People Acting in Community Together (PACT)

Background

People Acting in Community Together was founded in 1985 in San Jose, California as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. It is an affiliate of Faith in Action (formerly the PICO Network), a national network of left-leaning faith-based community organizations headquartered in Oakland, California. ^{1 2}

Policy

People Acting in Community Together “demands” the creation of an investigative wing of the City of San Jose’s Independent Police Auditor, which would conduct investigations into alleged instances of police wrongdoing that are now investigated by the San Jose Police Department’s office of Internal Affairs. To that end, the organization also demands the funding and hiring of three investigators in this proposed wing by June 2024. ³

The organization also supports SB 567, the Homelessness Prevention Act, introduced by California State Senator Maria Elena Durazo (D-CA) on February 15, 2023 and signed into law on September 30, 2023. Among other things, the legislation lowers the annual rent cap to 5 percent or the annual increase in the Consumer Price Index (whichever is lower) and provides clarifications to the allowable no-fault just cause for evictions. ^{3 4}

Activity

In December 2018, People Acting in Community Together along with Somos Mayfair, a local organization in East San Jose, organized residents of the San Jose, California, community to speak at a meeting of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in favor of closing the Reid-Hillview Airport. ⁵

In September 2023, PACT civic engagement director Samantha Evans along with the Billy DeFrank LGBTQ Community Center announced plans to organize a community meeting to oppose efforts to limit LGBT material in school curriculums and to require schools to inform parents when their child has changed their name or gender. ⁶

Members

Member organizations of People Acting in Community Together include a variety of religious organizations from different denominations based in or near San Jose, California, such as the Alum Rock United Methodist Church, Bible Way Christian Center, Congregation Shir Hadash, Emmanuel Baptist Church, La Trinidad United Methodist Church, Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church San Jose, Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Saint John Vianney Catholic Church, Saint Mary’s Catholic Parish of Gilroy, Saint Paul’s United Methodist Church, Stone Church of Willow Glen, Temple Emanu-El of San Jose, and Westminster Presbyterian Church. ⁷

Leadership

Ray Montgomery

Ray Montgomery has been the executive director of People Acting in Community Together since September 2019. Previously, Montgomery was a commissioned officer in the United States Navy, serving as a chaplain. ^{8 9 10}

Mark Teagle

Mark Teagle is a co-chair of PACT’s board of directors as well as the director of spiritual formation, community engagement, and music at the Wesley United Methodist Church. Previously, Teagle was a music director for the San Jose Children’s Musical Theater, a primary music teacher in the Cupertino School District, a director of music ministries at First Presbyterian Church in Santa Cruz, director of music and engagement ministries at Good Samaritan UMC, and a music teacher at Carden Day School. ^{11 10}

Aurora Solis

Aurora Solis is a co-chair of PACT’s board of directors as well as an associate in the San Jose, California office of BLP, a law firm specializing in helping clients do business with companies based in South America. ¹²