OCCCO: OUR STORY

Inspired by their faith, along with a deep commitment to social justice, Fathers John Baumann and Jerry Helfrich started an organization called PICO in Northern California that adopted a neighborhood organizing focus. After a few years, their model transformed from neighborhood to faith-based organizing, working with congregations.
PICO and its affiliates operate within a congregation-based model of organizing. Orange County Congregation Community Organization (OCCCO) is a faith-based community organization working to strengthen families and improve neighborhoods.  We engage communities to shape public policy and build a legacy of leadership throughout Orange County.

Our vision is to organize communities where families thrive and people are empowered by their faith and knowledge, dedicated to seeking justice, and actively engaged in the civic process. In 1985, OCCCO became an affiliate of PICO.  Before that, OCCCO was the Santa Ana Neighborhood Organization (SANO).  OCCCO has been deeply rooted in Orange County for the past 30 years and is affiliated with PICO California and PICO National Network. We are a multi-faith and multicultural organization that champions immigrant rights and immigration integration, education policy, civic engagement, restorative justice, and homelessness policy in Orange County.

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