos.
Project #5: 2025–2026 North Coastal Regional Preparedness Project
Serving Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito counties, this project will address language and accessibility barriers to disaster preparedness information across rural and coastal communities. It will serve seniors, young people, farmworkers, families with children with disabilities, and other groups among the most vulnerable.
Program Impact
To date, CERV has raised over $1.7 million for Monterey County Listos projects and recorded close to 100,000 individual engagements over six years.
CERV’s Listos California initiatives are more than public education campaigns—they’re trust-building efforts grounded in human connection and cultural humility. By meeting people where they are, honoring lived experience, and designing with—not just for—communities, CERV is trying to help build a disaster-ready Central Coast that leaves no one behind.
“CERV’s work in Monterey County exemplifies the power of peer-to-peer outreach and culturally relevant preparedness.”
— Listos California Impact Report, 2021
“CERV’s model empowered grassroots organizations to tailor disaster readiness to the lived realities of farmworkers, elders, and families with disabilities.”
— Listos California Campaign Summary
