1. Prepared by: Center for Justice, Tolerance & Community University of California – Santa Cruz Waste Facilities, Environmental Justice, and Community Participation:

2. Environmental Justice Opportunity Assessment and Analysis CJTC Presentation of Final Report June, 2004 PURPOSE of today’s session: Review review final report and recommendations

3. Acknowledgements Collaboration of Researchers Input and Time of Community Feedback from Cal EPA and CIWMB Staff

4. Contract Objectives An analysis of the Environmental Justice (EJ) context for its decision-making, examples of strategies to increase public participation and community input, and recommendations as to how the Board might effectively address EJ through its programs and activities.

5. Elements and Organization of Report Executive Summary Introduction and Context Environmental Justice and the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB)  Community Issues and Perceptions  Effective Community Competent Participation Strategies: Five Key Building Blocks/Categories  Best Practices: Community Approaches and Tools  Recommendations and Conclusion  Appendices

6. Context California in a leadership role in environmental justice policymaking nationally Active organizing by environmental justice organizations and a growing body of research There is an established pattern of inequity by race and income for various environmental “negatives” in California Cal/EPA Advisory Committee on Environmental Justice that were finalized in September 2003 EJ groups and their governmental counterparts have begun to create tools for equitable public health protection and public participation.

7. The Distribution of CIWMB-regulated Facilities

11. Landfills: Do not seem to be disproportionately sited near minority or low-income areas but once one controls for nearby population density and whether the area is rural, there is some evidence of disproportionate proximity to these socially vulnerable communities.

12. The Distribution of CIWMB-regulated Facilities Transfer stations and waste tire sites: Are more clearly located near minority and low-income areas, and this pattern persists even when one introduces proper statistical controls with regard to degree of urbanization and population density.

13. Key Recommendations from Quantitative Data Collected Making statewide data more easily accessible, more easily understood, and more amenable to geographic mapping and analysis might be helpful for both :  The public perception of CIWMB and  The facilitation of community voice in meetings and other forums.

14. Key Recommendations from Quantitative Data Collected Developing an ongoing capacity for staff and outside researchers to conduct further research and evaluate the degree of demographic disparity in facilities and permitting decisions might:  Provide targets for improvement  Build trust in the directions being taken, and  Provide measures for evaluation and accountability.

15. An Afterthought  Community Input  Sought After REACTIVE ROLEPROACTIVE ROLE Industry /Government Community Involvement drivencontinually from the start COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION COMMUNITY INPUT COMMUNITY USE Involvement in processes Program Utilization Information Capacity Connected Engagement

16. Community Issues and Perceptions To address community concerns, community leaders and best practices research suggest that CIWMB and LEAs: Partner with community-based organizations, through the provision of small grants, can aid in outreach and building technical capacity.

17. Community Issues and Perceptions To address community concerns, community leaders and best practices research suggest that CIWMB and LEAs: Continue staff training on environmental justice issues and designate an environmental justice- focused staff position within the CIWMB.

18. Community Issues and Perceptions To address community concerns, community leaders and best practices research suggest that CIWMB and LEAs: Develop a statewide complaint resolution protocol in collaboration with community leaders

19. Community Issues and Perceptions To address community concerns, community leaders and best practices research suggest that CIWMB and LEAs: Institutionalize a process by which a report or memo is drafted after a decision has been made to identify where public input has been incorporated

20. Community Competency Recommendations Allocate adequate funds for all Cal/EPA agencies to implement EJ policy action items. Community competence training should be provided for all staff, administrators and board.

21. Community Competency Recommendations  Community collaborations and partnerships should be pursued by working with natural, formal and informal networks within diverse communities. In addition to mainstream environmental groups, include diverse EJ groups in CIWMB planning processes.

22. Best Practices Recommendations Policy Provide guidelines to encourage practices for enhancing public participation and addressing EJ. Prioritize communities that meet specific EJ criteria—some states have used anti- concentration policies to address disproportionate and cumulative exposures

23. Best Practices Recommendations Policy A statewide complaint resolution protocol including: standard response time, method for receiving complaints, documentation, investigative procedure, feedback and CIWMB/LEA interaction. Mechanisms created to inform communities about technical assistance opportunities and options.

24. Best Practices Recommendations Education and Capacity Building Capacity building initiatives to be encouraged and supported by incorporating: the use of regional resource providers, community-generated tools and solutions, accessible information materials and toolkits, and community-led assessment and research.

25. Best Practices Recommendations Education and Capacity Building Consult with other agencies with experience on educating staff on public participation and environmental justice. Educational workshops for LEA officials should be provided for coaching and introducing new formats for public participation.

26. Best Practices Recommendations Marketing and Communication Strategies Website should be designed to be more accessible to a wide public audience with different literacy and language abilities. We also reiterate the need to think about non-traditional meeting techniques to ensure conversation and consensus rather than the public stand-offs often characteristic of more formal processes.

27. Best Practices Recommendations Marketing and Communication Strategies Develop a comprehensive public participation guidebook that clarifies the structure and jurisdiction of the Board and LEAs, and aids community members through the public participation process. A comprehensive public participation manual should be developed that coaches staff in effective methods and process.

28. Best Practices Recommendations Evaluation and Accountability Standards for public participation evaluation should be instituted which include: baseline assessment, a public participation plan, feedback tools, and accountability. A statewide public participation evaluation designed and implemented to establish a baseline and monitors progress over a specified time period.

29. Best Practices Recommendations Evaluation and Accountability Guidelines for successful outreach should be developed, including expanded requirements for meeting and permitting notification, and agreed-on measures of success. Consider creating diverse and representative stakeholder advisory committees, including site- or area- or issue-based pilot projects, the use of surveys, and ongoing evaluation.

30. Final Thoughts Designation of an office or an individual to take leadership in developing and implementing an advanced participation plan Continued research and collaboration with CIWMB staff to establish empirical baseline. Distributing resources amongst the tools in a way that will maximize community participation. Developing an assessment of the baseline of current practices in order to be able to measure progress.

31. Conflict and collaboration go hand-in-hand – consistent interaction can lead to sustainable and mutually rewarding relationships between communities and agencies Representatives who have the first contact with the community should anticipate some misperceptions and confusion that will be the source of frustration and even misinformation. Because building community participation evolves over the longer term, achieving change requires time, training, and patience. Final Thoughts

32. Questions?