HomeMy WebLinkAbout2 - PUBLIC COMMENT_Rea JFrom:Jose Rea
To:eComment
Cc:Leonel Flores
Subject:NO General Plan Without Community- 11/9 public comment
Date:Monday, November 09, 2020 11:18:41 AM
November 9, 2020
Planning Commission:
The new law SB 1000 requires the City of Santa Ana to bring Environmental Justice
Communities to the table in order to address and mitigate the serious environmental issues
disproportionately impacting our neighborhoods and schools. The health of our elderly and
children is at stake.
From the California Environmental Protection Agency, in Santa Ana there are 21
neighborhoods considered EJ Communities: Artesia Pilar, Cedar Evergreen, Centennial, Central
City, Cornerstone Village, Delhi, Downtown, Flower Park, French Court, French Park, Heninger
Park, Lacy, Logan, Lyon St., Madison Park, Memorial Park, Pacific Park, Pico Lowell, Riverview
West, Sandpoint and Willard.
The Madison Park Neighborhood (MPNA) has been concerned with the air quality because of
a heavy concentration of industries with AQMD permits releasing pollutants in very close
proximity to residential areas and schools. With a grant from the California Air Resource
Board (CARB), the steering resident committee CUAL (Comunidad Unida Aire Limpio) was
formed with residents from Pacific Park, Cornerstone Village, Cedar Evergreen, Delhi, Lacy,
Lyon St in addition to Madison Park. MPNA has also reached out to Artesia Pilar, Heninger
Park and Logan Neighborhoods. These are only 10 out of 21 EJ communities that are
somewhat informed about the GPU.
The Planning and Building Agency sent 15,000 EJ flyers to these 21 communities in May
2020. An insignificant outreach effort in comparison to the size and number of residents in
these 21 neighborhoods. These outreach efforts came after MPNA sent a letter to the city
indicating the need to include Environmental Justice in the General Plan Update. The city
agency claims that they have outreached to the EJ communities since 2015/16 when they
began with the plan’s update. This does not make sense since SB 1000 became a new law in
2016 and went into effect in 2018.
The city elected and appointed officials have not participated in the few conversations the
residents had with the city staff since last May. MPNA sent all of you a copy of the letter from
the California Department of Justice urging the City of Santa Ana to delay the adoption of the
plan until the EJ communities are fully engaged and the policies in the plan reflect the issues
impacting these communities disproportionally and the policies implementation mitigate the
pollution issues in a meaningful way. Please do not become participants of more social
injustice. This is a public health issue that affects our kids and elderly the most. No General
Plan without Community!
Jose Rea
MPNA Treasurer