Thanks to the work of advocates, Southwest Stockton has been approved to be a part of the 2019 Community Air Protection Program (CAPP). This program stems from AB 617 (Garcia, 2017); This important air quality legislation laid the groundwork for the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to establish the CAPP to reduce the exposure and health effects in communities most impacted by air pollution. The CAPP provides funding to deploy cleaner technology and support community participation in planning. The path to CAPP funding was paved by advocates and residents' work on the Rise Stockton project and their continued engagement in their neighborhoods to build a groundswell of community support to improve the air they breathe. 

In our last blog post, we shared that the Northern San Joaquin Valley faces unique challenges. While it has some of the most productive agricultural land in the world, it is under pressure from sprawl development, increased traffic as super-commuters drive to and from Sacramento and the Bay Area, and the air quality is some of the worst in the country. The recent wildfire have only exacerbated the poor air quality.

The Healthy Neighborhoods Collaborative, a coalition of regional advocates chaired by Catholic Charities Diocese of Stockton, and ClimatePlan weighed in on the SJCOG draft Regional Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy (RTP/SCS)–a 20 year road map for transportation and land use in the Northern San Joaquin Valley.