Some colonias residents, such as Pedro Rangel, who has lived in Cameron Park since 1965, have experienced the strength of political action firsthand: "Back in the sixties, there was no water, no sewers, and no streets. If it rained, you were not getting out, unless there were six people pushing your car. Things started to change about seven years ago. Before, nobody knew what voting was all about. People said, 'What for? Nothing will change.' We learned how much power we had. Politicians said, 'Well, there are nine hundred people voting in Cameron Park. Let's hear what they've got to say.' As soon as we started voting, we got the paved streets, water, and sewers that we had been denied. They listen to us now."