📰 Mercury News: Opinion — Because Bad Air Doesn’t Discriminate

Date Published: January 13, 2023

Original Article: Opinion: Because bad air doesn’t discriminate

This Mercury News opinion piece, co-authored by Assemblymember Rob Bonta and Assemblymember Mia Bonta, makes a powerful case for addressing the structural causes of air pollution that disproportionately harm low-income communities and communities of color.

The article argues that while air pollution affects everyone, its worst impacts fall on residents of neighborhoods closest to highways, refineries, and industrial zones—places like East Palo Alto. It calls for targeted investments in air quality monitoring, enforcement, and community-driven solutions as key components of environmental justice.

CRC’s ongoing work in East Palo Alto exemplifies the call to action outlined in this piece. Our efforts to amplify community data, center lived experience, and pursue local air quality interventions—through projects like community monitoring, advocacy for cleaner transportation, and education around asthma and health—align directly with the principles of equity the authors champion.

“Our ZIP code should not determine the quality of the air we breathe.”— Bonta & Bonta, Mercury News

This op-ed reinforces what CRC’s Climate Change Community Teams already know: clean air is a human right, and community voices must shape the solutions.

🔗 Read the full article on Mercury Newshttps://www.mercurynews.com/2023/01/13/opinion-because-bad-air-doesnt-discriminate/