On October 19, 32 participants joined our BarrioLive! tour of Barrio Logan to highlight the environmental justice work we have collectively done. The tour explored past victories as well as the current challenges found in our community, giving guests the opportunity to learn about the issues in Barrio Logan and the more than thirty-year history of EHC's work in the community. Our guests learned about our dedicated Community Action Team Members who have been advocating for ways to improve the health of our community and heard directly from our community leaders about the work that they do to for environmental justice in our neighborhoods.

After the tour, EHC hosted more than 70 people for our mixer, including long time donors and new faces, as well as partners and sponsors Barrio Logan College Institute, San Diego Convention Center, Border X Brewing, and SD Green Drinks. City Councilmember David Alvarez  joined us and awarded a proclamation to long-time community leader Maria Martinez, while her son, Panchito Martinez spoke about his experience growing up in Barrio Logan -- bringing his perspective as a second generation environmental justice advocate. The meaningful relationships we have been able to nurture throughout the years continue to ignite our organization’s passion for this important work. Thank you for being invested in building #healthyhoods -- and we'll see you on the next BarrioLive! 

Barrio Logan is at a crossroads.

Our neighborhood has come far in the fight for environmental justice, yet we remain threatened by industrial pollution and resident displacement. By joining our BarrioLive! tour and making a contribution, you join us in our mission for a safe and healthy neighborhood.

What is BarrioLive?
Our guided neighborhood tour highlights the spirit and struggles of environmental justice in our community. You’ll meet residents and learn about the history, victories and challenges of Barrio Logan, such as:

• The shutdown of Master Plating
• The creation of the Chicano Community Herb Garden and Mural
• The transition of the Port’s Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal to non-polluting freight technology
• The impacts of discriminatory land use and zoning on the community

When is BarrioLive?
Join us on October 19 for the BarrioLive! Tour followed by a community mixer.

Tour: The tour will begin at 3:30 p.m. at Border X Brewing (2181 Logan Ave, 92113). Parking is tight in this area, but there is a parking lot in Chicano Park, just two blocks away. The tour includes a walking component of close to 20 minutes, so please wear comfortable shoes.

Mixer: The mixer will begin immediately following the tour, going form 5:30-7 p.m. at Border X Brewing. Guests can expect to enjoy vegetarian tacos, small snacks, beer and wine. There is a suggested contribution is $10/person for non-tour guests, and live music will play after 7 p.m. for guests who wish to stay longer. Thank you San Diego Green Drinks for partnering with us for our mixer.

Want to experience our BarrioLive! tour?
Seats are limited and go quickly, so please click here to reserve yours before we sell out.

Tickets are $100 and include the tour, tour packet, EHC water bottle, snacks, mixer admission and food and beverages. Your contribution directly supports our work to build a healthier Barrio Logan from the ground up.

For more information or interest in sponsorship, contact Giuliana Schroeder at 619.773.2132 Esta dirección de correo electrónico está siendo protegida contra los robots de spam. Necesita tener JavaScript habilitado para poder verlo..
We hope you can join us.

At a community meeting in City Heights, we listened as residents expressed how they feel watching our neighborhoods change and rents rise.

“We’re seeing families who have lived here for a long time spend most of their income on rent, without much left for other essentials,” says EHC Associate Director of Policy Carolina Martinez. “We’re finally seeing improvements in City Heights after decades of people going to City Hall to request infrastructure improvements. Unfortunately, the people who will enjoy it are not the people who have been fighting for it for so long.”

One of those leaders fighting against displacement in City Heights is Maria Esparanza.

“I’ve lived in City Heights for 44 years, but we were forced to move when they put a strip mall where my home was,” says Maria. “I’m asking myself if its good or bad, because the community looks good, but they’ve displaced the people who live here.”

To learn more about how to get involved in City Heights, click here.

For a long time, Barrio Logan needed an open space to cultivate community and healthy living. After years of listening to community requests, EHC worked with residents to plant and grow the Chicano Park Herb Garden.

At the root of the garden, our community understands that open spaces are vital to improving the health of our neighborhood. Now, local schools, organizations and residents have a place to experience nature in a hands-on way.

The Chicano Park Herb Garden serves its ultimate purpose as an open space for Barrio Logan families to enjoy and for visitors to appreciate nature. We think that’s a victory for #healthyhoods. For more information on how you can volunteer, email Esta dirección de correo electrónico está siendo protegida contra los robots de spam. Necesita tener JavaScript habilitado para poder verlo..

For many years, Maria Martinez has worked with EHC to bring environmental justice to her community of Barrio Logan. Now, her son Francisco has joined her. He recently spoke with KPBS about how his mother has inspired him with her commitment to the right of all people to live in a safe and healthy neighborhood. 

A 19-year old student at San Diego State University, Francisco joined EHC to advocate for a sustainable expansion of the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal in Barrio Logan.  

"Environmental justice, to me, means communities of all backgrounds regardless of status having access to clean air, clean water, fresh produce, open spaces, that will result in healthy families, thriving communities and ultimately a better world," Francisco told KPBS. 

Yesterday, the Port of San Diego adopted a plan to expand the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal in a sustainable way to protect public health and the quality of life for our communities.

More than 500 community members successfully urged The Port to reduce pollution and incorporate community benefits into Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal expansion. Thanks to you, our voices were heard.

Because of your efforts, the official Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal expansion plan now includes:

• Maximum cargo throughput that is 25 percent less than in the original plan
• 36 new pieces of electric cargo handling equipment
• Mandatory equipment that captures and treats smokestack emissions for ships that cannot plug into shore side electricity
• Annual equipment inventory and technology review to identify new opportunities for emission reduction
• A renewable energy project on the terminal, such as solar panels on warehouse buildings, or an equivalent locally approved program for greenhouse gas reductions

Thank you for making our community voice heard. We look forward to working with The Port to support a historic plan that puts environmental justice first.

Dia de los Muertos is a cultural holiday honoring the lives of friends and family who have passed away. The day celebrates the lives of those lost rather than mourns their absence.

On November 2, EHC hosted the annual National City “Calaveritas” event at Paradise Creek Educational Park in the Old Town neighborhood of National City. “Calaveritas” translates to "little skulls." Kids and families decorated these sugar skulls, which are deeply rooted in Mexican tradition.

We created alters with photos, flowers and decorations dedicated to our loved ones who have passed away. Hundreds of homemade sugar skulls and decorative frosting were provided thanks to community organizer Monserrat Hernandez and community leaders Alicia Sanchez and Maria C. Villanueva.

While Port District plans a massive expansion of its operations and diesel emissions from the Tenth Avenue Terminal, the neighboring community of Barrio Logan has been ranked even higher in the newest draft of California’s environmental justice screening model, CalEnviroScreen.

The new draft version three of CalEnviroScreen, released September 6, confirms the pollution hazards and social vulnerabilities in the Barrio Logan/Logan Heights area.

Barrio Logan was already at the very top of the state in version two of CalEnviroScreen – the highest five percent of all 8,000-plus census tracts in the state. The newly released draft version shows diesel hazards a full 15 percentile points higher than previously estimated for this area. Heart attack risk – a new indicator in version three – is also high, given the relatively young age profile of the community. Asthma continues to be a prominent indicator of disadvantage in the community – Barrio Logan and Logan Heights rank even higher on the asthma indicator this time around. This version of CalEnviroScreen also includes unemployment data for Barrio Logan – which the previous version lacked for this area. Unsurprisingly, it’s high.

Another new indicator measures cost of living based on the “rent-adjusted income” – or, the average income households have left after paying rent. Areas with high housing costs and low incomes rank high on this indicator. Barrio Logan is at the 97th percentile – an alarming result that will not surprise anyone struggling with rising rents in the area.

This small community, the historic heart of Chicano art and life in San Diego, is under siege from pollution, high health burdens, high rents and high unemployment. The community needs clean air, affordable housing and good jobs. Barrio Logan children need to be able to play outside. Instead, they may be subjected to a 500 percent increase in emissions and truck traffic from Port operations at the terminal.

Another draft document just out – the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the redevelopment of the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal – indicates the community will not be getting a break anytime soon.

The draft EIR evaluates the impacts of a 500 percent increase in cargo volume coming through the terminal. All this cargo would mean more ships coming, more cranes and forklifts moving cargo, more trucks, more night-time light, more noise, as many as 800 more truck trips a day and a cancer risk estimate of 197 per million – about 20 times more than the level normally considered “significant.” All the extra diesel fuel burning would also generate a huge increase in planet-harming greenhouse gas emissions – a 540 percent increase – not even counting all the emissions generated from ships crossing the ocean to get here.

EHC will be working with community residents and the Port of San Diego to get a better outcome for Barrio Logan. We believe that, at a minimum, the Port must ensure that no net increase in pollution will occur from the redevelopment. Jobs generated from the project must be high quality, and every effort must be made to hire workers from the community. And greenhouse gas emissions must be offset by corresponding decreases on Port property or in the community. Stay tuned for action alerts as the issue moves forward.

Join us on December 13 at 1 p.m. at 3165 Pacific Hwy. to demand the Port be a good neighbor to our communities.

Click here to sign our petition to tell the Port of San Diego to take its plan back to the drawing board.

Joy Williams
Research Director
Environmental Health Coalition

Last month, community members joined us for a walking tour through Old Town National City. Together, we saw firsthand the problems our neighborhood faces and celebrated the progress we're making to find solutions.

We visited the construction site of affordable Paradise Creek apartments near a transit stop and a beautiful park. We walked the improved route to Kimball Elementary School, which has new safety features and no longer neighbors polluting industries across the street.

Thank you for joining us to make National City a beautiful, safe and healthy place we're proud to call our home.

Click here to see more photos of the inspiring community tour.

Recently, The Port of San Diego announced its plans to significantly expand the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal, located less than half a mile from Perkins Elementary School and residential neighborhoods in Barrio Logan. If approved, the project would bring hundreds of polluting trucks and ships to our communities every day, making our air increasingly hard to breathe and catalyzing the toxic pollution our communities already struggle with.

By expanding the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal without a plan to address the social and environmental impacts it will cause, the Port’s current plan would:

• Bring 800 more diesel trucks through our neighborhoods – per day. Added to existing and projected traffic, there may be over 30,000 truck trips per year through Barrio Logan.
• Increase toxic air pollution by 600 percent. A steady flow of diesel trucks through our neighborhoods is a disastrous hazard to our health.
• Catalyze climate change. A 540 percent increase in greenhouse gas pollution will virtually erase our progress in the fight against climate change.
• Disturb our neighborhoods with excessive noise. We don’t deserve hundreds of noisy trucks passing by our homes, schools and workplaces.
• Worsen traffic and parking problems. Barrio Logan needs better transit and safer streets, not more congestion.

You can use your voice to stop the Port from bringing more toxic pollution to Barrio Logan and developing the Tenth Ave. Marine Terminal in an irresponsible way that harms our communities.

Take action in three steps to tell the Port that we deserve better.

• Click here to sign the petition
• Click here to demand #healthyhoods on Twitter.
• Click here to learn more about the Port’s project.

Located in San Diego County’s second oldest city, Old Town National City remains a primarily low-income Latino neighborhood with evolving surroundings. Over the past 50 years, the community has changed from a mainly residential neighborhood to a mixture of auto-related businesses located around schools and homes. Auto-body shops in residential neighborhoods burden the health of the community by emitting toxic pollution into the air we breathe.

In 2005, our community decided to combat conflicting land use and bring health back to the community with a vision for a vibrant and toxic-free neighborhood. Our plans included affordable housing within walking distance of a transit center, construction that wouldn’t damage Paradise Creek and a healthy community park to replace polluted grounds.

After 11 years, the community’s vision has become a reality. Today, if you walk by the 24th blue line trolley station on 22nd street in National City, you will see 201 affordable Paradise Creek Apartment Homes under construction by Community Housing Works and Related California. Most recently, the project was awarded $9.2 million by the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Grant through California’s Cap-and-Trade program, which you can learn more about here. The first phase of construction will be completed in 2016 and 109 families will move into homes in December 2016.

This project, spearheaded by the community voice, has received recognition across the country including a national award from the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Transportation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Most importantly, the Paradise Creek Apartments set a precedent for low-income communities nationwide. National City neighbors identified the community’s needs and remained involved every step of the way.

Now, it’s your turn. Learn to become a leader in your community and make your voice heard to build a better environment to live, work and play in, because everyone deserves a healthy neighborhood.

By: Carolina Martinez, policy advocate at Environmental Health Coalition

As part of a master plan for developing the Chula Vista Bayfront, the Port of San Diego recently approved the Chula Vista Natural Resources Management Plan. This is the latest milestone in a community planning process that has been ongoing for at least two decades.

The plan is intended to protect and enhance fish and wildlife populations and habitats through environmental protection measures applicable to all development within the Chula Vista Bayfront project area.

Laura Hunter, longtime EHC policy advocate, served as chair of the wildlife advisory group that sheparded the plan to completion.

“This is a historic agreement for the region that will guide us as we seek to improve the Chula Vista Bayfront with more recreation and economic opportunity while protecting the birds, fish, plants and animals that live here and that people love so much," she said.

Ash Israni, chairman of Pacific Companies and one of the major developers for the Bayfront Project, agreed. “It’s amazing to be in the position once again to speak in support of an element of a plan that began as a large scale development proposal with powerful public opposition," he commented. "This is now a model for collaboration and conflict resolution."

After decades of work, this victory is a tremendous step toward protecting the environmental health of the Chula Vista Bayfront, and all the plants, animals and wildlife that depend on it.

On April 14, 2016, the Port of San Diego unanimously voted to approve a new plan for National City Terminal – including the 2.5-acre expansion of Pepper Park.

The new plan resulted from unprecedented compromises between the City of National City, the Port of San Diego and community members. It was EHC’s policy advocate, Carolina Martinez, who opened the Port’s eyes to an inconvenient truth - the public amenities sought by the City for the bayfront were not what the residents of National City needed.

The City prizes hotels, restaurants, marinas and other tourist-serving commercial businesses that bring in revenue. While National City needs revenue, not many National City residents own boats, stay in hotels on their own waterfront or eat at pricey restaurants.

What residents do need is open, public park space where kids can play. A level, grassy area for pick-up softball and soccer games. Perhaps even a water feature – given that the bay itself and Sweetwater Channel are not safe or accessible for swimming.

Carolina and National City residents like Margarita Garcia, Leonor Garcia and Lorena Chavez impressed the Port with these realities. It responded by creating several options for redevelopment of the terminal that included more park space. Residents turned out to Port-led workshops in January of 2016 to advocate for the configurations that produced contiguous, usable park space. The new plan will provide 2.5 more acres for exactly these kinds of uses.

The decision to expand Pepper Park is a win for public participation, public health and environmental justice. EHC members from National City have fought for years for this greatly needed community improvement. This victory belongs to them.

Yesterday, National City broke ground on 201 Paradise Creek affordable housing units. This development, nationally recognized for being transit-oriented and sustainable, is a perfect example of what can happen when residents come together and get involved in the planning of their communities.

Thank you to the City of National City and the developers, Related and Community Housing Works, as well as the many other partners and people that came together to make the community's vision a reality. 

To learn more about what this development means to the community, please click here. For more information on National City, please click here. 

Our annual BarrioLive! tour and mixer brought together community members and local leaders who care about #healthyhoods. The guided bus tour showed participants the problems, solutions and progress in our communities first hand.

We stopped in Old Town National City at Kimball Elementary; the school located near two of the most polluting businesses in the the community. Today, the businesses have relocated safely away from homes and schools and the children of National City breathe cleaner air when they walk to school and play outside at recess.

We made another important stop in Old Town National City at Paradise Creek. After ten years, on November 17, 2015, the Paradise Creek Affordable Housing Units finally broke ground. These units, once completed, will be the first transit-oriented, sustainability award winning affordable housing development in the community.

For our last stop, we visited Chicano Park in the heart of Barrio Logan. Residents in the community have turned space underneath the freeways into an artistic expression of the community's history. Today, the park is home to vibrant murals representative of Barrio Logan's rich culture and has been recorded in the National Register of Historic Places.

The tour ended at Border X Brewing where we enjoyed appetizers, craft beer and friends new and old. 

Thank you to everyone who attended BarrioLive! We feel grateful to know and work with people who as enthusiastic about climate justice and #healthyhoods for all as you.

On November 17, 2015, Old Town National City will break ground on the city's first transit-oriented affordable housing development: The Paradise Creek Apartment Homes.

We spoke with National City community members about what this momentous groundbreaking means to them. From better living conditions to a symbol of hope, this development means much more than just another building. 

"Paradise Creek provides a big opportunity for stabilty in my family and a huge wellness project for the community."

"For me, the Paradise Creek Apartments are like a dream come true. I have been participating in this project since it was an idea. For my family and I, the apartments represent our hope for quality of life and a better home."

"In my community in National City, the homes are in really bad shape. The Paradise Creek Apartments are an opportunity for my neighbors to live in better conditions."

"The Paradise Creek Apartments are an $80 million project. This demonstrates that nothing is impossible. We, the residents, can continue to fight to improve our community."

"The Paradise Creek Apartments are a huge accomplishment for National City residents. Those of us who work in National City will have a better quality of life."

"The Paradise Creek Apartments are really important to me. We have a lot of low income families in National City and I believe that they deserve to live in better conditions."

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.

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?”

Recently, the governor took a step forward in reducing pollution from California's freight system. This important step will reduce the emissions from the ships, cranes, trucks and trains that harm our communities with dirty air and toxic pollution. With this action, the governor ordered seven state agencies to work on projects and plans that transition toward zero-emission technologies. The governor’s order brings hope to communities such as Barrio Logan and west National City that stand most directly in harm’s way from freight diesel impacts.

In our region, and many others around the state, the most impacted communities are those that benefit the least from the global economy and the relentless flow of “goods” through them. Year after year, the Barrio Logan area leads the region in rates of children’s visits to emergency rooms for asthma – a condition known to be aggravated and possibly caused by proximity to traffic pollution.

We applaud the governor for his support for aggressive action to advance the development of zero-emission technologies. Only by eliminating our dependence on fossil fuels can we sustain economic vitality and also meet California’s climate goals and protect our communities from the many health-damaging effects of exposure to diesel.

Joy Williams
Research Director
Environmental Health Coalition