(Full post) Councilmembers Nury Martinez, Gil Cedillo, and Kevin de León must resign NOW!  We denounce the racist, violent, anti-Black, anti-Indigenous, and homophobic rhetoric heard in the leaked audio from public servants and a labor leader, some of whom CBE has worked with closely in pursuit of environmental health and justice. These Councilmembers and former labor leader have betrayed our trust, the trust of their constituents, and communities across Los Angeles. We demand accountability for their racism and assault upon democracy. There is no place for bigotry in the movement for environmental justice.

Community members are the true voices of Los Angeles. No politician or city leader can take away from the beauty, power, and worth of the Black American/ African American/ African Descent, Indigenous, Central/ South American, and Latine/Latinx communities in LA. CBE is committed to centering and advancing the rights and dignity of multiracial, multiethnic, LGBTQIA+, tenants, families, and children in Los Angeles and across the state.  We are fighting to dismantle institutional and systemic racism, white advantage, settler colonialism, and anti-Blackness that is pervasive and divisive.  

The recorded backroom conversations are indicative of gerrymandering. Equally troubling is that Latine/x Councilmembers Martinez, Cedillo, and De León’s callous plans to remove assets from Black communities are reminiscent of redlining, a historically discriminatory practice that limited resources and services to communities based on racial characteristics, which still affects these communities today. In addition to voicing repugnant views, we believe that these three councilmembers may have violated California’s vital sunshine law, the Brown Act, whose purpose is to prevent backroom, biased decision-making. Therefore, we ask for a full investigation into these conversations and the historical actions of these council members. CBE joins allies in the call to reevaluate the redistricting process, as we also believe that these councilmembers were actively strategizing to erase Black political power.  

Far too often in our communities, some people embody white advantage ideals and actions to compete for resources and power. As we collectively move towards a Just Transition and towards a better way of being, we must address bigotries so as not to replicate the same policies and actions that got us here. 

Angelenos deserve elected officials who value the richness of diversity and work towards building our collective power and liberation. Unity and solidarity are needed now more than ever. We join our movement partners to demand the immediate resignation of Martinez, Cedillo, and De León. Together, we can root out people who aim to divide us, move forward in electing the representation communities deserve, and deliver on equity and justice

(Full post) Nizgui Gomez has fond memories of growing up in Wilmington: going to the waterside park with her cousins, getting ice cream from an ice cream truck.

The problem: right next to the park was the Phillips 66 oil refinery, polluting the air and making children sick.

“Children play near there. It definitely makes me frustrated that we have these industries next to our parks. I don’t think it’s fair we have to settle to that.”

Now, Nizgui organizes in her community with Communities for a Better Environment, and continues to fight for a #FutureBeyondOil for Wilmington and frontline communities across California.

Join Nizgui in calling on Governor Newsom to direct his top air regulators to plan for a phaseout of fossil fuels in California: call (866) 932-1358 or head to caleja.us/newsom to take action 📞📞

“We need a target date to phase out fossil fuels in California. Politicians need to do better for the people who elected them in that position. They need to actually hear our voices because that’s not something that they’re doing. And if that’s not something that they’re willing to do, then we’re going to kick them out.”

Shout out to the folks at Survival Media, CEJA and APEN for their incredible work on this video!

(Full post) It’s a new month, we’ve turned the page on the calendar, but there is no turning the page on the devastation caused by racism and white supremacy. We must act to dismantle them every day, every month of the year. CBE mourns the lives stolen from the families and communities of these attacks.

(Full post) We are honored to be part of the 2022 Justice40Accelerator cohort, joining 48 other community-based, climate-justice organizations to apply local knowledge and wisdom to solutions on the frontlines of the climate crisis. Learn more about our work https://www.justice40accelerator.org

Somos parte del cohorte de Justice40 Accelerator del 2022. Somos un grupo de 49 organizaciones comunitarias de justicia climática que aplican nuestros conocimientos y sabidurías locales a las soluciones en la primera línea de la crisis climática. Visite ➡️ https://www.justice40accelerator.org