Posters on Gentrification and Resistance

On April 26, EHC and City Heights CDC co-hosted an exhibition of posters on gentrification and resistance. Produced across the world over the last 60 years, the posters are powerful visual testaments to the ongoing resistance against gentrification, displacement, and homelessness. The Spanish caption on one poster translates, “Every human being deserves a decent home.” The right to live, work, and play in a safe, healthy and equitable community is a central tenet of EHC’s work in City Heights and across the region, #HealthyHoods #HereToStay

Check out the posters!

Select pictures from the April 26 event:

Reclaim! Remain! Rebuild! was funded by The California Endowment, California Arts Council, City of Los Angeles, Department of Cultural Affairs, with additional support from the Getty Grant Program, and the Los Angeles County Arts Commissio

The American Planning Association (APA) selected EHC’s Policy Director, Carolina Martinez to receive their 2019 National Planning Excellence Award for Advancing Diversity & Social Change. The award is a testament to Carolina’s commitment and the resolve of community members such as Lorena Chavez and Adriana Mecina to advance the Paradise Creek housing development project in National City.

From educating community members to identifying funding and partnership opportunities, Carolina worked alongside of the resi-dents to ensure a community-driven process that resulted in Paradise Creek, a 201-unit, affordable housing complex on a remediated brownfield site. #healthyhoods

Environmental Health Coalition worked closely with the non-profit affordable housing organization, Community Housing Works, to bring fiscal resources, housing expertise and community priorities together to make the project possible.

Read the full press release

Carolina received the award at the annual APA conference on April 15, 2019 in San Francisco:

Wendy Shabay, AICP, 2019 Awards Jury Chair is in the photo together with Carlton Eley.

Photos courtesy of APA, photo by The Photo Group.

In December 2018, San Diego City Council adopted an EHC-supported resolution that directs heavy-duty diesel trucks to use Harbor Drive as the designated truck route to avoid passing through Barrio Logan residential areas and accessing the freeways.

Enforcement is the key to ensuring that heavy-duty trucks do not pollute streets where people live, learn and play.

EHC applauds the City of San Diego for posting new truck route signs on Harbor Drive, as well as signs that identify Barrio Logan streets where trucks are now prohibited. We urge the city to continue implementing the resolution with enhanced police enforcement, community input, and a full audit of older, faded truck signs.

The San Diego Police department welcomes community input and feedback on the new truck signs and route enforcement efforts at their monthly meetings:

Central Division Community Meetings

Captains Advisory Board Meetings
Meetings are held at 6PM every 4th Thurday.

2501 Imperial Avenue
San Diego, CA 92102

Wayfinding signs on Harbor Drive and 32nd Street signaling freeway access outside of the core of Barrio Logan

 Wayfinding signs on Harbor Drive along the truck route. These signs are larger and easily visible by truck operators.

Wayfinding sign on Cesar Chavez and Harbor Drive signaling the truck route for trucks leaving the Port of San Diego.

AB 423 Approved by Assembly Committee.

It is unacceptable that some San Diego communities face a human cancer risk of 300 per million because of air pollution. Last week we asked you to demand clean air for all San Diegans by reforming the governing board of the San Diego Air Pollution Control District (APCD).

Thank you for taking action, your voices were heard in Sacramento.

AB 423, an EHC sponsored bill by Assemblymember Todd Gloria, has passed the first step of the legislative process in the California State Assembly. If passed into law, the legislation ensures that San Diego will have an APCD board with diverse representation from every city to address the most urgent air pollution needs.

Elected officials across San Diego County are stepping up to support AB 423. Read letters of support from:

• Georgette Gomez – President, San Diego City Council
• Olga Diaz – Councilmember, Escondido City

Testifying in support of the bill in Sacramento yesterday, National City Mayor Alejandra Sotelo-Solis said:

“We need your help to enable National City and all of the 18 cities in San Diego County to participate in improving air quality. We want a seat at the table. Our perspectives and insights into local air pollution sources are unique and valuable.”

We need a massive shift in the way we fight air pollution in San Diego and it is critical that legislators continue to hear your voices as we urge them to pass AB 423 into law. If you have not signed our petition yet, please take action now and Demand Clean Air For All San Diegans.

HELP SPREAD THE WORD ON SOCIAL MEDIA

More AB 423 Resources

EHC Letter of Support
AB 423 Official Fact Sheet

At Environmental Health Coalition (EHC), we fight for environmental and social justice with the help of our community volunteers. One of the many ways you can get involved in our work is through our internship program, which introduces students to the inner workings of our environmental justice nonprofit.

Similar to other small nonprofit organizations, our departments have one staff member in charge of juggling many moving parts at once. For example, in Fund Development, Individual Giving is responsible for donor relations and events, and it is very important to have an updated database, an eye for detail, and timely responses to manage and maintain donor relations. That’s where our fund development interns come in – helping EHC to better meet our fundraising goals by splitting up tasks in a more efficient manner.

In 2018, Hannah MacDougall helped manage our summer fundraising efforts, encouraging people to commit to monthly donations to EHC, which took organizational skills and constant communication. Thanks to her positive attitude, persistence and dedication, EHC has secured an additional $6,800 in pledges for the fiscal year in monthly gifts – providing our grassroots teams with the time, funds and dependability to bring justice to the lives of hundreds of families in our region. Thank you, Hannah!

(EHC team and Fund Development Intern Hannah MacDougall, pictured front right.)

We caught up with Fund Development Intern Hannah to learn more about her experiences as an intern at EHC.

How did you get involved at EHC?

In college, I took an environmental justice (EJ) class; before then, I had never heard of this concept. I was double majoring in environmental studies and political science. I had chosen those two majors so I could hopefully work where the two subjects intersect. EJ was the perfect fit! After I realized that EJ may have been the path I was searching for, I began to do more research in San Diego and EHC stood out.

What have you learned from this internship?

I have learned so much about data management and databases, as well as City Heights, Barrio Logan, and National City as EJ communities. Some of the biggest insights I learned during my internship were by listening to others talk about EJ events or issues in the community that I was not aware of – and probably wouldn’t be if it wasn’t for EHC.

What would you advise others looking to get involved in EJ?

Get involved at EHC. It is a great place for an internship. Everyone here is welcoming, and it is the best place to get your foot in the door and explore what the fight for EJ looks like in San Diego’s communities.

If you or someone you know is looking for similar internship opportunities, contact Individual Giving Director Giuliana Schroeder at Esta dirección de correo electrónico está siendo protegida contra los robots de spam. Necesita tener JavaScript habilitado para poder verlo..