My Community Partner

Citizens play a huge role with my community partner. At Potrero Nuevo Farm they rely heavily on volunteerism. The Potrero Nuevo Farm provides charity to the citizens of Half Moon Bay. They also work in partnership with the Half Moon Bay Catholic Workers. The Farm donates the use of its land, harvest support, use of farm equipment and other materials to the Catholic Workers and that in turn feeds the low income and homeless.


The citizens and Potrero Nuevo Farm interact when people volunteer. They also interact through a program called U-Pick where people can harvest their own vegetables, berries, herbs and flowers. Potrero Nuevo Farm also host an educational program for Pilarcitos High School's 'Coyote Farms Project' and they offer farm tours to community groups.


Without the participation of citizens the farm wouldn't be able to operate in the way it does. The whole reason the farm exists is to help the citizens in the communities surrounding it.

State and Local Relations

There is tension between the state and local levels of government because the state gives their local governments different types of authority. This causes some of the local governments to turn to legislature for approval to act which hinders their ability to rule. Local governments want their states to provide them with adequate funding and ample discretion. Also state and local governments don't necessarily agree on mandates. States believe that mandates are necessary to ensure that vital activities are performed and desirable goals are achieved. On the other hand local governments don't necessarily disagree with them, but they feel like they aren't needed for every aspect of policies. State and local governments also bump heads when it comes to money. The local governments will always within the constraints of their state governments on this matter, so it causes a lot of tension. The local governments want more money and more control over how it is being spent. This tension is healthy for our political system overall because it is subject to constant adjustment. Some issues or problems require a statewide, uniform response, while others are particular concern of a single local jurisdiction. The tension keeps the governments working. "There needs to be a state coordinating mechanism, but it needs to be sensitive to the local context"(pg. 252).

Blog Post #1

     My 1st choice community partner is Maple Street Shelter. The shelter provides temporary housing for men and women. This shelter helps these adults get on their feet and get their lives back on track. I think there was probably a problem with homelessness in the area. The local government probably tried to help with the problem of homelessness, but were unable to actual do something. The Maple Street Shelter is under the Inn Vision Shelter Network. I don't think that the shelter is constrained by federal policies because they rely on donations from the public and volunteer work. 

First Post

Here's my blog!!! :)