A dedicated group of community activist come together to establish a vision and plan for impacting their community. The Chicano Federation of San Diego County, Inc. is born.

1974 was the Federation's first Latino voter registration drive, the same year we expanded our mission to include social services for the Latino community. On behalf of Latinos, the Federation filed a class action employment discrimination lawsuit against the County of San Diego. The County entered into a consent decree, with the Federation assigned oversight to County employment policies. The consent decree was dissolved in 1996, when all parties agreed the County had successfully opened employment opportunities for minorities and women; mandates, however, remain in place for Latino employment.

By 1980, the political climate had considerably changed, and the Federation reorganized, incorporating new programs and priorities. In 1984 we purchased an administration building at 610 22nd Street in the Sherman Heights neighborhood and a new era of services began.

During the 1980s, many of the Federation's flagship programs were developed, including affordable housing, the Leadership Training Institute, senior services and pro bono legal clinic. Community activism continued, as it does today, in major policy issues and civil rights. The Federation sponsored the "Latino Summit 2000" conference, which developed community and political strategies with the Latino community. Similar conferences targeted to specific disciplines (such as education and child care) remain an essential element of the Federation's mission.

At the beginning of this decade, the Federation took a major issue to the courts, successfully challenging at-large City elections for the City of San Diego council districts, filing a Voting Rights Act lawsuit against the County, joined a Federal lawsuit to stop implementation of Proposition 187, and secured a restraining order against a self-anointed Citizens Patrol, questioning citizenship of travelers at San Diego's Lindbergh Field Airport.

In 1993, our vision of creating affordable housing became a reality when the first tenants moved into Vista Serena Senior Housing Project. In 1996 Barrio Senior Villas was completed. Since then, four new acquisitions have been completed and we have established ourselves as a leader in the development of affordable housing. Our housing projects have been widely acclaimed, receiving honors for design and community development.

During this decade the Federation joined a lawsuit to stop implementation of Proposition 187 and successfully prevented the County of San Diego from dissolving a Federal Consent Decree, which opened employment opportunities for women and minorities. We also obtained a restraining order against the U.S. Citizens Patrol, a group that harassed Latinos at San Diego's airport by questioning their citizenship.

In 1996, the Federation spearheaded a national Latino Unity Summit attended by more than 40 national, state and local organizations to promote citizenship and voter registration drives. Other activities in the late 1990's included sponsorship of the Latino Education Summit to chart a strategy to empower parents and to promote accountability in public education; and co-sponsorship of a Latino Health Conference to develop policy recommendations for improving health care services for Latinos.

By the end of the decade, the Federation expanded its housing portfolio to nine affordable housing complexes, opened two center-based preschools, and received $1.1 million in welfare-to-work contracts to assist CalWorks recipients develop job skills and secure employment.