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Assembly Bill 617 in South Sacramento is a Charade of Justice

Chapter 1: A Sham from the Start

When Assembly Bill (AB) 617 was introduced, the Sacramento
Metropolitan Air Quality Management District (SacMetro) nominated
communities for the California Air Resources Board's consideration
(Letterhead APCO (airquality.org)). These were supposed to be the
most marginalized communities at the greatest intersections with
air pollution. That is the spirit of the legislation.

In their recommendations of proposed AB 617 communities, SacMetro
did not include the community directly across the street from a
Title V facility, and the Southgate industrial Park (in some cases
both). The recommendations from SacMetro did not include Woodbine,
a community with homes that are bordered on the east by logistics
centers, autobody & paint shops, smog shops, and even coal trains,
while bordered on the west by a municipal airport with associated
lead emissions. The traffic on its eastern and western fronts is
continual as these are major heavy-duty (HD) truck thoroughfares
servicing South Sacramento. This community is sandwiched between
major pollution sources is full of children, and low-income people
of color.

Their recommendations also did not include The Avenues or Bowling
Green, which face the same HD truck traffic and pollution from the
Southgate Industrial Park and the Title V facility on its western
border, and Highway 99 on its eastern one. It is also full of
children (mostly Latino and Middle Eastern) and sandwiched between
two major pollution sources. 

SacMetro did propose a wealthy community like Elmhurst in East
Sacramento, which is adjacent to Aggie Square, for consideration as
AB 617 community; this is the kind of community where folks in the
same socioeconomic status as agency upper management, and Board
members from both SacMetro, and CARB would live. They also included
downtown which is part of the city's gentrification goals and
valuable real estate. 

The Southgate Industrial Park is never mentioned in their
recommendations report, nor are the people living closest to it. 
Chapter 2. The Corruption Becomes Evident
After the absence of the most marginalized communities in closest
proximity to pollution sources became evidently clear in SacMetro's
recommendations for AB 617, the community was told that the AB 617
Community Steering Committee (CSC) would decide the final
boundaries. 

During the AB 617 community air monitoring plan (CAMP) boundaries
discussion, the CSC seemed inclined to include the aforementioned
communities (Woodbine, Bowling Green, and the Avenues) in their
CAMP. It was at this time, that SacMetro's APCO took the CSC into
another room, and away from the public and stakeholders for a
private discussion. This seemed like a violation of the Brown Act
which you (CARB) were made aware of (through previous public
comments) and chose to ignore. "The people of the State do not
yield their sovereignty to the agencies which serve them. The
people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants
the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is
not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed
so that they may retain control over the instruments they have
created" (Govt.Code, § 54950). Upon returning from their private
meeting with SacMetro's APCO, the CSC had changed their tune and
indicated that CARB would select Woodbine, Bowling Green, and the
Avenues the following year, as well as not being on the CSC to
advocate for communities beyond their own neighborhood. 

The initial map that SacMetro provided for the boundary's
discussion didn't even include the Avenues, Bowling Green,
Woodbine, or the industrial parks hubs they border. After being
called out for that, SacMetro conveniently produced another map
that did allow for the CSC to consider these communities and the
industrial park. It was only after an impassioned speech about
equity and justice that the CSC voted to include Bowling Green, but
not the Avenues or the Woodbine, despite seemingly wanting to do so
(resources are limited they were told). I would argue that people
from Bowling Green, the Avenues, and Woodbine were all denied their
right to advocate for their community by being excluded from the
outreach to join the Community Steering Committee discussion around
boundaries. Having decisions made for them by outsiders is an
injustice that is correctable now. To move forward with a CERP, is
to double down on their (Woodbine and the Avenues) injustices.

Part 3. The Plot Deepens

It was surprising to learn, a couple of years after the boundary
discussions, that many things were in the works for the industrial
area facing the Avenues and Woodbine. Several news outlets have
named Phil Serna, a former CARB Board member and SacMetro Board
member as well, as a co-architect of this new project which was
expected to increase HD truck traffic into the community (Video:
Groundbreaking at Sacramento CA Campbell Soup plant   The
Sacramento Bee (sacbee.com)). The other co-architect named is
Patrick Kennedy, the current chair of the SacMetro Board. The
former chair of SacMetro's Board is a current member of the CARB
and SacMetro Boards, Eric Guerra. When questioned about the seeming
injustice of AB 617 in South Sacramento, the APCO for SacMetro
replied at least once, "I'm just doing what my bosses tell me." His
bosses were the board of SacMetro (Eric, Phil, Patrick); all who
seemingly stifled or used AB 617, in support of decisions they were
making as elected officials. 

Part 4. Sacramento and AB 617 Today

CARB has granted Valley Vision an AB 617 grant to conduct air
monitoring in support of AB 617 in Sacramento (Community Air
Protection - Valley Vision - Sacramento). The Avenues and Woodbine
are not monitored under this grant, but one of the most gentrified
communities in Sacramento (Aggie Square, formerly Oak Park),
adjacent to Elmhurst, is included. This area of monitoring doesn't
include nary the permitted sources as those near Woodbine, Bowling
Green, or the Avenues.  This area is also considered a pet project
of our elected official, and your Board member, Eric Guerra (and
everyone else who wants to seem DEI saavy). One of their partner's
is United Latinos, a group I've called out for using equity jargon
to describe development projects in Elmhurst and Aggie Square.
These are the only two members of the public in attendance at the
current South Sacramento AB 617 meetings. They actually answered on
behalf of SacMetro when I called them out on the lack of public in
a community led meeting; that wasn't their place to do so, but it
was telling of who they serve, IMO.  
The last South Sacramento AB 617 meeting I attended was made up of
around 13 governmental staff, and 9 others (that number included
the 6 or 7 CSC). There is no tension anymore, and justice is not
even a topic. I called out the district and the CSC because they
were discussing a Community Emissions Reduction Plan (CERP) when
they still haven't had a proper tour of the community. When a CSC
member requested to see the industrial park during the planning of
a community tour, they were told "the bus is big and can't navigate
every street." That was a lie as every street in that industrial
park can accommodate 5 of the biggest buses side by side.

Conclusion

The AB 617 process in South Sacramento was founded on lies and
half-truths by SacMetro and CARB. The most vulnerable people in
South Sacramento (Woodbine and Avenues) were robbed of their
opportunity to be heard. Their concern for their children's health
never seemed to matter to anyone, including the community
representatives on the South Sacramento AB 617 CSC. To move forward
with a CERP, is to disenfranchise them again.  

It's my opinion that CARB in creating this new blueprint is simply
buying itself more time. Throughout the AB 617 process, your
standard operating procedure has been to ask for more time. I'm
sure many community-based advocates have been paid handsomely for
you to gain the appearance of equity, through their participation
in this charade of a new blueprint meaning a new day for justice.
CARB has not been an overseer of justice in the SacMetro's handling
of AB 617, but rather a partner in the abuse of my community. All
your CBO partners input on AB 617 have not changed things one bit
for my community's most marginalized. CARB, UC Davis, and the
greater EJ advocacy community are all complicit in the oppression
of South Sacramento. I could argue that their oppression of my
community through AB 617 is reflected in how they site homeless
shelters, and what schools (withing the same, SCUSD, district) get
the resources they need, and which ones don't. AB 617 didn't change
Sacramento politics, it got rolled into them and just became
another part and parcel to the ubiquitous systemic racism we
experience in South Sacramento; it permeates every aspect of our
lives. The AB 617 process in South Sacramento is modern day
redlining; history will bear this out.  
As the CARB Board, you can deny SacMetro the opportunity to
continue the charade of equity by denying any CERP requests; and
even cancelling their status as a CAMP until they engage with those
communities they seemingly excluded intentionally to benefit the
pet projects of elected officials serving on public health agency
boards. It'll require moral courage as you'd be questioning the
judgement of, he who appointed you by questioning the person
sitting beside you (he appointed them too). When the community came
before you with this same issue, you stood with Phil, and NOT the
Californians you were supposed to protect; makes me wonder what
shenanigans you're hiding.  

Before moral courage, it'll require morality for you to understand
that all those kids in the dense housing just outside the AB 617
boundaries, are yours too. James Baldwin said that. 
If anyone wants to know more, please request that CARB provide you
with every comment from Mauro Libre on this subject.

Sincerely,

Mauro Libre