Comment Log Display

Chair Liane M. Randolf
Members of the Board
California Air Resources Board
1001 I Street
Sacramento, CA 95812

Support:  AB 627 Selection of East Oakland as a Priority Community
for Community Emission Reduction Planning

January 31, 2022


Dear Chair Randolf and Members of the Board,


On behalf of the Rose Foundation for Communities and the
Environment, I write to express our strong support for the
selection of East Oakland as a priority community to develop a
Community Emission Reduction Plan under Assembly Bill 617.  

For more than a decade, the Rose Foundation's New Voices Are Rising
program has worked with high school and college age youth who live
in East Oakland and/or attend school in East Oakland.  Over the
years, many of our students have dealt with recurring asthma
flare-ups, or have watched family members or friends deal with
them.  In that time, our East Oakland students have consistently
expressed deep concern about the health impacts of air pollution in
their community.

Our East Oakland students' concerns about poor air have grown over
the past few years, when wildfire smoke has added to the ongoing
pollution burdens they experience:  from industrial sources like
the AB & I Foundry and Nautilus Society Crematorium; from the
nearby airport; from heavy truck traffic on the 880 freeway and on
truck routes that run through the neighborhoods; and from freight
trains paralleling the freeway that carry goods from all over the
country.  The COVID 19 pandemic has only added more reasons to be
concerned. East Oakland has been hit particularly hard by the
pandemic; the 28-day average test positivity rate for the East
Oakland 94621 zip code currently exceeds 30% - considerably higher
than the 22.5% 7-day average statewide positivity rate at the most
recent peak. 

The intense fire seasons of the past several years, and the choking
smoke that has blanketed their community have also ramped up the
level of concern that our students express about climate change. 
They are committed to finding ways to protect their community from
damage
from heatwaves, power disruptions, and smoke events while also
reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving local air quality. 
Their commitment needs to be reflected in a truly community-driven
emission reduction plan as well.

East Oakland needs a community-driven emission reduction plan that
will make it possible for East Oakland residents, including East
Oakland youth, to chart a path to healthy air and a livable future.
 We strongly endorse the Bay Area Air Quality Management District's
nomination of East Oakland to be among the next round of California
communities to develop a Community Emission Reduction Plan.

Thank you for your time and attention.


Sincerely,
 
Jill Ratner
Board President and Senior Program Adviser
Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment. 
jratner@rosefdn.org / 510914-9229