It is time to take stock of El Paso’s broad-based effort to put community first.
Born in 2018, El Paso’s Community First Coalition (CFC) had its roots in skepticism over the manipulative wording of the 2012 Quality of Life bond and Social Justice Education Forum events. CFC co-founders presented the short book, Who Rules El Paso? Private Gain, Public Policy, and the Community Interest, in 2020. The CFC, as stated in a founding document on its webpage, is a “non-partisan network of organizations and leaders whose purpose is to empower the community.”
Climate Action
Voters approved a Climate Action Plan bond in 2022, providing $5 million to address climate issues. CFC and other civic-environmental groups followed the city’s planning and their initial consultant’s report. The city brought the plan to council in early 2024 with little community consultation. Their wish list sought support for non-climate issues such as the deck park and the Ysleta Port of Entry expansion.
Surprised at the move, CFC and other groups pushed back, calling for input from the community. After the city held three climate summits and many public comment sessions, a more focused draft plan, prepared in fall 2025, was submitted for public comment. Civic review resulted in hundreds of public comments for consideration in the final document presented to council on Nov. 18 and submitted on Dec. 1 to the EPA…