Advance Environmental Justice

Strategy progress

Central to the strategic plan, this strategy empowers residents to co-develop solutions for the pollution impacting their specific communities. We are continuing our existing partnerships with community and expanding partnership to additional communities on a variety of efforts that directly advance other strategies in the strategic plan.

Continued Partnerships: Community-led steering committees have continued their progress in developing plans to reduce pollution in their neighborhoods through the AB 617 Program - a community-focused state initiative that requires local air districts to partner with residents in overburdened neighborhoods to develop emission reduction plans. These efforts are the foundation of additional partnership initiatives we are undertaking under the Community Partnership strategy.

 

• Richmond-North Richmond-San Pablo: In May 2024, the Air District Board adopted "The Path to Clean Air" Community Emissions Reduction Plan. This plan, which received final California Air Resources Board approval in November 2024, includes 140 specific actions to reduce local emissions. The Community Steering Committee recently adopted a Year 1 Implementation Plan (running through late 2025) and is now transitioning into Year 2 priorities for 2026.
• East Oakland: Throughout 2025, the Air District and Communities for a Better Environment collaborated on a draft community emission reduction plan. A public open house was held in November 2025 to gather community feedback on proposed strategies, with the final plan adopted by the Air District Board in April 2026.
• Bayview Hunters Point: As the newest AB 617 community, Bayview is currently in the planning phase. The Community Steering Committee has held over 20 meetings as of late 2025 to co-develop its own emission reduction strategies with local advocates.

 

Expand Partnership Models: The Air District is scaling its impact by maintaining a partner database across six counties and utilizing proven collaboration models like the AB 617 Program, community grants, the Air Filtration Program, and Environmental Justice Navigators. Below are some examples of these partnerships and the strategies they advance:

 

• Refinery Technical Working Group: Convened a Refinery Technical Working Group comprised of representatives from industry (refineries and hydrogen plants), community-based organizations, governmental agencies, labor, and community members. Group advises the Air District on strengthening flaring regulations, fence-line monitoring efforts, and public education material. The working group’s efforts directly advance Strategy 1.02 Stronger Regulations and Strategy 1.03 Minimize Flaring.

• Enforcement Policy Implementation Working Group: Convened a working group of community members interested in enforcement issues. Group is working on initial drafts of a new enforcement policy, which supports Strategy 1.06 New Enforcement Policy.
• Climate Advisory Group: Convened an advisory group to establish goals and principles for the Bay Are Regional Climate Action Plan, directly advancing Strategy 1.07 New Climate Solutions.
• Air Monitoring Support: The Air District is partnering with community to provide support in their air monitoring efforts This work directly advances Strategy 2.02 Collect Community Data and Strategy 2.07 Understand Local Air Pollution.
• Community Technical Working Group: Convened a community technical working group, comprised of members from the Community Advisory Council, to work with the Air District on making permitting data more accessible on our website, directly advancing Strategy 2.03 Make Data Accessible.
• Particle Fallout Sample Workgroup: Partnering with communities through a community workgroup to work on the development of a particle fallout sampling program in the refinery corridor. This work directly advances Strategy 4.08 Air Quality Incidents.

 

Strategy progress

We are building the capacity of community members to collect and interpret air pollution data by providing community members with training on air quality and air monitoring, resources to access and analyze data, training on how to best use those tools, standard data collection procedures, and data access and interpretation.

Provide Community with Data Collection Tools: We expanded the scope and renewed the contract for the Bay Air Center to increase the types of training offered and technical support available for communities. We also developed informational materials that explain assistance the Bay Air Center provides.

Provide Training: Through the Bay Air Center, we provided training on air quality fundamentals, air monitoring, and data access and interpretation for five community-based groups including the Community Advisory Council, Communities for a Better Environment and the East Oakland Community Steering Committee, Hope Collaborative, Safer Together, and the current cohort of James Cary Smith grantees. We are also coordinating additional training for Verde Elementary parents, La Clinica de la Raza, Climate Action Pathways for Schools, California Interfaith Power & Light, Monument Crisis Center, and the Community Climate Change Teams of Climate Resilient Communities.

Collect Air Pollution Data: We continue to provide technical support to community-led air monitoring projects in Vallejo, Marin City, Rodeo, Pittsburg, Richmond, Bayview Hunters Point, and East Oakland. We also advise the Statewide Mobile Monitoring Initiative, a state-funded effort to use sensor-equipped vehicles to map local air pollution across overburdened communities. This effort is being implemented by Aclima, who is conducting air monitoring in twenty Bay Area communities.

Strategy progress

We are making data accessible by giving communities better access to air quality data, understanding their data needs, including access and interpretation concerns. We have completed a data inventory and are comparing this inventory to community’s expressed needs, while convening a community technical working group. With community members guiding the design, we are also creating a software application for presenting facility information on mobile devices. 

Data Inventories: We have completed an inventory of available permitting data, emissions, modeling, and ambient air quality monitoring data. We are now finishing a list of enforcement and complaint data, which should be ready soon.

Community Input on Data Needs: We have convened a community technical working group to help identify and inform community data needs. We are also assessing community data needs by comparing what communities have told us they need through a variety of efforts against our data inventory to identify data gaps. This work also supports efforts under Strategy 1.1 Change Approach to Air Quality.

Custom Approaches for Sharing Data: We completed a routine update to our air toxics emissions data for permitted sources, which has been published in an online mapping tool. We also completed and published an updated Bay Area greenhouse gas emissions inventory. We are also developing plans for an online data sharing platform for refinery community air monitoring and other data, which we expect to share with community soon. Finally, the community technical working group led the design of a software application for facility air quality data, with the application focused on ease of use and accessibility on mobile devices. The design work is largely complete with a clickable design delivered for review and approval by the technical working group.

Strategy progress

This strategy is about providing communities with better health information, so they know the potential health implications of air pollution and can better participate in decision-making. We reviewed the state’s mapping tool that ranks neighborhood vulnerability and are partnering with Johns Hopkins University to expand their toxicity database for to improve the accuracy of risk assessments, with all efforts to be overseen by the incoming Health Effects Officer.

Determine Health Impacts of Projects: We have completed a review of the state’s pollution mapping tool, CalEnviroScreen Draft 5.0. The tool is like a "pollution report card" for every neighborhood (census tract) in the state. It combines data on environmental hazards—like dirty air or contaminated water—with information about the people living there, such as their health and income levels, to see which communities are most vulnerable. Our assessment determined how methodological changes and data uncertainties drive shifts in how communities rank in terms of pollution levels. We are also partnering with Johns Hopkins University to apply their Multi-Effects Toxicity Database (METDB) to real-world permitting case studies to enhance cumulative risk assessments. Concurrently, we are recruiting a new Health Effects Officer to lead these efforts.

Collect and Share Local Health Data: The new Health Effects Officer will lead this effort and is expected to join the Air District by the summer of 2026.

Strategy progress

We are improving the complaint and investigation processes to ensure they are effective at addressing and resolving air quality concerns. We are exploring new ways to provide complaint information to the public, improving responsiveness and enhancing transparency of complaint outcomes.

Better Complaint Information to the Public: To improve information accessibility and transparency of complaints, especially for overburdened communities, like West Oakland, East Oakland, Bayview Hunters Point, and Richmond, we are executing the following:

• Community-Led Reporting: Partnering with community steering committees to co-design quarterly enforcement reports and data sharing protocols.
• Streamlined Resources: Launching a public complaint reporting guide, FAQs, and an interagency referral directory to simplify the complaint process.
• Enhanced Transparency: Upgrading digital platforms with infographics and creating new tools that provide mapping and access to violations and complaint histories.
• Improved Accessibility: Redesigning communication channels to ensure complaint reporting tools are intuitive and accessible.

Improve Transparency of Complaint Outcomes: We launched a new complaint data web tool and are developing an automated system to send investigation reports directly to complainants. To further improve public access, we are updating complaint reporting formats and evaluating additional platforms to streamline how community members track and view complaint outcomes.

Improve Responsiveness: To enhance responsiveness, we established new protocols for weekend enforcement after successfully completing a staff availability assessment and an inspection pilot in Bayview-Hunters Point. This year, we will launch quarterly weekend enforcement in select communities and work closely with our regulatory partners to target compliance concerns.

Strategy progress

We are developing a formal "Enforcement Town Hall Meeting" policy to establish regular dialogue on compliance issues. Simultaneously, we are updating our air monitoring approach based on Community Advisory Council feedback, improving internal coordination to support local air monitoring, and creating a comprehensive roadmap and resource toolkit for public use.

Meet with Communities: We have made progress in developing a formal "Enforcement Town Hall Meeting" policy to establish a regular dialogue with communities. The Enforcement Policy Implementation Working Group has reviewed an initial draft policy and provided valuable feedback, which we will incorporate before releasing a final draft for broader public input. Once finalized, these town hall meetings will serve as a primary venue for sharing enforcement updates and addressing community concerns.

Share Monitoring Information: We shared ideas for updating our approach to air monitoring with the Community Advisory Council, including updating fenceline air monitoring and expanding community air quality investigations. We are refining our air monitoring programs by incorporating the community’s air quality data needs identified by the Community Advisory Council. The Air District will continue to share information about air monitoring programs and resulting data in “Enforcement Town Hall Meetings” and other community workgroups. 

Strategy progress

We are deepening our understanding of local air pollution by sharing and discussing local air pollution data with communities, conducting mobile monitoring in East Oakland, and updating refinery community air monitoring stations and fenceline requirements. Additionally, we are conducting local air quality analysis related to trucks and updating our website describing monitoring programs.

Understand Community Concerns:  We have started this effort by sharing and discussing local emissions inventory, modeling, and exposure assessment data with Bayview Hunters Point/Southeast San Francisco community members. This work also supports efforts under Strategy 1.1 Change Approach to Air Quality.

Community Knowledge to Inform Air Monitoring: We are leveraging community knowledge to expand our community air monitoring investigations. We have worked with community members to update refinery community air monitoring, including deploying new air monitoring stations near refineries and strengthening refinery fenceline air monitoring requirements. By refining our data-collection programs and supporting local initiatives - like the Port of Oakland’s fenceline project— the Air District is ensuring regulatory programs are directly informed by data related to community-identified air quality concerns.

Modeling Local Air Quality: We have completed air quality, exposure, and cancer risk modeling in Bayview Hunters Point. We also updated the risk screening tools for permitted facilities and rail yards and are currently modeling truck-related pollution exposure as part of the I-580 Truck Access Study.

Identify Community Monitoring Needs: We are identifying air monitoring needs in East Oakland and Bayview Hunters Point. In East Oakland, we are completing an air monitoring study with Communities for a Better Environment, and in Bayview Hunters Point we are supporting the Marie Harrison Community Foundation on their air monitoring and youth workforce development projects. Both efforts combine community wisdom with the Air District’s advanced air monitoring to better understand local impacts from sources of air pollution and to collect air pollution data that is most needed.

Report on air pollution data we collect: We are updating our website describing our ambient air monitoring programs. 

Strategy progress

We are partnering with communities to direct penalty funds collected from air pollution violations back into community. To facilitate this work, we established a new Community Investments Office and created the Bay REPAIR program to direct penalty funds into projects that benefit community. Additionally, we are working with the Community Advisory Council and local community-based organizations to distribute additional funds through a People’s Air Grant.

Penalty Funds: We successfully created a team to manage the distribution of penalty funds, through the Bay REPAIR (Reinvesting Penalties for Air Improvement and Resilience) program. The new Community Investments Office opened the first round of grant applications to distribute $95 million in funding, focusing on communities in Benicia, Richmond and surrounding areas. Beyond opening the fund, we have established clear usage guidelines, hosted informational applicant webinars, and secured the staff resources needed to ensure long-term success.

People’s Air Grant: Through a People’s Air Grant, we are distributing $3 million to support community-led air quality and public health projects in communities disproportionately impacted by air pollution. Developed in partnership with the Community Advisory Council and approved by the Board in May 2025, the program is funded through the Community Benefit Fund (distinct from enforcement, penalty, or mitigation funds). The call for applications is live, and staff are currently providing technical assistance and establishing a review panel to score applications and begin implementation.

Strategy progress

To enhance public health and environmental justice, we successfully advanced legislation to triple penalty ceilings for air quality violations at Title V sources, such as refineries. Alongside these increased consequences for polluters, we are strengthening our legislative partnerships through a new learning academy.

New Law Raises Penalty Ceilings: To enhance public health and environmental justice, we successfully advanced legislation to triple penalty ceilings for air quality violations at Title V sources, such as refineries. This bill, AB 1465, authored by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, updates a penalty structure that had not seen significant changes since 2001. By resetting these limits, the law provides a powerful incentive for facilities to prioritize safety and maintenance while increasing the financial consequences for those that violate air quality regulations.

Legislative Learning Academy: We are strengthening our legislative partnerships through a new learning academy designed to train legislative staff on Air District priorities and collaborative activities. This initiative ensures that legislative offices have the necessary context and tools to support clean air initiatives, especially in disadvantaged communities disproportionately impacted by pollution. Following two successful webinars held in late 2025, we are currently developing a new series for 2026 to continue this vital educational outreach.

Strategy progress

We are strengthening our commitment to equity by integrating civil rights protections directly into our core operations. These efforts include reviewing our enforcement and permitting process for civil rights and environmental justice impacts, expanding language access for diverse communities, and streamlining our non-discrimination procedures to ensure transparent and accountable service for all residents.

Reviewing Permitting: We are auditing our enforcement and permitting processes to ensure alignment with civil rights and environmental justice standards. We have developed preliminary "living" guidelines and are currently testing these via systematic compliance checks. Over the next year, we plan to expand outreach to academics and community groups to refine these guidelines.

Implementing Language Services Plan: To ensure meaningful access for Limited English Proficient (LEP) populations, we hired staff dedicated to overseeing the Air District’s language services plan. Our next steps include establishing an internal working group and deepening community engagement to ensure LEP residents can fully participate in Air District programs and decision-making.

Advance Non-Discrimination in Operations: We are advancing non-discrimination by streamlining the reporting, investigation, and resolution of civil rights complaints and making resources available on dedicated webpages. We are training all employes in civil rights laws and their applicability to Air District functions

Strategy progress

Cumulative impacts occur when private businesses or governments make individual decisions that, when added together, can cause impacts that accumulate over time, negatively affecting people's health, well-being, and quality of life. The Air District’s Advisory Council has developed a work plan to better understand and incorporate cumulative impacts into Air District decision making. The Council is expected to deliver findings and recommendations to the Board of Directors by early 2027.

Methods to Understand Cumulative Impacts: The Advisory Council has identified and analyzed several methods to understand cumulative impacts, moving beyond traditional one-pollutant-at-a-time assessments toward a more holistic approach. This includes evaluating methods to account for background pollution concentrations and summing hazard indices across multiple target organ systems to capture the combined risk of various chemicals. The Council has also explored incorporating non-chemical stressors—such as poverty, housing insecurity, and psychosocial stress—which can amplify health harms. To refine these methods, the Advisory Council studied existing models from states like New Jersey and Massachusetts and held collaborative sessions with the Community Advisory Council to ensure that qualitative community perspectives are integrated alongside quantitative data.

Consider Cumulative Impacts in Decisions: The Advisory Council has prioritized permitting for new and modified facilities as its primary focus for considering cumulative impacts in Air District decision making after community groups identified it as a top environmental justice priority. This decision centers on the Council's goal to minimize added burdens in already impacted areas by implementing "best practices" where they can have the most immediate regulatory effect. While the Council recognizes other critical areas like stationary source regulations, compliance, and incentives, it determined that the framework developed for permitting could serve as a scalable model for these additional focus areas.