Northern California Campaigns and Projects

In Northern California, CBE works at the local and regional level to build a powerful base of grassroots leaders, improve air quality, environmental health and quality of life. CBE organizes with community members, public officials, academics and allies to wage campaigns to fight for pollution prevention and reductions.

The local work is focused in West Contra Costa County, particularly the City of Richmond and the unincorporated areas of Rodeo and Crockett, the City of Oakland and Southeast San Francisco. These communities are some of the most overburdened communities when it comes to environmental pollution, hit by both stationary (refineries, power plants, etc) and mobile (diesel trucks, trains, freeways, etc) sources of pollution. This translates into higher exposure to chemicals that cause illnesses such as asthma, cancer, reduced lung function, reproductive harm among others.

• Contra Costa County has the second highest concentration of heavy industry in the state, and is home to four major oil refineries, 12 major chemical plants, and numerous related operations that often closely border densely populated residential areas. Most of the people who live near this heavy industry are low-income and people of color.

• In Oakland, according the EPA Scorecard the Coliseum or Hegenberger Area, contains more than 40 pollution-producing industrial or commercial facilities, and sees over 218,000 vehicle trips per day, a large percentage of which are heavy diesel engine vehicles like transport trucks. African Americans and Latinos together make up over 80% of the population of this area. Alameda County is number one in the state for releases of lead to air, and has the second highest asthma rates in the state.

• Northern California regional work focuses on pressuring regional governing agencies, such as the Bay Area Air Quality Management  District, to adopt policies and regulations that address the cumulative effects that individual projects have when added to the effects of past, present and probable future projects. CBE is working to build community and ally forces to push for groundbreaking “cumulative impact” policy for the Bay Area.

  EJ Earth Day Overview: East Oakland

View Photos from CBE's 'Love Yo Mama' Eart Day Event