East Palo Alto Shows Up to Speak Up
East Palo Alto faces a quintessentially Bay Arean constellation of challenges: escalating housing prices and declining affordability; gentrification associated with the displacement of longtime residents by well-paid tech workers; and a rising bay encroaching upon the densely populated, low-lying city near the foot of the Dumbarton Bridge.
Throw in a proposed new mixed-use development abutting vital marshlands already vulnerable to flooding and the stakes get even higher, says Roxana Franco, programs manager for Nuestra Casa de East Palo Alto. That’s why the nearly 20-year-old nonprofit is now working closely with current and longtime residents, many of them lower-income people of color, to give local context to climate change and sea-level rise, disaster preparedness, and — perhaps most importantly — civic engagement.
Through a 12-week program called the Environmental Justice Parent Academy, Nuestra Casa (“Our House”) is leading in-depth discussions about these and related issues among cohorts of African American, Pacific Islander, Latinx, and youth residents of East Palo Alto. All 85 participants, 75 of whom are parents, receive a stipend for their time and are encouraged to continue their work outside of the group.
“We have facilitators that reflect the community, and they’re also community elders here in East Palo Alto,” Franco says. “We try to make it about building communities and empowering our participants to sit at city council meetings and speak up … We encourage them to show up to these meetings, and they feel more comfortable to be involved or at least show up.”
Four major development projects have been proposed for the end of Bay Road, just south of the Dumbarton Bridge and hugging the edge of the marshes close to sea level.
Other Recent Posts
New Shoreline Projects Could Add 168 Acres of Parks to the East Bay
New plans could transform Golden Gate Fields and an Oakland industrial lot into public parks, with sea-level rise resilience built in.
Is Rising Heat Making It Harder for West Oakland to Breathe?
West Oakland has asthma rates 7x higher than the rest of California. As heat waves get more frequent, residents like longtime activist Ms. Margaret Gordon are sounding the alarm.
Flores, Flautas, and an Invitation Outside
The Bay Area chapter of Latino Outdoors offers an invitation to outdoor adventure with free, bilingual hikes and camping trips.
Eco-Anxiety Got You Down? There’s a Group for That
Good Grief Network offers 10-week peer support groups where sharing feelings of climate distress and grief fights despair.
Flores, flautas y una invitación al afuera
El grupo de Latino Outdoors en el Área de la Bahía ofrece una invitación a aventuras externas, con caminatas bilingües y viajes de campamento gratuitas.
Nuevos proyectos costeros podrían añadir 168 acres de parques a la Bahía Este
Nuevos planes podrían transformar Golden Gate Fields y un terreno industrial de Oakland en parques que incorporarán medidas de resiliencia ante la prevista subida del nivel del mar.
El cambio climático hace que respirar en West Oakland sea cada vez más difícil
West Oakland tiene tasas de asma siete veces más altas que el resto de California. A medida que las olas de calor se intensifican, residentes como la activista Ms Margaret Gordon están prendiendo las alarmas.
¿La ecoansiedad te tiene desanimado? Hay un grupo para eso
Good Grief Network reúne a personas para, durante diez semanas, hablar de sus sentimientos de angustia y duelo, y así combatir la desesperanza climática.
Change Detection Made Easier with New Lidar Survey
A new high-resolution lidar dataset gives planners a powerful tool to track flooding, levees, and wetland changes across the estuary.
Is Placing Sediment in the Shallows to Feed Marshes Working?
After two years of monitoring, a project to place sediment in shallow water off Eden Landing appears to be boosting surrounding marshes.
