after moving permanently to san jose with her husband, she noticed that many of the chicano children in her community were missing immunizations. so, mendoza and upa began demanding the san jose city administrators to sponsor a mass immunization program. the city agreed, and many mexican american families showed up to the program to receive immunizations. the overwhelming influx of mexican americans prompted mendoza to demand a neighborhood clinic be set up in east san jose. however, the city administration did not agree to the health clinic, but instead provided bus transportation for families living in east san jose to travel to the closest clinic in the northern part of the city. unsatisfied with the response, mendoza and members of the upa began convincing families to refuse to use the city-sponsored bus transportation as a sign of protest. upa promised to provide free rides to families who needed to visit the clinic if they protested the use of the city buses. eventually, the city agreed to the opening of a neighborhood clinic in east side san jose, and as a result, the east valley medical center was opened.