CORRESPONDENCE - #41 - Laserfiche WebLink

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• Workers in Santa Ana have recently identified illegal pollution levels in stormwater discharged by the Kingspan Light+Air factory in Santa Ana's Delhi neighborhood.(See V6ce of OC coveurage).This points to the need to better characterize and address water pollution from all industrial facilities in Santa Ana.It also points to the important role of industrial workers in Santa Ana as partners in environmental protection.These aren't addressed in the City's environmental justice analysis linked to above. • There are rising concerns about environmental hazards faced within workplaces in Santa Ana.(See this LA J..urnes coven This isn't addressed in the City's environmental justice analysis linked to above. • The City of Santa Ana has many legally designated"disadvantaged communities"which deserve proactive initiative to address the environmental injustices they face.City of Santa Ana also has many highly capable community organizations((Madison Park Neighborhood Association and Orange County Environmental Injustice,for example)that can be important,highly effective partners in initiatives to address environmental justice in the city.Plans to leverage these community organizations aren't yet detailed in the City's environmental injustice analysis linked to above. The hazards and potentials listed above have not yet been well characterized or addressed in the City of Santa Ana's planning thus far.For this reason,I strongly recommend slowing down passage of a new General Plan. The General Plan will be much stronger-and potentially a model for other cities around the United States- if it clearly acknowledges the many environmental hazards that need to be addressed in Santa Ana,detailing how this will be done. A key aspect of a strong General Plan will be development of capacity to keep residents,business owners, schools and other stakeholders informed about environmental hazards and how they are being addressed in Santa Ana.I understand that this kind of communication is difficult to support in City governments given the scope of their responsibilities.I thus want to highlight the importance of establishing a new Santa Ana Office of Environmental Justice to lead and coordinate this.A key responsibility of this office would be to hold regular public meetings,sharing updates on the City's environmental justice initiatives and soliciting public input. Thank you for your attention and public service, 4� Kim Fortun,PhD cc:Adolfo Sierra,President,Madison Park Neighborhood Association Jose Rea,Treasurer,Madison Park Neighborhood Association Leonel Flores,GREEN Community Organizer,Madison Park Neighborhood Association Jabari Brown,Myson Foundation Clinical Fellow,UCI Environmental Law Clinic 2