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I am a resident in Paramount, CA and a doctoral candidate at the
University of California focusing on environmental justice issues
in Southeast Los Angeles.  I hope everyone can acknowledge that
there is gross imbalance between those in attendance being paid to
advocate for industry and virtually all of the disadvantage
residents who live in the more than 100 environmental justice
communities in CA who can't be here today.  Many vulnerable
community members do not have the capacity or awareness to yet
fully understand the environmental harms that CARB is trying to
protect them from, and they also may not have the luxury of an
employer to pay for their attendance today.

Many statements made in support of industry fail to present
arguments that indicate they've thought about environmental justice
beyond their own self-serving perspectives and individual
identifications such as, "I've been working at this company for X
number of years", "I like my job" "I'm good at my job", "I'm x
years old and still healthy and alive", etc. etc.   It is clear
from many of the statements today that environmental justice not
understood within a larger societal context.   

It is also tragic that employees are being paraded today on behalf
of industry to downplay the harmful environmental conditions that
environmental justice scholars and scientists have identified for
decades. 

Frontline communities are at the real victims here, and thank you
CARB for standing up for those who can't speak for themselves
today.