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Orozco, Norma <br />From: Greg Camphire <gcamphire@gmail.com> <br />Sent: Tuesday, February 15, 2022 11:43 AM <br />To: eComment <br />Subject: Santa Ana General Plan Update <br />Hello, <br />I am writing with the hopes that Santa Ana City Council members and the mayor <br />are already aware of the pollution emergency that is dangerously affecting our <br />city's land, air, and water. In particular, the massive amount of toxic lead in the <br />soil surrounding our most vulnerable residents is a major crisis that needs to be <br />addressed and remediated immediately. This emergency situation has been well - <br />documented: from a 2017 investigative report in Think Progress, to a thorough <br />2022 follow-up co -published by The Grist andVoice of QC —not to mention the <br />State Attorney General's concerns about SBi000 violations in a 2020 letter to the <br />City Attorney —and even a UN expert's related call to action to solve the life - <br />threatening global pollution problem as covered in Reuters today. <br />Despite this overwhelming evidence —including the fact that only 4 % of Santa <br />Ana's open land is considered green space —I'm concerned that the General Plan <br />in its current version does not go far enough to take immediate action in ensuring <br />the continued health of Santa Ana residents. While not the full responsibility of <br />the City of Santa Ana alone, the City Council must utilize the General Plan as a <br />crucial method of bringing together multiple stakeholders and community <br />members to develop a comprehensive policy to address environmental justice <br />concerns, especially lead contamination. Based on past engagement with Santa <br />Ana residents and best scientific practices, the plan should include education and <br />outreach about the lead pollution problem, mitigation actions such as soil testing <br />and blood lead testing, remediating contaminated soil, and identifying policy and <br />regulatory changes needed to reduce exposure. Although these elements have <br />been previously requested by local organizations such as Orange County <br />Environmental Justice, it is my understanding that they are absent from the <br />current proposed General Plan Update. <br />I strongly urge the City to revisit the current draft of the General Plan Update <br />with an eye toward actionable, measurable pollution response efforts that are <br />encoded in city policies. As we painfully ease away from the worst moments of <br />the Covid-19 pandemic, we are entering the midst of even larger growing <br />1 <br />