La Luz Executive Director Voices Concerns in Letter to the Community

The following letter was sent by Leonardo Lobato, Executive Director of La Luz.

Dear La Luz Family,

Intensified immigration enforcement actions in Southern California and other regions have upended lives and sent waves of fear through families throughout the Latino community nationwide.

Sonoma Valley has not yet been directly targeted. However, we are deeply feeling the ripple effects. Parents in our community are questioning whether it’s safe to walk with their children. Workers are hesitating to show up for their jobs. Ailing neighbors are forgoing medical care. The possibility of being separated from loved ones overnight is not just frightening—it is traumatic.

At La Luz, we stand firm in our mission to create opportunities and conditions for the most vulnerable individuals and families in our community to step into their own power and protect what matters most to them. With the support of our partners, donors, and the broader Sonoma Valley network, we are taking action to ensure our Latino neighbors have the information, resources, knowledge, and confidence to face this moment with dignity and strength.

Every member of our staff is actively sharing know your rights information with our clients. Our Direct Services team is working one-on-one with families—listening with compassion, answering questions, and helping parents create emergency plans to ensure their children and loved ones are protected in the event of separation.

We are also working with trusted legal service partners across Sonoma Valley and Sonoma County to expand access to naturalization assistance and immigration relief programs for eligible individuals.

Thanks to the generosity of those who have contributed to the efforts described above, we are now ramping up to reach as many Latino families in Sonoma Valley as possible, building on the groundwork we began in November and intensified in January. With this new support, we are scaling up our work even further—bringing resources, information, and support directly to our neighbors that need it most.

Our aspiration is clear: to reach every Latino household in Sonoma Valley with resources that defend what matters most—family, dignity, and living without fear.

At the same time, we continue to deliver our core strategic programs that support the most vulnerable members of Sonoma Valley. These include basic-needs services, family services, English as a second language (ESL) classes for adults, support for entrepreneurs and small business, and parent and child early education.

To all of you who stand with us—thank you. Your support elevates our work and brings hope to our neighbors. If you have a wish to further support our efforts, call our office anytime. Together, we are La Luz. Together we are a stronger Sonoma Valley community.

In deep gratitude,
Leonardo Lobato
Executive Director