Tag Archives: Environmental Justice

Make Polluters Pay Rally in Sacramento 5/27/2025

The fossil fuel industry has enjoyed some of the best profit margins in history, while externalizing the costs of their operations onto our health, communities, and our planet. They have known for decades the impacts of their industry pollution on the climate, and they continue to obstruct the energy transition. Big Oil has used these profits to corrupt our government at all levels, and Trump said the quiet part out loud during his campaign, promising big tax cuts and deregulation in exchange for millions in contributions. Now the administration is gutting agencies and programs that protect people and planet, and pursuing the “drill baby drill” agenda.

In California, the word “unprecedented” has started to lose its meaning as wildfires, floods, droughts, sea level rise, and even fire tornados hammer the golden state regularly. And as a potential Trump recession looms, social programs, environmental protection and disaster relief, among others, may face major face cuts as the state budget faces shortfalls. California is on the verge of joining Vermont and New York in creating a Climate Superfund, but we need your support!

It is past time that we hold polluters accountable for the damage they have caused, and make the major investments that our communities desperately need. It is time to Make Polluters Pay! Join us at a peaceful rally in Sacramento at the West Steps of the Capitol from 5 – 7pm on May 27th.

RSVP here

Sacramento City Council rejects anti-displacement ordinance that critics called ‘counterproductive’ December 3, 2024, CapRadio

Gerardo Zavala | December 3, 2024 | CapRadio

On Tuesday, December 3, 2024, the City of Sacramento city council unanimously rejected the Community Benefits Agreement Ordinance as proposed.

In a letter to the council, the [Sacramento Investment Without Displacement] coalition argued that the city failed to amend the ordinance with three main recommendations it made in February:

  • Ensuring residents can stay in their neighborhood through minimum benefits around affordable housing, transportation, workforce development and small/local business protections.
  • Community engagement in the negotiation process.
  • Community oversight to enforce the ordinance in a way that makes sure the community gets the benefits for their neighborhoods.

Click here to read the article in full.

ACTION ALERT: Sacramento Investment Without Displacement

WHAT: Attend the Upcoming City Council Special Meeting
WHEN: Tuesday, December 3, 2024 at 2:00pm
WHERE: City Hall, 915 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
WHY: The Sacramento Investment Without Displacement coalition has spent the last four years working with the City of Sacramento to establish a Community Benefits Agreement Ordinance for Council consideration. In the City’s updated CBAO (view the posting here on the City’s CBAO website) most of SIWD’s demands to ensure that community voice is at the table have continued NOT to be met nor included in the CBAO drafts. We are asking our SIWD partners, our trusted messengers, serving our most vulnerable, to REJECT THE CURRENT VERSION of the CBAO that will be up for consideration next week. Your leadership and support are critical to establishing a true CBAO that will include community voices at the decision-making table and ensure that benefits come back to the community in future developments.
The council meeting will begin at 2:00. All public comment requests will be accepted before the staff presentation is complete.

To make a public comment at the meeting:

  1. Complete a speaker slip located in the back of the room (near the large glass windows)
  2. This will be the only agenda item for that day.
  3. Complete the form and hand it to the clerks at the front of the room
    To submit an e-comment:
  4. Go to https://sacramento.granicusideas.com/meetings/5231-2-00-pm-city-council-special-meeting/agenda_items
  5. Choose your position and share your thoughts
  6. Click on ‘Submit Comment’ to complete
    If you have additional questions about the presentation, feel free to send them directly to info[dot]saciwd[at]gmail[dot]com.

In Community,

Sacramento Investment Without Displacement Members

ECOS Climate Committee meeting, Oct 17, 2024

Topics: Air Pollution in Minority Communities; and SACOG Update

Link to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6656164155
To phone in: 669-900-6833, Meeting ID: 665 616 4155

6:00 PM: Welcome and Introductions

6:10 PM: Need to reduce air pollution in minority communities – presented by Álvaro Alvarado, Cal/EPA’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment

Álvaro will present his recently published findings (in collaboration with UC Berkeley) that Californians are breathing far less pollution from vehicles than we were 25 years ago. Exposure to fine particulate matter from traffic has dropped by 65%. Communities of color and low-income communities have seen the biggest improvements. The largest reductions in air pollution levels over the past two decades happened in Black, Hispanic, and Asian communities. However, they are still exposed to higher levels than white Californians – a relative gap that did not change much. Álvaro’s branch produces CalEnviroScreen maps, which help identify communities burdened by pollution.

7:00 PM: Work in progress at Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) – presented by Kacey Lizon, SACOG Deputy Director for Planning & Programs

Kacey will present the status of “Green Means Go”, their 2025 “Blueprint”, and their upcoming regional monitoring report. Green Means Go is a State-funded program to increase the capacity of storm, water, and sewer utilities to accelerate infill housing with lower greenhouse gas emissions than housing in greenfields. The Blueprint is SACOG’s Metropolitan Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy. SACOG’s monitoring report will consist of data on transportation, land use, housing, and demographic and economic factors.

In November, we hope to continue discussions with SACOG staff on how our 6-county region can meet the State’s target for a 19% reduction in GHG from vehicles by 2035, and possible changes to Statewide legislation (e.g., SB 375 – Sustainable Communities & Climate Protection Program, and SB 743).

7:50 PM: Updates

Click to view a PDF of this agenda.