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<br />Environmental Justice <br /> Core Values reinforce the C <br />to enjoy equal access to healthy environments, healthy foods, parks and recreational <br />facilities, and civic engagement opportunities. However, the City recognizes that <br />throughout its communities, some bear a disproportionate burden of pollution and <br />associated health risks. The concept of environmental justice (EJ) seeks to correct this <br />inequity by reducing pollution and increasing public investments in these communities <br />and ensuring their input is considered in decisions that affect them. <br />Environmental Justice in the General Plan <br />An EJ community is an area of the City where residents have the highest risk of exposure <br />to pollution in the air, water, and soil. This pollution may be caused by passing vehicles <br />or by the daily activities of businesses and institutions. Residents in these areas also tend <br />to be burdened by socioeconomic and health issues, such as higher rates of language <br />barriers, poverty, and asthma. Such areas also tend to experience lower rates of <br />investment and improvements from individuals, private companies, and public agencies. <br />Removing and addressing the root causes of EJ concerns in the built environment has <br />been made a high priority by the community and the City Council, especially as <br />experienced by low-income neighborhoods and vulnerable households throughout the <br />City. As such, that commitment has been memorialized in over 150 EJ-focused policies <br />and implementation actions within the City <br />Commitment to Addressing EJ Issues <br />To demonstrate the CityPlanning Division formed a new section, <br />Neighborhood Initiatives and Environmental Services (NIES), within the Planning and <br />communities through General Plan EJ policy and implementation work. In 2025, the NIES <br />team worked diligently to begin implementing and addressing the EJ-related actions in <br />the General Plan. <br /> Transit Zoning Code Update and Implementation <br />On June 17, 2025, the Santa Ana City Council <br />approved an historic update to the Transit Zoning <br />Code (TZC) to restrict industrial land uses and <br />enhance public health. Since adoption, the <br />Planning Division has shifted attention in this <br />area from drafting new land use regulations to <br />implementation. <br />Since the shift to implementation, staff have <br />prioritized direct community and business <br />interactions, including outreach to 130 industrial <br />»Above: Picture of small group breakout as <br />businesses and held 21 one-on-one sessions to <br />part of a Transit Zoning Code Update workshop. <br />15 <br /> <br /> <br />