Dear Friends and Neighbors of Arden Arcade, 

My name is Jay Martinez, newly elected President for the Advocates for Arden Arcade. I step into this role for you--our local residents, small businesses, and all who call our unincorporated community home. Our County faces many challenges today, from homelessness to housing and much more. Yet our County Supervisor has said to the public that the County is not up to the job. While I applaud his honesty, I think there are better ways. Our organization’s mission-driven goals for 2026 include support for safer neighborhoods, local economic prosperity, and smart land use decisions. Arden Arcade and our neighboring unincorporated areas can find success if enough voices decide to make a change for the better, working in collaboration with our local government agencies where possible.  

Last summer we held a series of small group meetings that indicated strong desires for local control and a willingness to resume the community discussions about incorporation that we held prior to Covid. We formed a news steering committee and resubmitted the necessary paperwork to maintain our status as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. We heard from people in nearby unincorporated areas like Carmichael and Old Foothill Farms that someone needed to speak up for their communities as well. Also, Supervisor Desmond told us that he is open to wider conversations about incorporation, adding that he needs to hear from residents of the broader area. As long as people want to, we are willing to step up for our neighboring unincorporated communities along with Arden Arcade and we invite them to join with us. 

For the short term, we intend to host candidate forums for the 2026 midterms, beginning with the June primary election. We believe voters in our unincorporated communities should know where candidates stand on local control and other issues that directly impact the residents and businesses here. We intend to invite all candidates for offices that directly bear on our immediate areas because our communities deserve elected officials who will be receptive to issues that matter where we live and work. We are pleased that other organizations in the community are willing to partner with us in that effort - we will post details on our website and on social media. We also plan to host larger community meetings in the future to explore possibilities for local control, so please keep an eye out and attend if possible!  

For the longer term, we are hopeful that a Community Foundation will be established to promote the community and to assist individuals, families and entrepreneurs, as has been done successfully in other communities that seek to become incorporated. Further, we anticipate the formation of a new 501(c)(4) organization that can campaign for municipal incorporation. Along the way, we will continue our role of providing information to help people understand their local governance and alternatives. 

Above all, we know and appreciate the importance of local control. We would love to have more people step up and help with our work towards achieving that end. With greater participation, we can move more quickly towards the bright future our unincorporated communities deserve. Please email us at advocatesforardenarcade@gmail.com if you would like to help in any way. We are grateful to our community for the honor of being of service. With my colleagues, I am anticipating a productive 2026 for the people of our great community!