groundbreaking of the Shafter Community Garden. The four-acre garden is our largest yet. Local officials, including Shafter Mayor Jon Johnston, attended the ceremony and praised the Committee for a Better Shafter and CRPE for their work to establish the much needed garden. Shafter residents can adopt plots and learn more about topics that will help their plot thrive - like when to plant crops and how to care for their plot without the use of chemicals. The community's goal is to grow enough food to host a farmer's market. Check outphotosand this short video from the event.
Delano Stands Up to Unfair Utility Increase
When the City of Delano proposed a water rate hike after years of constant increases, residents finally said enough. In a town where 32% of residents live below the poverty line, the proposed increase of $65/month over five years imposed a significant hardship. Residents' concerns about the safety of the city's tap water further fueled their anger, since many also pay for bottled water. CRPE led the charge in halting the proposal. Our community organizers and a group of dedicated volunteers canvassed Delano for weeks to get the required number of signatures to prevent the City Council from voting on the rate hike. At the April 16th City Council meeting, CRPE presented 5,300+ signatures - 700 more than required. Unfortunately the city was unable to verify all the signatures and at the April 29th meeting the City Council voted 4-1 to approve the increase. Now concerned Delano residents must decide the next steps which could include requesting the City review the signatures again. Follow us on Facebook to stay informed on what happens next.
CRPE Brings Fresh Perspective to National Climate Change Debate
Madeline (right) with allies at the Forum.
Senior Attorney Sofia Parino and Luke Cole Memorial Fellow Madeline Stano trekked to D.C. for the Environmental Justice Leadership Forum on Climate Change's annual meeting on April 11-13th. The Forum includes representatives from thirty-five environmental justice organizations from across the country who came together to develop a unified environmental justice perspective for the climate change debate. Low income communities and communities of color are the first and most deeply impacted by changes to our warming planet. The Forum strives to give voice to the stories from these communities and ensure they influence local, state and federal climate policies. Madeline reflects on her experience at the Forum in hernew blog.
Now Hiring Development Director
CRPE's development director, Lauren Richter, is heading back to school. We are looking for someone with experience in fundraising and a passion for social change to join our San Francisco office as the new development director. Visit our employment page to learn how to apply. Position is open until filled.
May 18th CRPE is co-sponsoring a training to promote healthy land-use decisions in California. "Promoting Healthy Land Use Decisions" will focus on fracking and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). We are looking for community members to join us at the training in Los Angeles. The training will provide background information; previous knowledge of the subject is not necessary to attend. If you are interested in attending please contact Sofia Parino.
What else we were up to this month
On Earth Day, CRPE took part in a rally at the EPA building in San Francisco to demand that the EPA "protect our health and communities, not polluters."
On April 13th, 42 residents from 6 communities in the San Joaquin Valley gathered at the Delano office for a training to learn how to create a nonprofit community garden.
April 20th we held our spring environmental justice tour. Strela, co-director of the California Environmental Justice Alliance and her daughter came along.
Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment
1012 Jefferson Street, Delano, CA 93215 - (661) 720-9140
47 Kearny Street, Suite 804, San Francisco, CA 94108 - (415) 346-4179
