On December 4, 2018, CEJA hosted a webinar featuring three environmental justice experts to celebrate the release of our updated Green Zones Across California report, as well as our new CalGreenZones.org website.
You can view a recording of the webinar and the slide presentations below or read the full text transcript.
Download Video Recording: A Green Zones Webinar and Press Briefing
Slide Presentations:
Introduction to the webinar and Green Zones
Moderators Ericka and Tiffany provided background on the CEJA alliance, the goals of the Green Zones Initiative, and what’s new in CEJA’s 2018 report and website.
Carolina Martinez presentation (National City, EHC)
Carolina presented on EHC’s community-led work in the San Diego region, from the Westside Specific Plan to the first Health and EJ Element in California. Community-led planning in National City has also led to the development of over 200 affordable housing units through the Paradise Creek Affordable Housing Project, which will also produce a community park, bike paths, and community gardens along a restored creek area.
Chelsea Tu presentation (Southern San Joaquin Valley, CRPE)
Chelsea highlighted CRPE’s partnership with residents of Arvin, Lamont, and other communities in the southern San Joaquin Valley to build power “From the Ground Up.” Working together, communities passed a groundbreaking health protective oil and gas ordinance in the City of Arvin, and negotiated a good neighbor agreement with a recycling company that is bringing significant community investments.
Ashley Werner presentation (Fresno, Leadership Counsel)
Ashley described Leadership Counsel’s work alongside residents and partner organizations to advance South Fresno residents’ goals for healthy neighborhoods—neighborhoods that have the amenities and opportunities that residents need to thrive and to have a say in critical land use decisions that impact their lives. She discussed Leadership Counsel’s work on the 2035 General Plan Update, Zoning Ordinance Update, and Southwest Specific Plan, noting overarching opportunities and challenges to creating Green Zones in the City of Fresno and beyond.
Speakers:
Ericka Flores, Community Organizer, the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice (CCAEJ). Ericka.f@CCAEJ.org. Ericka works alongside Westside San Bernardino community leaders to hold decision-makers accountable and address various injustices within her community. Notable campaigns that Ericka has spearheaded include: pressuring Omnitrans to remove potentially explosive natural gas tanks, addressing the diesel pollution from the BNSF intermodal facility, and fighting warehouse proposals near schools and homes in Bloomington. She is a proud alumna of San Bernardino Valley College and holds a B.A degree in Sociology from California State University, San Bernardino.
Carolina Martinez, Policy Director at the Environmental Health Coalition. carolinam@environmentalhealth.org. In 2010, Carolina joined EHC as the Policy Advocate for National City’s Toxic-Free Neighborhood Campaign. In addition to earning M.A.s in Urban Planning and Latin American Studies, Carolina’s experience includes environmental justice policy advocacy, collaborating with community groups on cultural and social justice campaigns, and international labor rights.
Chelsea Tu, Senior Attorney at the Center for Race, Poverty & the Environment. ctu@crpe-ej.org. Chelsea collaborates with residents and community groups to bring land use decisions and infrastructure investments that benefit low-income communities of color in the southern San Joaquin Valley. She also coordinates the policy team at CRPE. Chelsea received her law degree from the American University Washington College of Law with a focus on environmental law, and completed her undergraduate work in environmental sciences at the University of California, Berkeley.
Ashley Werner, Senior Staff Attorney at Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability. awerner@leadershipcounsel.org. At Leadership Counsel, Ashley partners with communities in the San Joaquin and East Coachella Valleys to develop and lead legal and policy strategies that eradicate barriers to opportunity. She received her J.D. from Boston College Law School with a Certificate in Human Rights and International Justice, and her B.A. from Swarthmore College.