San Diego-Area Environmental Justice Neighborhoods Recommended for Community Air Protection Program
SACRAMENTO – The Portside Environmental Justice Neighborhoods of San Diego, including Barrio Logan, West National City, Logan Heights and Sherman Heights, have been recommended as one of ten finalists for air quality monitoring under the Community Air Protection Program (CAPP), established by AB 617 (2017). The California Air Resources Board will hold a vote to approve the 10 finalists at its public meeting taking place on September 27th and 28th, in Sacramento.
AB 617 directs the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to identify community-driven actions to improve air quality and quality of life in neighborhoods disproportionately burdened by air pollution. This program is designed to empower local public health organizations, residents and community leaders to find solutions that meet their specific environmental challenges.
To that end, CARB staff have approved the Environmental Health Coalition for a $500,000 grant to monitor air quality, educate residents and provide leadership development to engage residents in community advocacy on air pollution issues. . The Environmental Health Coalition, led by Diane Takvorian, has been a trusted advocate for environmental justice in San Diego for nearly 40 years. If the Portside neighborhoods are approved next month, they would be one of ten communities to receive additional air monitoring and pollution reduction support, which will be determined at a future time.
“Air pollution is an invisible but undeniable burden on our Portside neighborhoods,” Senate leader Atkins said. “This funding will allow residents to precisely measure and map the air pollution in their community, and give local leaders the hard evidence they need to find solutions.”
“These neighborhoods suffer from severe environmental and health impacts resulting from poor air quality,” Takvorian said. “With appropriate education and technical assistance, we know that residents of these neighborhoods will make substantial progress towards AB 617’s goal of improving air quality in the most burdened communities.”
The Portside Environmental Justice Neighborhoods are home to approximately 53,000 residents, and have been identified as disadvantaged communities under California’s innovative CalEnviroScreen tool, which measures exposure to environmental hazards, poverty and other socio-economic factors.
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