Author Archives: Gissela Chavez

Major win against toxic emissions from refinery oil storage tanks in Wilmington and surrounding communities; Rule 1178

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(See full post) CBE Wilmington was instrumental in a huge win today! Emissions from petroleum storage tanks are a major threat to the health of frontline communities, and today, we won major protections from these sources of pollution!
Earlier today, South Coast AQMD adopted amended rule 1178 as the first step toward protecting #FrontlineCommunities from the harmful pollutants & toxic chemicals they leak into our air! 🎉


🔑This major oil refinery regulation will cut cancer-causing benzene emissions & smog-forming Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in EJ communities. These mods are estimated to cut VOCs by about one ton/day -will also apply to the whole South Coast region.
It is projected to slash emissions by adding domes onto floating roof crude oil storage tanks that were previously exempted, require weekly inspection with Infrared Optical Gas Imaging (OGI) cameras to detect invisible leaks, and require more stringent standards for leaking seals.


“We had to push to get this regulation into the Wilmington, Carson, W. Long Beach Community Emissions Reduction Plan under #AB617 years ago.” said Alicia Rivera, Wilmington Community Organizer with CBE. “The regulation adoption is turning the plan into a real community win! The fight to phase out oil refineries also continues, but today we celebrate important protections for thousands living near these facilities.”

East Oakland Research Dept. Office Hours: Comment on the Environmental Justice Element of the Oakland General Plan

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(Full Post) Make your voice heard and give your feedback on the Environmental Justice Element of the Oakland 2045 General Plan. Comment on the incompatible land use in your community and help create tangible changes that will improve your quality of life.

If you are living in Oakland, this plan will impact YOU! Set up a time with Sharifa, our East Oakland Staff Researcher, and she will help you submit your comment.

Here are the available office hours for Sharifa (30 minute appointments):

  • Thursday June 8th from 3-5pm
  • Thursday, June 15th from 9-11am
  • Wednesday, June 21st from 9-11am & 3-5pm

We hope to hear from you soon. Email Sharifa by clicking here, or send an email at Sharifa@cbecal.org

Huntington Park: Community Meeting, February 22, 2023 from 12pm to 1:30pm

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(Full Event Details) ¡Únete para mejorar nuestros parques!
Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) te invita a una reunión de la comunidad de HP (en persona) sobre una oportunidad emocionante para ayudar a mejorar cuatro parques en la ciudad. Comparta sus opiniones y experiencias en los parques para que podamos brindarle los comentarios que la ciudad necesita escuchar.

¿Que ves? ¿Qué hueles? ¿Qué opinas de las comodidades? ¿Qué te gusta del parque? ¿Qué mejoras se necesitan?

Comparta sus comentarios:

MIÉRCOLES 22 DE FEBRERO DE 2023

Salt Lake Park 3401 Florence Ave. Huntington Park, CA 90255

12pm – 1:30pm
*rifa y refrescos gratuitos para la comunidad​**la reunión será bilingüe

Together, We Can Improve Our Parks!
Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) invites you to join us to an in-person HP Community Meeting regarding an exciting opportunity to help improve four parks in the city! Share your opinions and experiences in the parks so that we can provide the feedback the city needs to hear.
What do you see? What do you smell? What do you think about the amenities? What do you like about the park? What improvements are needed?

Share your feedback:

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2023

Salt Lake Park 3401 Florence Ave. Huntington Park, CA 90255

12:00-1:30pm
*free community raffle & refreshments​**the meeting will be bilingual

Richmond: Toxics & Resilience Tour, February 4, 2023 from 9am-12:30pm

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(Full Event Details)🌱Join CBE on Saturday, February 4th at 9:00AM-12:30PM (ages 13-25) to come learn more about the fight for clean air and a Just Transition. The Toxics and Resilience Tour for Youth will be meeting at Richmond Bart Station at 9:00AM! Please sign up by January, 30th and for any questions contact zolboo@cbecal.org

COVID Safety Measures: wear masks/ masks will be provided and testing is provided morning of the event!
🌻 Sign up link: http://bit.ly/3Dbhra7

East Oakland: Virtual Community Meeting, January 27, 2023 from 6-8pm

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(Full Event Details) Join our Virtual Community Meeting on Friday, January 27, 6:00-8:00pm on zoom! Come and learn about the work that is happening in the community of East Oakland and what we are doing to get us one step closer to environmental justice. Help us keep polluters accountable!

For more information:
Adele Watts- adele@cbecal.org

Únase a nuestro Reunión de la Comunidad Virtual el Viernes, 27 de Enero 6:00pm a 8:00pm en Zoom. Venga y conozca el trabajo que se está realizando en la comunidad de East Oakland y lo que estamos haciendo para acercarnos un paso más a la justicia ambiental. ¡Ayúdenos a responsabilizar a los contaminadores!

Más información:
Silvia Guzman – silvia1356guzman@gmail.com

Wilmington Resident/ EJ Supporters Action Alert-Show up & speak out at the Warren oil drilling hearing! January 19, 2023 @ 10am

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(Full Event Details) CALL INTO THE ZONING ADMINISTRATOR HEARING!

We call on the Los Angeles Zoning Administrator (Z.A.), and the city of Los Angeles to prioritize community health and safety by enforcing the law against Warren Resources, one of Wilmington’s biggest polluters. Warren Resources, an oil company operating in the Wilmington Neighborhood of Los Angeles, operates hundreds of wells near community and adjacent to a little league baseball field. Warren was issued an Order to Comply in 2022 for conducting unpermitted oil drilling operations in violation of the Municipal Code, because it lacked City approval.

They misrepresented information in their oil drilling applications to CALGEM (State agency) in violation of LA Municipal Code… to keep their profits growing while their neighbors’ health continued to bare the impacts of their selfish decisions.

WARREN RESOURCES YOU ARE A FRAUD!

Support by calling into the Zoning Administrator hearing tomorrow at 10am to provide public comment after the presentations. ZOOM LINK https://planning-lacity-org.zoom.us/j/84699393620

Or call in: 669-900-9128 Meeting ID: 846 9939 3920 Passcode: 542056

Tell the Z.A. you oppose Warren’s appeal of their order to comply, their disregard of city law and indifference to polluting the community, and urge them to prioritize the health and safety of their constituents. They do not have the right to drill indefinitely.

Los Angeles: Tenant Legal Workshop, Wednesday January 25, 2023 at 6pm

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(Full Event Details) ¡Únase a nuestro taller legal! ¿Tiene problemas con su arrendador? ¿Estás siendo acosado? ¿Quieres saber cuáles son tus protecciones?🏡📝💻

Zoom: Bit.ly/workshopcbe ☎️: +1 669 900 6833 Meeting ID: 831 7792 1465

Join our Tenant Legal Workshops! Are you having problems with your landlord? Are you being harassed? Do you want to know what your protections are? 🏡📝

The Final Scoping Plan Vote!

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(Full post) In 2022, you changed the way that climate plans get written. As California’s top air regulators put together their 20-year climate blueprint for California this year, thousands of people joined us in taking action to demand a climate plan that puts us on a path to a future beyond oil and gas where our families are safe from toxic pollution, asthma, and cancer.

Together, we sent over 10,000 letters to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and placed hundreds of calls to Governor Newsom. We held community meetings and rallies from Richmond to the Central Valley, and turned out in force to meeting after meeting in Sacramento.

In response, CARB made changes to the plan that will have huge implications for communities across California. The final Scoping Plan, which CARB voted on yesterday:

✅Stops the expansion of dirty gas power plants, investing instead in offshore wind.

✅Doubles the state’s targets for reducing Vehicle Miles Traveled – meaning more mass transit for all.

✅Creates a multi-agency process to coordinate the phaseout of oil extraction and refining in California.

Together, these changes mean that communities like ours across the state will breathe cleaner air and live in healthier neighborhoods, and be able to walk, bike, and commute to work and school more easily.

However, major elements of the final plan will bring real harm to our communities and our climate. Alarmingly, the final plan still relies far too heavily on carbon capture schemes, which could keep fossil fuel infrastructure online indefinitely, in addition to subsidies for fuel sources like dirty hydrogen and biofuels that increase pollution in California’s working-class communities of color.

In the coming years, we will need to fight to make sure that the burden of the energy transition doesn’t fall on the communities already hit hardest by pollution. 

At the meeting yesterday, CARB members and the Chair spoke in support of a permanent Environmental Justice Advisory Committee, which was instrumental in lifting up the voices and perspective of frontline communities in this year’s Scoping Plan Update. They also confirmed that there will be a dedicated process in 2023 to create rules regulating proposals for new Carbon Capture and Storage projects in California. These are procedural changes that our advocates have been calling for and that create real opportunities for us to make sure frontline voices are centered at CARB in the next few years.
But for right now, we should celebrate our wins. Whether you wrote a letter, called, marched, rallied, gave public comment, or engaged on social media – thank you for standing in solidarity with California’s frontline communities this year.

Los Angeles: New Member Orientation, November 19th, 11am

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(Full Event Details) Join us at our upcoming new member orientation on November 19th at 11am. We will be covering various toxic sites and discussing the resistance happening near you. We will also cover how you can join us as a CBE member and beyond. Hope to see you there!

Zoom: bit.ly/CBEorientation

¡Únase a nosotros en nuestra próxima orientación para nuevos miembros el 19 de noviembre a las 11 am!- Cubriremos varios sitios tóxicos y discutiremos la resistencia que está ocurriendo cerca de usted. También cubriremos cómo puede unirse a nosotros como miembro de CBE y más allá.