Counselor in the community

Environmentalists get Huntington Park honor

The City Council of Huntington Park presented Communities for a Better Environment with a City Proclamation marking its 30th anniversary of community organizing and environmental advocacy in California.

Dozens of Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) members wearing their recognizable green shirts joined the City Council on Nov. 17, in celebration of the group's impressive accomplishments over the years.

(Photo: CBE Executive Director Ed Gallegos, left, with Community Organizer Roberto Cabrales and a fellow CBE member.)

Communities for a Better Environment opened its doors in the cities of Huntington Park and Oakland in 1978 to campaign for environmental justice. CBE eventually became the first organization to combine member-driven grassroots community organization with scientific research and legal action.

Communities for a Better Environment, also known as Comunidades Para Un Ambiente Mejor, promotes clean air, clean water and development of toxin-free communities in low-income neighborhoods traditionally impacted by pollution, toxic waste and poor air quality.

The nonprofit organization was recently recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency with its first annual Environmental Justice Award, citing CBE's notable accomplishments on environmental justice issues, particularly in low-income communities of color.

Meanwhile, in an effort to address pollution in city streets and sewers, the City Council of Huntington Park also declared Dec. 18 as "A Day Without a Bag." CBE members passed out canvas handbags so citizens can reduce their use of plastic bags.

Legislative Advocacy Group backs water push

Legislative Advocacy Group has announced that it will support a statewide campaign by the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) to build increased awareness about the critical challenges that face the state’s water supply and delivery system.

The firm will help promote the ACWA's statewide effort, "California’s Water: A Crisis We Can't Ignore," by providing links to ACWA campaign materials on the firm’s web site and keeping water issues top-of-mind among elected and government officials during meetings and public events.

"We intend to leverage our relationships among our client cities and government agencies to boost awareness about the critical state of water in California," said Francisco Leal, the principal of Legislative Advocacy Group, based in downtown Los Angeles.

Leal continued: "The collective impacts of drought, climate change and increased population growth have severely hampered the state’s water system and we must educate the general public about the impacts this could have on California residents, businesses and the quality of life in our state."

The ACWA's education program will reach the public directly through television, radio and print advertising, as well as through the Internet and community outreach. The effort began in September and will continue through 2007. Information on this program can be obtained at calwatercrisis.org

The multimillion dollar program, funded by voluntary contributions from public water agencies throughout the state, is aimed at raising awareness among Californians of current and future water problems, including a deepening crisis in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and a recent court-ordered massive reduction in our statewide water supply.

Key Water Problems at a Glance
Thanks to a string of relatively wet years and the fact that water flows whenever the tap is turned on, the state’s water problems are not readily apparent to the public. But many experts agree the state is facing some of the most significant water challenges seen in the last half-century:

• The Delta, a key natural estuary and the pathway through which more than 25 million Californians and 2.5 million acres of productive farmland receive their water, is in an ecological crisis that threatens people as well as the environment.
• California’s water supply has been drastically reduced, impacting people, businesses and farms in Northern, Central and Southern California. In late August, a federal court cut water supplies from the state’s two largest water delivery systems by up to one-third to protect an endangered fish -- potentially the largest court-ordered water supply reduction in California history.
• California’s population is growing rapidly, but our statewide water storage and delivery system has not been significantly improved in 30 years.
• Our statewide water reserves are extremely low and would not be able to meet public demand during a major disruption to the state’s water delivery system.
• Aging Delta levees are at risk of a natural disaster that could cripple water deliveries for an extended period of time.
• California is facing severe drought conditions, with 2007 ranking as a record dry-year in some regions. If the current drought continues, mandatory water rationing may be imposed in many areas.
• Significantly reduced supplies and growing water uncertainties already are causing some California farmers to fallow prime agricultural lands, hurting one of our state’s most important industries.
• Climate change is reducing our mountain snow pack -- a critical source of natural water storage -- and may usher in longer droughts and more severe floods.
• While we have made great strides in water conservation and efficiency programs, the collective impacts of drought, climate change, increased population demands, court-ordered supply reductions and/or potential natural disasters mean that conservation alone will not solve this crisis … it's just simply not enough.

For more information about the ACWA’s campaign, contact Timothy Quinn, ACWA Executive Director, at (916) 441-4545 or visit calwatercrisis.org