Department Program

Environmental Justice & Equity

Addressing systemic environmental racism by mitigating toxic exposure, increasing urban tree canopies, and securing investment equity in vulnerable neighborhoods.

Protecting Frontline Communities

Historically, industrial zoning, freeway corridors, and hazardous waste sites have been disproportionately situated near low-income neighborhoods and communities of color in Los Angeles. The Environmental Justice program focuses on leveling this field, implementing strict buffer zones, and ensuring health equity.

CalEnviroScreen Integration

We utilize the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment’s (OEHHA) **CalEnviroScreen** tool. This scientific screening system combines pollution indicators (ozone levels, pesticide use, diesel emissions) with population vulnerability indicators (asthma rates, poverty levels) to calculate a cumulative impact score for every zip code in LA.

  • Targeted Investment: Directly allocating SB 535 greenhouse gas reduction funds to communities ranking in the top 25% of CalEnviroScreen scores.
  • Permit Scrutiny: Adding severe regulatory reviews for any new industrial facility proposing to operate in high-burden tracts.

"Clean Up Green Up" Initiative

To address the toxic burden in heavy industrial overlay zones, EAD spearheaded the **Clean Up Green Up** ordinance. Operating in three pilot zones—Boyle Heights, Pacoima/Sun Valley, and Wilmington—the policy enforces:

  1. Minimum 500-foot buffer zones between new industrial facilities and residential homes or schools.
  2. Mandatory MERV 13 air filtration systems for buildings within 1,000 feet of freeway corridors.
  3. Strict noise, dust, and lighting limits on commercial operations bordering neighborhoods.

Urban Forestry & Heat Island Mitigation

Vulnerable neighborhoods experience significantly higher ambient temperatures due to asphalt coverage and a lack of mature trees (the urban heat island effect). EAD coordinates tree planting initiatives and cool pavement coatings to lower summer temperatures by up to 5°F in frontline regions.