Environmental Justice and Public Health Platform

 

Quality of LIfe

Environmental justice and public health are linked not only to the fight for clean air, water, and soil, but also to the quality of our homes and our neighborhoods, our access to fresh, nutritious food, the quality of our public schools, and the safety of our streets. A healthy environment also means attending to the culture of fear that many of our residents share, especially our undocumented residents and those in our immigrant communities.

As mayor I will fight to protect our community from dangerous coal exports which would worsen West Oakland’s already harmful levels of air pollution. Unlike the current mayor, I will negotiate in good faith with the developer of the coal terminal to find a solution that creates jobs without shipping coal and compromising our children's’ health. I will also look holistically at the health and environment of the Oakland community and enact solutions like:

  • Support East Bay Community Energy so we can power Oakland with 100% clean energy by 2035 or even sooner, beginning with rooftop solar for City-owned buildings

  • Eliminate parking minimums for new development in order to promote walking, biking and transit and make housing construction more affordable

  • Remediate soil contamination in the Fruitvale

  • Provide free transit passes to all Oakland youth under 18

  • Revisit recycling contracts to improve service and reduce cost

  • Eliminate complaint-based system of illegal dumping cleanup and replace with regularly scheduled crews to cover all Oakland neighborhoods equitably

  • Expand tenant access to bulky pickup to reduce illegal dumping

  • Work with the Port of Oakland to achieve zero emissions by supporting truckers to switch to electric trucks without financial burden

  • Reduce truck trips through our neighborhoods via the implementation of better freight planning, more use of rail, and the transition of some of the heavy freight facilities onto the Port and Army Base and away from residences

  • Work with AC Transit to expand availability of universal transit passes, improve bus stops and lanes and ensure that our transit system equitably and affordably serves everyone in our community

  • Restoring Oakland’s seat on the Bay Area Air Quality Management District Board (BAAQMD)

  • Implement Health Impact Analysis in development projects so that we design future development to reduce, rather than increase, harmful health impacts

  • Fund mitigation measures that protect our community from emissions, like planting trees and installing air-filtration HVAC systems in buildings in the areas near air pollution sources

  • Expand access to health screenings to ensure that those most impacted by poor air quality have access to treatment and care

  • Increase access to healthy food in underserved neighborhoods by launching farmer’s markets, expanding community gardens, and bringing in grocery stores