Comment - 21833 - anonymous

March 18, 2026 Comment Submission 5 The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment's (OEHHA) mapping tool and proposed updates to it is a commendable and transparent guide to display accurate environmental issues and health risks to us all. Each of us do need to understand the impact we create from our choices and also help be part of the solution where possible. According to what I read, since the office assesses the pollution on the environment and health risks, CalEnviroScreen 5.0 certainly will benefit from utilizing this tool to identify the most impacted with daily realistic figures especially those in disadvantaged (DACs) and low-come communities who have allocate funds set aside for them Under California Senate Bill 535 and Assembly Bill 1550, at least 25% of the state’s cap-and-trade funding must be invested in Disadvantaged Communities (DACs) and low-income communities. The CalEnviroScreen 5.0 Draft states that they will also invest in overburdened communities, supporting their efforts to address pollution and improve health. My concerns at this point are certainly not with the detailed data that will be provided through this mapping tool but rather with whether or not the programs that are responsible for helping people get these benefits and investment allocations properly will be able to do efficiently and adequately. This means that programs that represent these benefits and funds also need a proper, well maintained program tool of their own but also be competent to make the proper case-by-case appropriate employee approval. The mapping tool will only be as good as the teams and the current programs are capable and willing to help allocate benefits, funding and investments to people and communities accordingly. Also, to humbly remember in many cases the same program funds are funding employees' wages. Respectfully, Simona Vanecek