Bay Area

Mar 25, 2023 – BCN21:SAN JOAQUIN CO.: PORT OF STOCKTON ORGANIZES TO CLEAN OUT SEVERAL TONS OF TRASH AT ROBERTS ISLAND

The Port of Stockton hosted a community clean-up event Saturday morning at Roberts Island in San Joaquin County with partner organizations, tenants and members of the community. The initiative was part of Clean California Community Days – Spring Into Action, a state-wide 11-day event happening through Monday. The event is sponsored by the Governor’s Office and Caltrans

Published

3 years ago

April 3, 2023

Oakland Post

Volunteers from California Conservation Corps move tram up the slope during community cleanup event at Roberts Island in San Joaquin County, Calif., on March 25, 2023. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News/Catchlight Local)

The Port of Stockton hosted a community clean-up event Saturday morning at Roberts Island in San Joaquin County with partner organizations, tenants and members of the community.

The initiative was part of Clean California Community Days – Spring Into Action, a state-wide 11-day event happening through Monday. The event is sponsored by the Governor’s Office and Caltrans.

Nearly 35 volunteers from the community, Port of Stockton, Caltrans and several other organizations, gathered outside the Port Administration building on Washington Street to collect their clean up kits before joining a parade of cars on Highway 4 headed to the Roberts Island area.

Volunteers as young as eight wasted no time braving the cold winds and the steep slopes along Burns Cut Off, as they cleaned out several tons of trash including broken tv sets and other household electronics and appliances off the road.

Eight-year-old Kai Carrillo came out from Elk Grove with his father for the clean-up.

“I’m volunteering here today because I want to help our community with all the trash,” Carrillo said. “Most of the trash goes into the ocean, and we don’t want that in the ocean.”

Jeff Wingfield, deputy director of Regulatory and Public Affairs at Port of Stockton, was also on hand to help the clean-up.

“This is a pretty isolated area, and you will see a lot of people come in and dump more and more trash,” he said. “But if there’s no trash here, littering will gradually reduce.”

Wingfield said the Port plans to host at least four such events a year.

Among the volunteers were members from several organizations such as the Environmental Justice Coalition for Water, the Sierra Club and California Conservation Corps, as well as District 5 Council Member Brando Villapudua.

“This is part of my district,” said Brando Villapudua. “Anyone caring about the water should be out here, getting your hands dirty and giving back to the community.”

Edith Villapudua is running for State Senate and was also at the event, along with Greg Zavala, who said he intends to run for city council.

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