Goleta Attempts to Empower Its People
Environmental Justice Open House Inquires About Pollution, Housing, Services, Food, Activities, and Communications
“The city does not listen to its residents!” wrote one attendee of Goleta’s Environmental Justice Open House. The workshop was held on October 9 to get public input in a number of areas that fall under the “environmental justice” category. While a dozen people signed into the meeting, roughly five to six people were roaming the room at the Goleta Valley Community Center at any one time during the 90-minute session. The majority were residents of Goleta districts 3 and 4, encompassing the western half of the city, in which elections are being held for councilmembers.
The event featured interactive stations employing sticky notes, polka dots, and gold coins to gauge community priorities, with city planners on hand for discussions. One display described environmental justice to be about “equal access to clean air, water, land, and other resources.” Participants were asked to place dots on what they viewed as the three most important among: air quality and pollution, safe housing, public facilities and services, physical activity, healthy food, and public input.
Before diving into the voting process, visitors were briefed on California’s definition of “environmental justice”: ensuring fair treatment and participation for all people regardless of race, income, culture, and so on in environmental matters. Wednesday’s Community Open House was the city’s first step in shaping these new policies.
The two issues that stood out to the participants were safe housing and public input. Invited to give more information, most expressed a desire for landlord accountability, better civic engagement, more youth programs, and improved city infrastructure such as public trash cans, restrooms, and parks. The resident who had written that the city did not listen went on to allege that Councilmember Stuart Kasdin, who voted to approve the city’s environmental justice initiative, “does not care!!”
One of the stations gave residents “gold” coins to indicate the facilities in which they most wanted to see the city invest. Those results included access to childcare, sidewalks and crosswalks, tenant’s rights, transit, and a number of other issues, all of which received gold coins from participants.
Goleta residents can still express their interests by filling out a survey available at the city’s website. La encuesta está disponible aquí en español.
