National City has long struggled with polluting businesses operating next to homes and schools - emitting toxins that poison our air and make our children sick. National City is home to 32 million pounds of hazardous substances and 870,000 cubic feet of toxic or hazardous gases. In comparison, La Jolla has 3.8 million pounds of hazardous gases. National City asthma hospitalization rates are nearly double the county average.

The community worked to approve its Westside Specific Plan in 2010, a new plan to address the impact of polluting businesses operating too close to homes and schools in the neighborhood. On November 5, 2013, National City Council called for the gradual phase out of two businesses near Kimball Elementary School- Jose’s Auto Electric and Steve’s West Coast Automotive. Today, November 5, 2015, these businesses have relocated safely away from homes and schools.

Today, the children of National City can breathe cleaner air.

We believe that no one is more entitled to determine the future of a community than the people who live there. Residents of National City have worked for decades to build #healthyhoods for their families, and the relocation of these two businesses represents a momentous victory for the neighborhood and a tremendous step toward public health and environmental justice.