Daniel Rodela was still a child when he first visited Taft in the summer of 1994, but the image he encountered stayed with him for decades.

Near his uncle’s home, a sign posted outside a house read: “No Mexicans, no dogs, no Indians,” followed by a racial slur.

“That was my introduction to this place,” Rodela said. “It gave me an early glimpse of what people here were dealing with.”

Years later, Rodela returned to Kern County this time by choice and never left. 

Today, he serves as lead community organizer for Kern County with Faith in the Valley, a faith-based organizing group working across the region on immigration, housing, health care and economic justice.

He was introduced to Faith in the Valley through his wife, Sonya, who met a community organizer while interning at the Dolores Huerta Foundation. That connection led Rodella to organizing work focused on building relationships and helping communities speak with one voice.

“Community organizing is about building power,” Rodela said. “Power comes from relationships.”

Rodela was raised in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He said his faith shapes how he sees his work and the world around him.

“For me, faith isn’t just about church,” he said. “It’s about people and how they’re treated.”

He often points to a passage in the Bible’s Book of Matthew that teaches caring for “the least of these.” Rodela said that message calls people of faith to stand with those who are struggling.

That belief became especially important earlier this year, when immigration enforcement activity in West Kern County caused fear in immigrant communities. 

Rodela said residents reached out to Faith in the Valley before calling law enforcement or church leaders.

That trust was tested in February, when a group of farmworkers in Taft was stopped early one Sunday morning by officers wearing DEA vests. 

The officers said the men “matched the description of a criminal” and tried to make them get out of the car. The workers refused.

Rodela and other Faith in the Valley members arrived and questioned the stop. He said it looked like racial profiling. The workers told him they were afraid they would have been arrested if organizers hadn’t come.

The workers used red cards to protect themselves. These small cards explain people’s legal rights, like the right to remain silent and the right to refuse a search without a warrant. One worker held a card through the window, which surprised the officers. 

After a short standoff, the agents left without arresting anyone.

Rodela said the incident reinforced the importance of education, trust and rapid response, and why he volunteers with Faith in the Valley.

After those events, Faith in the Valley expanded its outreach efforts. While many groups focused on sharing basic immigration rights information, Rodela launched a Community School of Faith and Power.

The weekly classes were taught in Spanish and covered topics such as the U.S. Constitution, how the government works and labor rights. About 80 people attended, many of them farmworkers and indigenous residents.

Labor rights with ALRB. 

The classes were held at Taft United Methodist Church. Pastor Cindy Schneider opened each session with prayer. Participants also shared personal experiences and talked openly about their fears.

Some of the participants were the same farmworkers who were stopped by immigration agents in Taft in February, Rodela said.

“People who went through these experiences became leaders,” Rodela said.

Immigration prayer vigil. 

Faith in the Valley also hosted a week of free mental health support. A licensed counselor and pastor offered one-on-one and family sessions to help people deal with fear and stress related to immigration enforcement. More than 20 people received support.

“Education alone isn’t enough,” Rodela said. “People also need care.”

The organization also worked on housing issues in Taft. Volunteers met with unhoused residents and listened to their concerns. That information was used to push for changes in the city’s housing plan, which guides future housing decisions.

As part of those efforts, Taft adopted a program requiring public meetings on housing and homelessness twice a year, something the city had not done before.

Housing Justice at Taft City Hall. 

In Arvin, Faith in the Valley supported mobile home park residents who are asking the city to pass a rental stabilization ordinance. Organizers say the goal is to protect tenants from large rent increases that state law does not currently limit.

Rodela said the approach is always the same: listen first.

“The best ideas come from the people living the problem,” he said.

Meeting with vecinos unidos Arvin and the mayor about mobile home park housing justice.

Faith in the Valley’s local work is part of a larger statewide network called PICO California. This year, the network held hundreds of house meetings across the state to hear directly from residents.

Those meetings showed that people are most concerned about immigration, housing, the economy, health care and the environment.

The year ended with Seeds of Hope events in McFarland and Taft, where more than 100 people attended each gathering. The events focused on community, shared stories and ways to stay involved.

Rodela said the events showed what happens when people come together.

“It’s about planting seeds and watching them grow,” he said.

Seeds of Hope event in Taft. 

Looking ahead to 2026, Faith in the Valley plans to bring together more than 300 community leaders to help set priorities for the organization’s statewide work.

Rodela said anyone who wants to be involved is welcome.

“There’s space for people who want to do more,” he said. “You don’t have to do this work alone.”