People navigating the criminal legal system are often right at the cusp of relief.
With the Aug. 20 launch of the BRIDGE Foundation—a Santa Cruz-based nonprofit that uplifts adults and children navigating the criminal legal system—the divide separating them and a new future will narrow.
Edgar Rodriguez is one of 16 people who have been connected with resources from the BRIDGE Foundation, which was established on paper in March 2026.
Although the organization was created in March of this year, they launched in July after gathering more substantive fiscal support.
“The streets had the best of me for the last eight years.” Rodriguez said at the launch of the BRIDGE Foundation. “I’ve been clean now for eight months, and it feels better than any high that I’ve chased in the past.”
The organization provides small grants, the average being $75, along with necessities that people affected by the criminal legal system may need.
The Office of the Public Defender in Santa Cruz County spearheaded the creation of BRIDGE, and as of Aug. 20, launched the foundation publicly after operating in silence for several months.
“Our goals with the foundation were to close some of the gaps in community-based full-person defense that we’ve come across as we’ve built a new office,” said Public Defender Heather Rogers. “There were so many things that our clients needed, like work boots, a bus pass, a night hotel before treatment.”
She continued, “We’ve always had to say no, in the past, to these things that really make a big difference for the people we serve.”
In addition to being one of Roger’s clients, Rodriguez was also one of five presenters who spoke at the organization’s launch event, which was hosted in partnership with the Homeless Garden Project (HGP) at their farm on Schaffer Road. The story he shared about his own life reflects that of many Santa Cruz county locals who find themselves in the maze that is the criminal legal system, but lack the resources to find their way out.
“Some people don’t even have bus passes, or they’re stuck in the streets and don’t know where to go for guidance,” said Rodriguez. “The Bridge foundation speaks for itself, It can help them get there.”
Born and raised in Watsonville, Rodriguez grew up in a bustling household with two sisters and one brother. His parents were blue-collar workers in agriculture, construction and healthcare. When he was twelve years old, his family moved to Los Banos, marking a major turning point in his life.
A year later he had his first experience with the justice system.
“I first got arrested when I was thirteen,” said Rodriguez. “So from the age of 13 to the age of 17 I was on juvenile probation. I haven’t gotten off of probation until last year.”
Since then, Rodriguez has spent much of his time contributing to cultivation efforts with the Homeless Garden Project (HGP), a local nonprofit geared towards supporting unhoused individuals. HGP offers a myriad of resources for local communities, including fresh, low-cost produce, job training, transitional employment and more. Over 90% of the HGP trainees, like Rodriguez, have had encounters with the criminal legal system.
Rodriguez also has four kids, all of whom sat in the front row, phones held up to record, when he spoke at the BRIDGE Foundation launch. He shared moments from the darkest points of his life, including his experiences with substance abuse, and cherished memories of loved ones. He’s now eight months sober.
“The choices I’ve made, and still sometimes make, aren’t the smartest. But, I can say that my heart is good, and my soul is clean,” said Rodriguez.
Flanking his speech were speakers like Santa Cruz County Public Defender Heather Rogers, who co-founded the BRIDGE Foundation, and leaders affiliated with the Homeless Garden Project, the Second Harvest Food Bank, and the BRIDGE Foundation Board of Directors.
This organization is part of a greater initiative Rogers’ team is attempting to develop in the Santa Cruz area that not only provides resources for maneuvering through the criminal legal system, but also holistic, humanizing person-first defense practices.
Holistic defense isn’t new, but the way Rogers is building it in Santa Cruz is. Her model follows the work of the Bronx Defenders, a successful public defense nonprofit centered around holistic practices, and the work of County Park Friends, a Santa Cruz nonprofit focused on providing expansive access to parks, trails and nature programs. Now, in its post-launch-era, leadership of the BRIDGE Foundation have big dreams for the future.
“This is something that can scale,” said Rogers. “We were able to piggyback off of what they did, and ours is a little bit different, but it also has lots of similarities. The idea of a nonprofit that is sort of a friend of the Public Defender is something that could scale across the state and nation.”
The BRIDGE Foundation is starting small for now, but it has a plethora of supporters throughout the Central Coast region in its corner.
“Some of the folks we run into, they feel like they’re hopeless, they’ve got nowhere to go,” said Santa Cruz County Sheriff Chris Clark. “Having a foundation like this that’s giving folks a purpose, that’s the first step.”
Some attendees traveled great distances to be at the launch, like Sergio Zamudio, the Public Defender Investigator of Monterey County.
“We represent people who are often one step away from success,” said Zamudio.
Drawing on 26 years of experience, Zamudio noted that it is often the available resources that determine whether clients return to the criminal legal system or walk away.
“We’re not processing numbers. We’re not processing stats or names,” he said. “We’re extending a hand to an individual who, like Edgar, needed one step, one leg of support, and that’s what this is going to provide for our clients.”
Rodriguez has just one parting message for those who may need the BRIDGE Foundation, but haven’t found them yet.
“Don’t hesitate to ask for help,” he said. “Help is there. And for the people who would like to contribute, everybody needs a helping hand.”
He continued, “If you’re willing to open your hands out for people who need the help, I’m sure it’ll come back around in a good way.”
