Comment - 21843 - Kamille Lang

Public Comment – North Fair Oaks (CalEnviroScreen 5.0) I urge OEHHA to revise the CalEnviroScreen 5.0 score for North Fair Oaks to more accurately reflect the ongoing environmental burdens, infrastructure challenges, and renter vulnerability in this community. While population and density changes may have shifted the score, these numbers fail to capture the lived reality of a community where roughly 80% of residents are renters—most living in older housing without access to air conditioning or proper heating as climate extremes intensify. North Fair Oaks continues to face environmental injustices, including illegal dumping, which residents have identified as one of the most visible and frustrating symbols of neglect. These conditions perpetuate health and safety risks that are not represented in the new CalEnviroScreen data but are felt daily by the people who live here. Through our work with the North Fair Oaks Climate Change Community Team, also known as Climate Ready North Fair Oaks, Climate Resilient Communities has supported residents in creating their own spaces to learn, teach, and take action together. They are currently planning a series of workshops focused on three-stream waste sorting—compost, recycling, and trash management—to help families share best practices for waste reduction and reuse. This community-led effort reflects a growing commitment to self-organized environmental stewardship despite limited institutional support. Perhaps most importantly, residents are setting their own goals to participate more actively in San Mateo County community council meetings, recognizing that this is their most direct path to civic influence since North Fair Oaks is unincorporated and lacks its own city government. Climate Ready North Fair Oaks has become a platform for building confidence, leadership, and visibility in a community historically left out of decision-making processes that shape environmental and infrastructure investments. These realities—renter vulnerability, environmental neglect, and community-led resilience—must be considered in updating CalEnviroScreen 5.0. I respectfully urge OEHHA to pause and reexamine the data for North Fair Oaks so that the state’s tools reflect the on-the-ground truth and target investments where they are most needed. Thank you for your attention and for your dedication to equity and environmental justice across California.