Who will be San Diego's next great City Councilmember? 

San Diego City Council District 9 is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the city. There are multiple candidates in the running to succeed Councilmember Marti Emerald and it's up to us to ensure that the next Councilperson is another champion for progressive values. We need a candidate who will stand up for working families, bring good jobs and housing to our neighborhoods and protect our health, government and right. 

That's why we're joining Engage San Diego and other local organizations to host a District 9 Candidate Forum on Wednesday, October 14 from 5 - 7:30 p.m., at Ly's Chinese Restaurant (4350 54th St, San Diego, 92115). Please join us. 

We've already told you what 35 years of EHC means to us. But we wanted to show you.

On Saturday, September 12, we hosted a community celebration to celebrate the community members, supporters, neighbors, friends and family that make 35 years of environmental and social justice possible. With great people, great food, great music and great weather we had the perfect day.

To view more photos from our celebration, visit us on Facebook.

We would also like to extend our gratitude to Cafe Moto for sponsoring our celebration and being a great supporter of the work EHC does. Thank you, Cafe Moto!

Old Town residents from National City are excited to work with the Port of San Diego to expand Pepper Park, the only public park in the area. Pepper Park currently represents less than two percent of the National City Marine Terminal and on Wednesday, September 23, residents proposed expanding the park by two acres to create more space for children and the community to play.

National City and the Port of San Diego have worked extensively to get us closer to a new vision for this precious park. Residents from Old Town National City have been participating in the planning process since 2010 and want to ensure that new vision will also provide meaningful public amenities beneficial to everyone, and on September 23 we achieved our goal of expanding the park by up to three acres.

Residents hoped to see Pepper Park grow enough to include a big enough area for pick-up games, just like the area in Cesar Chavez Park, and water fountains similar to those at the Waterfront Park in front of the San Diego County Administration Building. Residents wanted to ensure that open space available for public, active recreation opportunities isn’t compromised as maritime and tourism grow. 

Now, we look forward to an active and playful future for children of Old Town National City.

Thank you for helping us build #healthyhoods. 

Carolina Martinez

Policy Advocate

City Heights and National City are diverse, low income communities in the San Diego/Tijuana region of Southern California, with residents that include refugees and immigrants from over 60 countries. It is a region that is facing the impacts of climate change, including wildfires, heat waves, and water issues, and in some communities, air pollution and higher asthma rates.

The Environmental Health Coalition (EHC) works in the region to address environmental justice issues, and partnered with La Maestra Community Health Centers on a Creating a Climate for Health pilot project funded by the Public Health Institute. EHC built upon its “deep energy education” model to train La Maestra clinic staff and Promotores about the connections between climate change and health. EHC provided materials to help Promotores and staff communicate with patients about the connections, and it laid the groundwork to link both clinic personnel and patients/community members to opportunities to influence and advocate for San Diego’s Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Plan (CMAP). You can read more about this partnership on our brochure here. 

The EHC “deep education” approach starts by working from the concerns immediately relevant to community members, and showing how their actions make a difference for their families while also making a difference for the planet. In the case of energy, for example, Promotores showed families how they could save money by reducing their energy usage, teaching them to track kilowatts, turn lights off and change out light bulbs. Families saw immediate savings, while also knowing they were reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that cause “calentamiento global” [global warming]. “We put it like this to the communities we work with,” said EHC Campaign Director Leticia Ayala, “Do we want to do something? Or do we want to do nothing?”

We were proud to join over 250 other community leaders from across the state to celebrate visionary grassroots policy-making at California Environmental Justice Alliance's 2015 Congreso: People, Power, PolicyCongreso: People, Power, Policy. It was an honor to travel to Sacramento and lift up community-rooted solutions sprouting throughout the state and unite to grow the movement for vibrant and resilient communities. These are some of our favorite photos from the two-day event. 

Environmental Health Coalition Policy Advocate Carolina Martinez talks about toxic-free neighborhoods and building #healthyhoods. 

EHC Community Organizer Tuan Luu proudly works for energy equity for communities of all languages. 

Environmental Health Coalition Executive Director Diane Takvorian shares the strategies that built environmental justice victories in our communities. 

You can view more than one hundred photos from the 2015 Congreso on California Environmental Justice Alliance's facebook album. Learn more about the California Environmental Justice Alliance here.