Comment - 21842 - Kamille Lang

Public Comment Template for CalEnviroScreen 5.0 (OEHHA) I urge OEHHA to revisit and revise the San Jose census tract for 95002 (Alviso community) score in CalEnviroScreen 5.0 to more accurately reflect the ongoing pollution burdens and climate vulnerabilities experienced by local residents. Despite regional changes in population density, pollution sources and climate risks in [Community Name] have not improved—many have worsened. The community continues to face serious environmental and climate justice challenges, including freeway emissions, flood risk, industrial contamination, traffic and the high cost of living in this community. In our work with the Climate Change Community Team (CCCT) in Alviso (Census Tract for 95002, San Jose), we have seen firsthand how these environmental burdens disproportionately affect residents’ health, safety, and quality of life. Yet, these lived realities are not fully captured by the current CalEnviroScreen score as presented in version 5.0. Funding and resources must reach communities like Alviso that are already doing the work to build climate resilience. Accurate data and scoring are essential to ensure equity in investment and to prevent further harm to communities on the frontlines of pollution and climate change. In the past year since the Alviso Climate Change Community Team has launched, we have hosted community workshops planned by residents to educate about food access and security through Gardening at Home workshops, worked with the City of San Jose to host the community's first ever disaster prep workshop with a targeted focus towards understanding flood risk and evacuation routes, and start to rebuild trust between residents and the City of San Jose. Residents have said that people do everything they can to stay in Alvsio despite the high cost of living and losing many generations of memories due to flooding. Residents stay because they love this community and they love their connection to the Bay but their flood risk and proximity to highway 237 along with the unnecessary exposure to lead in the soil makes them at risk for climate impacts. These residents deserve to be more accurately represented in the CES data. I respectfully ask OEHHA to pause before finalizing CalEnviroScreen 5.0 and to review community-level data, including long-term pollution exposure and changing climate vulnerabilities, to ensure that the Alviso community (San Jose 95002 census tract) is represented accurately and fairly. Thank you for considering this comment and for your commitment to environmental health equity across California.