City Of San Diego Wants Community Input For Plan To Address Environmental Inequities

Speaker 1: 00:00 There are some neighborhoods in San Diego with beautiful tree-lined streets, parks, and walking trails, farmer's markets and an abundance of options for fresh foods, all underneath sunny skies and clean air from an ocean breeze. Then there are other neighborhoods within the same city with sidewalks. So uneven it's a hazard to walk fresh food is scarce available homes have lead paint and mold. The sky is hazy from pollution and children who live. There are several times more likely to be hospitalized from asthma after years of studies and decades of this growing problem. The city of San Diego is now working on a plan to address these inequities. It will be laid out in the environmental justice section of the city's general plan. I spoke with Vicki white senior planner with the city of San Diego. Here's that interview beyond the fact that this is required by a 2016 state law. Why is it important that there's an environmental justice section in the general plan? Speaker 2: 01:00 We think it's important as the city planning department in recognition that these different conditions in different neighborhoods have real effects on people's lives. And we can see that, for example, in the rates of COVID infections, in different populations in the city, the County has provided data that shows that the rate of infections per 10,000 residents as much higher for Latino and black and native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander residents than it is for white residents or residents of the County as a whole. And we also have data that shows that Latino residents and Lac residents are often living in certain pockets of the city as a result of policies that the city had adopted in the past and private actions that didn't allow people from these groups, the full access to life choices that wider other residents did. And so it's, it's important to, to recognize that actions that have been taken such as the citing of freeways have real impacts on people's health. And so we've known that this is a condition for a while, and I think that the COVID pandemic has really shown the urgency of raising the visibility and importance of environmental justice at the city level. Speaker 1: 02:19 A big part of this project again, is to identify certain neighborhoods to focus on. Talk to me more about that. And if you could paint a picture for me of what some of these neighborhoods are experiencing, that you're trying to bring equity to. Speaker 2: 02:32 So as you mentioned, one of the requirements that were was adopted in state law is that the city identify areas within the city that are disproportionately experiencing pollution and health deficits. And at the same time also have lower income. So therefore fewer resources to address these, these types of conditions. So for example, the CNSC DRO community, which is located with in proximity to three different border port of entry and trucking routes experiences, higher rates of pollution and pollutants related to those types of vehicles. And they just got an updated community plan in 2016, but those community plans really address the more community specific systems such as how people get around within that specific community and less. So the more regional systems such as how the city plans for and advocates for other transportation solutions, such as highways versus transit highways, being a source of a lot of those vehicle related emissions. So updating these policies can tell city decision makers what the priorities should be in terms of considering the effects on local populations. When big decisions come before them such as regional plans that have to do with transportation or infrastructure spending on things like mobility or parks or the urban forest that can help combat some of the effects of pollution and increased local temperature. Speaker 1: 04:10 And we keep mentioning these communities, tell me, where are these communities? Speaker 2: 04:15 Well, we haven't determined these communities yet, but there are data sources that are available that give us some idea. And so we know that a number of San Diego communities fall within the top 25% of the census tracks evaluated by the California and virus screen in terms of experiencing disproportionate health and pollution burdens. A lot of those are in Southeastern San Diego, South of state, route 94. There are some portions of the city Heights community that are included in those and the Santa Sedro community, as well as a few further outlying areas, such as parts of Linda Vista and the San Pasqual Valley. Speaker 1: 04:51 The first step in creating this section of the general plan is to gather information from the community. So how will you be doing that? Speaker 2: 04:58 We are focusing on doing a community survey right now where residents of the city can tell us what their priorities are for the city to address in terms of environmental justice and what environmental justice conditions they are experiencing in their own neighborhoods that will help us as city planners to research and prioritize the work that we do. We'll also be holding public meetings online in the future. And we are working with community-based organizations as well to help directly contact people that these community-based organizations are serving and let them know about the opportunities for collaboration and input in this process. Speaker 1: 05:39 And then after you collect that community input, what are the next ones Speaker 2: 05:42 Steps? The next steps will be first to identify those focus areas that are experiencing disproportionate pollution and health burdens, as well as lower incomes, addressing the needs of those areas will be the priority of this project. We'll then have discussions about specific topical areas that relate to environmental justice, such as access to recreation, access to safe and healthy housing access to food, access to the infrastructure that allows people to get around their neighborhoods and get exercise. And then from the input we receive from those conversations, we'll develop some policy proposals to address the needs of these communities. Well then again, get community input on those proposals and ultimately take the element which will include those policy proposals to the city council for approval. Speaker 1: 06:30 And when can people expect that policies will be implemented, Speaker 2: 06:34 Seas will likely be adopted, uh, middle to late portion of next year. And then it will be up to decision makers and the implementing city departments to decide how to implement those in the system. So it could take awhile. Speaker 1: 06:48 I've been speaking with Vicky white senior planner of the city of San Diego, Vicki. Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you so much, Jane, a link to the environmental justice survey can be found@kpbs.org. Speaker 3: 07:07 [inaudible].