Activism

Minority Environmental Justice Groups Want to Connect to Millions in EPA Funding for California

The California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA) says the programs they have in place to restore decades of environmental devastation and neglect in minority communities can play a key role in achieving the state and federal green goals to enforce regulations and distribute resources more fairly and equitably.

Published

3 years ago

October 3, 2023

Oakland Post

EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman visits Los Angeles to tout President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. Photo by Lila Brown/CBM.

By Lila Brown, California Black Media

Environmental justice advocates in California petitioned Gov. Gavin Newsom this past summer, asking the state to direct a portion of the millions in federal and state dollars California is investing in cleaning and greening communities to Black and other minority organizations.

“There’s systemic racism that we are trying to dismantle that is beyond the usual American concepts of environmentalism and there’s a lot of interrelated and intersecting issues that we’re trying to fix on the ground, Mari Rose Taruc, CEJA’s energy director, told California Black Media.

Taruc says environmental groups recognizing the harm done to communities of color in the past — and their implication on the local level — is a critical part of the environmental justice movement.

“Environmental justice was born out of the Civil Rights Movement, and that is to the credit of Black organizers that came out of the South to raise consciousness of environmental pollution and destruction of dumping grounds primarily located in BIPOC communities,” she said.

CEJA is a coalition of the 10 biggest environmental justice organizations that coordinate efforts to protect the health and well-being of Black, Indigenous, Latino, and Asian Pacific Islander communities in California. The organization also develops programs and raises money to tackle some of the new challenges communities are facing due to the climate crisis.

In July, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional Administrator Martha Guzman presented $2 million to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to revitalize the Taylor Yard along the Los Angeles River, turning a former freight railyard into urban green space.

The project reinforces President Biden’s goal for environmental justice to restore the damage that has been done from previous administrations ranging from decades of neglect to the lack of enforcement as it pertains to environmental laws, regulations, and policies.

Historically, railyards contaminated nearby ground and waters with petroleum and other dangerous contaminants.

Guzman spoke with California Black Media about policies that led to disadvantaged and low-income communities being the areas where toxic and hazardous wastes were disposed, as opposed to more affluent neighborhoods.

“This can be traced to many of our origins, be it slavery or the taking of indigenous lands here in the West,” she said. “We see where all these facilities are, and we know that race is the largest determinant of pollution.”

Guzman says the Biden administration is keeping equity and environmental justice front of mind.

“We have to invest in these communities because we have to be intentional about dealing with those generations of neglect and land use decisions that led to a disparate impact to our communities,” says Guzman who leads the EPA efforts to protect public health and the environment for the Pacific Southwest region spanning Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, the U.S. Pacific Islands territories, and 148 Tribal Nations.

The investment strategy, she says, intends to heal legacy issues and now the EPA’s No. 1 priority is enforcement.

According to Bass’ office, the City of Los Angeles plans to restore this site as part of a greater L.A. River initiative to restore ecosystems and habitats, form walkable trails along 52 miles of the river, and create easy access points for residents to enjoy what the river has to offer.

Throughout California, EPA awarded $9,299,566 in total funding from the Fiscal Year 2023 Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup (MARC) Grant Funding through 12 separate grants.

According to the EPA, a brownfield is a property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant. It is estimated that there are more than 450,000 brownfields in the U.S.

“This funding provides unprecedented resources and highlights how President Biden’s Investing in America agenda and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are delivering environmental and economic benefits for California,” according to a press release from Guzman’s office.

The EPA is investing nearly $100 billion nationwide to deliver clean water and clean air, advance our transition to clean transportation, and enact environmental justice (EJ), especially in communities that have been disadvantaged and underserved, many of which are low-income communities or communities of color.

In addition, President Biden’s Executive Order 14008 — Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad announced Justice40, which mandates that at least 40% of the benefits of specific federal programs — including brownfields and those created by BIL and IRA — must flow to disadvantaged communities. In April 2022, EPA committed to meeting and exceeding this mandate.

Taruc says CEJA has not received any of the EPA funds, but the organization continues to find opportunities for different organizations throughout the state to be able to connect to funding programs focused on environmental justice.

One of the ways that CEJA ensures communities are recipients of funds is through programs such as “Solar for All” so that low-income households receive solar panels to improve their homes and lower their fossil fuel consumption, which reduces emissions.

Taruc says one focus of CEJA is ensuring people — particularly disadvantaged minorities who have been disproportionately impacted — live in safe and clean environments.

“Most environmental justice groups believe we should not build housing next to oil drilling sites and there should be a buffer zone of where you build new housing. We’ve been fighting to close these oil wells because housing should be built in places that are not only affordable but safe,” Taruc concluded.

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Activism

The Ladies of Delta Sigma Theta Hold Day of Advocacy at the Capitol in Sacramento

A member of the “Divine Nine,” Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., was founded on Jan. 13, 1913, at Howard University in Washington, D.C. The organization was established by 22 women who sought to shift the group’s focus from social activities to public service, academic excellence, and social activism.

Published

4 days ago

May 17, 2026

Oakland Post

Sen. Laura Richardson (D-San Pedro) presents a Senate resolution to the Delta Theta Sigma Sorority Farwest Region at the State Capitol on May 4. Photo courtesy of the Senate Rules Committee.

By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media

On May 4, members of the Farwest Region of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., convened at the California State Capitol for the organization’s 23rd annual Delta Days in Sacramento.

The two-day advocacy event brings together chapters from across California to engage directly in the legislative process, connect with lawmakers, and advocate for policies impacting Black communities.

Members of the sorority were honored on the Senate floor by Sen. Laura Richardson (D-San Pedro), who is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta.

Richardson welcomed the Farwest Region during the presentation of a Senate resolution recognizing outgoing Regional Director Kimberly Usher for her leadership and service.

“In addition to the Far West Region, we are led by a fearless leader, regional director Kimberly Usher. She has now served her full term of what’s allowed,” Richardson said. “We are going to be having our regional conference, but we wanted to give it to her here, officially recognizing her service.”

The resolution was co-authored by Richardson and fellow members of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) and Delta Sigma Theta, Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson (D-San Diego) and Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom (D-Stockton).

Usher has served in the leadership role since 2022.

“We are founded on sisterhood that is deeply rooted in scholarship, service, and social action,” said Weber Pierson, a member of the Gamma Alpha chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

“Today, we continue a legacy of empowering communities and upholding the high cultural, intellectual, and moral standards established by our founders over a century ago,” she added.

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Rep. Kamlager-Dove Introduces Bill to Protect Women in Custody After Reports Detailing Miscarriages and Neglect

The Pregnant Women in Custody Act would expand safeguards beyond the federal prison system to include women detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Office of Refugee Resettlement. The proposal follows reports of pregnant women being shackled, denied medical care and suffering miscarriages while in immigration detention.

Published

4 days ago

May 17, 2026

Oakland Post

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By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA-37) on May 7, reintroduced updated legislation aimed at strengthening protections and healthcare standards for pregnant and postpartum women held in federal custody, including in immigration detention facilities.

The Pregnant Women in Custody Act would expand safeguards beyond the federal prison system to include women detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Office of Refugee Resettlement. The proposal follows reports of pregnant women being shackled, denied medical care and suffering miscarriages while in immigration detention.

The legislation builds on a bipartisan version previously passed by the House during the 117th Congress. The updated bill includes new standards for healthcare access, mental health and substance use treatment, high-risk pregnancy care, family unity protections and increased federal oversight.

“Proper pregnancy care is a human right, regardless of your immigration or incarceration status,” Kamlager-Dove said in a statement. “It’s unacceptable that there are virtually no legal safeguards for pregnant women in federal custody.”

The bill would also limit the use of restraints and restrictive housing for pregnant women, improve data collection on maternal health in custody and require additional staff training and enforcement measures.

Supporters of the measure said the legislation is intended to address long-standing concerns about maternal healthcare and safety in detention settings, particularly for Black women and low-income women who are disproportionately impacted by incarceration and health disparities.

“Pregnant women in custody should never be subjected to dangerous and inhumane treatment that threatens their health, dignity, or the well-being of their babies,” said Patrice Willoughby, chief of policy and legislative affairs for the NAACP and a longtime public policy and government affairs strategist, in a statement.

A 2021 report estimated there are about 58,000 admissions of pregnant women into U.S. jails and prisons each year. Kamlager’s statement also cited a recent investigation by NBC News and Bloomberg Law that identified allegations of severe mistreatment or medical neglect involving at least 54 pregnant women or families in county jails between 2017 and 2024.

Federal policy under the Department of Homeland Security restricts the detention of pregnant, postpartum and nursing immigrants except in extreme cases. However, the agency reported that ICE deported 363 pregnant, postpartum or nursing women between January 2025 and February 2026, including 16 recorded miscarriages during that period.

The bill is cosponsored by several House Democrats and backed by organizations including the NAACP and the Vera Institute of Justice.

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OPINION: The Fire of Oakland’s Justin Jones

Jones made headlines three years ago when he was one of a pair of Justins. Along with fellow State Rep. Justin Pearson (D-Memphis), he fought their removal from the state house in Tennessee and won reinstatement. Now, Pearson is running for Congress and Jones is still fighting for all of us.

Published

4 days ago

May 17, 2026

Oakland Post

Tennessee State Rep. Justin Jones (D-Nashville). File photo.

By Emil Amok Guillermo

You may know Tennessee State Rep. Justin Jones (D-Nashville).

He grew up in Oakland and the East Bay. His mother is Filipino. You can tell by his full name Justin Shea Bautista Jones.

His father is African American.

He is fighting for all of us.

Now, Pearson is running for Congress and Jones is still fighting for all of us.

The recent 6-3 Supreme Court decision barring the use of race in drawing congressional districts marks a major turning point in U.S. history.

The decision took away the Voting Rights Act’s power to assure minority voices were both heard and represented.

“What we’re seeing now is this new Jim Crow system in which Black and Brown communities are without voice in our political process,” he told Fredricka Whitfield on CNN last weekend.

“That’s a canary in the coal mine for the rest of the nation. If they come for one of us, they’re coming for all of us, and some of my message to America is that the South is the front line of democracy,” Jones said. “They are dismantling multi-racial democracy here in the South, in states like Tennessee and Louisiana. But they aren’t going to stop here.”

That’s why Jones said we have to start paying attention to the South, and start helping them fight back there,” he said.

“I want to be clear that this terror, this type of system they’re enacting, are the same systems my grandparents told me about who grew up in Tennessee, a system where people like me couldn’t even be in political office. That’s the time they’re bringing us back to and I’m not sounding the alarm to be alarmist. But I am sounding it because we’ve seen this before in our history.”

Jones talked about Reconstruction and about what happened between the end of the 1800s and the beginning of the 1960s, when there was no Black political representation.

It’s a rebellion to keep our democracy going forward, he said.

“Stand with us and help us fight back against this extremist power grab — this racist power grab against our vision of a multi-racial democracy,” Jones added.

“While there is a litigation strategy, it’s important to maintain what he called a “movement strategy” that leads to the largest voter mobilization and registration that has ever been seen in the South,” he encouraged.

In 2026.

“Tennessee is an oppressed state,” Jones said. “It’s a state where one in five Black voters can’t vote because of felony disenfranchisement. It is where you can use a gun permit to vote, but you can’t use a student ID card to vote.

That’s the Asian American African American voice of Justin Jones.

Read his words for inspiration.

About the Author

Emil Guillermo is a veteran journalist, commentator, and comic stage monologist. His new show “69, Emil Amok: Anchorman—The News Made Me Do It,” is at the San Diego Fringe at New Destiny/Lincoln Park, 4931 Logan Ave. Ste. 102. May 14-23, at various times. Get tickets here.