PLAN has new ally

The Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN), a coalition of 32 groups in the state, has gotten some help by linking up with the Alliance for a Just Society (AJS), a Seattle-based organizing and research organization. PLAN director Bob Fulkerson said he hopes the connection will enhance his group’s political clout.

“Organizing in Nevada can be lonely,” according to Fulkerson. “We’re not generally connected to larger national social justice movements like groups are in populous coastal states. So we try to make alliances with national organizations that match our values and provide us access to greater analytical tools, funding, ideas and other resources we don’t have here in Nevada. Also, I’ve known the AJS director, Lee Ann Hall, for more than 25 years, since we began our organizing careers at the same time. I deeply admire her work.”

AJS, also known as the Northwest Federation of Community Organizations, trains community groups in policy development and research. It is active in Washington, Oregon, Montana and Idaho.

Last week in Idaho after the state government painted an optimistic jobs picture, AJS reported that 53 percent of jobs in the state do not pay enough for a single adult to make ends meet, and that 75 percent of jobs don’t pay enough for single parent homes.

AJS is also involved in seeking fairer treatment for homeowners in foreclosure proceedings around the west.