November 6, 6-8pm at Wilmington Senior Citizen Center. Los Angeles Department of Water & Power is hosting an informational workshop on how we can transition into a better, cleaner, more sustainable Los Angeles.  Click here for more information.

CBE and allies are advocating for the Air District to take bold action to protect workers and communities with a new pledge to require a 20 percent reduction of refinery pollution by 2020. See Press Release.

We also proposed a worker-community approach to reducing Bay Area Refinery emissions to Air District Board and Staff.  This approach was developed by refinery community, refinery worker, environmental, and academic groups and was first recommended in comments on the rule during 2013. It would require, by 2020, that each refinery reduce its emissions of specific pollutants1 by 20% or demonstrate that it is using the best emission control technology available.

Big Oil Companies are linking cheap, dangerous North American crude oil to West Coast refineries by any means necessary – rail, port and pipeline. [See more here]

Thanks to all CBE members and staff who eloquently spoke at last night City Council meeting.  The City of Oakland Department Of Planning and Building recommendation adopted our Crematorium Ordinance.

This is based over two years of resident engagement in which the ordinance recommending The Planning Commission, and as Directed By City Council under Emergency Ordinance No. 13222 C.M.S., to amend the Planning Code to establish Permanent Regulations Pertaining To Crematories Within The City Of Oakland.

We continue to work to protect our community health and reforming planning department policies to prevent more pollution in our communities.  Our members and allies successfully have been holding the City of Oakland and Planning Department accountable for no additional burden in East Oakland.  For more information, read The Ugly Facts about the Proposed Crematorium.

Gov. Brown signed into law the Charge Ahead California Initiative (SB1275). This law is leading the way toward a clean energy future and making electric vehicles affordable for environmental justice communities. Read more here.

WE NEED YOUR HELP!  SB 812, a bill that the The People’s Senate on DTSC—which includes CBE members–helped draft, and that Senator Kevin de León has championed, is on the Governor’s desk.  SB 812 will help to clean up the Dept. of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) and make the agency more accountable to communities.  We need you to urge the Governor to sign this bill!  Please mail or fax a letter TODAY to the Governor asking him to sign it.

Here is the address and fax number:

The Honorable Edmund G. Brown Jr.

Attn: Legislative Affairs

State Capitol, 1^st Floor

Sacramento, CA 95814

Fax: (916) 558-3177

 **More about SB 812** SB 812 is an important step toward ensuring that California’s hazardous laws actually do what they were intended to do—protect Californians from harmful pollution.  SB 812 enacts permitting requirements, and transparency and accountability measures desperately needed for DTSC to fulfill its mandate to protect Californians from toxic exposures.  Additionally, it includes requirements to ensure that polluters, not tax payers, will be on the hook for cleaning up polluted sites.

We are fighting to make sure that the PUC will upholds its commitment to environmental justice communities! Read more here, and join CEJA this Thursday to support of renewable energy for the communities most impacted by dirty fossil fuels! 

Tuesday, September 16, 2014 at 5:30 p.m at 81st Ave Library -1021 81st Avenue.  CBE invites East Oakland members and residents to participate in a strategy session on environmental justice and economic development projects in East Oakland. See flyer. For more info: contact Jose Lopez, jose@cbecal.org, 510-302-0430×24.

CBE and our allies have a chance of winning $100,000.  Vote for us today #Solar4SunnyLA: http://bit.ly/LAsun!  We need all of our CBE family and allies to vote for us. CBE want to see LA powered by #solar by 2050.  The deadline is September 16, 2014.  Let’s Power Up LA together with clean energy and transition from fossil fuels.  This vote will benefit working families and build healthier communities.