Help Create Goleta’s First Environmental Justice Policies

Like obscenity, environmental pollution might only be perceived by the beholder. That notion originated with Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart and a pornography case involving Louis Malle’s film The Lovers in 1964 — “I know it when I see it,” Stewart famously said. In Goleta, however, it is the pollution that its residents see that the city wants to hear about at a Community Open House on Wednesday, October 9, to gather information for Goleta’s first-ever environmental justice policies.

The city’s Planning Division is looking to make Goleta a “safe, healthy, and equitable” city, focusing on issues like pollution — which disproportionately affects some members of the community. California planning law requires an environmental justice element in the Goleta General Plan, which the city voted to initiate on August 20.

In his presentation to City Council, Cameron Audras, an assistant planner for the city, explained that the initiative will first identify disadvantaged communities within Goleta and work to mitigate environmental injustices associated with these areas. Environmental inequities include any elements of compact environmental degradation, from air pollution to contaminated water sources.

Environmental degradation that affects one area or one community disproportionately in comparison to others is the definition of “environmental injustice.” The pollution can lead to serious health risks for the people living there and increase potential health problems.

The Community Open House takes place in the Goleta Community Center at 5670 Hollister Avenue on Wednesday, October 9, 5:30-7 p.m. Attendees can expect to hear more about environmental justice policies and the city’s goals. Participants are invited to contribute to the forum and engage with city officials to help shape these new policies and ensure they are representative of the community members’ concerns. Facilitators will be translating to Spanish.

Another way to get involved is to fill out this survey by the City of Goleta and express your concerns surrounding environmental injustice or degradation in your neighborhood. La encuesta está disponible aquí en español.

Find more information here, or residents can contact the City’s Advance Planning Division by telephone at (805) 961-7548 or by email at GeneralPlanUpdates@cityofgoleta.org.