Why NOW is the time to support the federal PUBLIC Lands Act – and what YOU can do to help!
As we write this blog, a dark grey hue covers the sky over much of California – residents of the Central Valley, Bay Area, and the Central Coast are all suffering due to some of the worst wildfires in our State’s history. Along with the smoke, a 17-mile pipeline just spilled 127,000 gallons of crude oil into Huntington Beach, devastating local wildlife and causing the cancellation of in-person activity on the world-famous tourist destination. The ability for Californians to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and simply access our national parks are all in danger because of wildfires and a general lack of sustainable protections for many of our natural spaces.
On May 3rd, 2021, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla introduced the PUBLIC (Protecting Unique and Beautiful Landscapes by Investing in California) Lands Act. If passed into law, this bill would give federal protections to over 600,000 acres of land, 583 miles of rivers, and add over 100,000 miles of protections to the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. It is no longer enough to wait on the goodwill of our Presidential Administration to pass executive protections, and it is no longer effective to act after the fact whenever federal protections are rolled back. We need Congress to do its part by putting lasting, permanent, protections on the books. 
In deciding which policies to advocate for, the LCHC team evaluates bills on their ability to both protect and advance health equity for Latinos in California. This legislation has clear implications for our ability to access green space. Placing federal protections on these lands would allow our gente to continue to enjoy this land without fear of losing it in the future.
In 2019, An empirical review of studies on health outcomes in relation to the ease of accessibility to greenspace was done by Salud America. One study cited in the review defined accessibility to a green space or park as being within 1 mile of a person’s home. The study found only 1 in 3 Latinos lives within 1 mile of a park or green space. Comparatively, the same report found that only 19% of Latino children live within 1 mile of a park compared to 62% of White children. The report also identified this lack of access to parks as a direct cause of the higher rates of obesity, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses found amongst Latinos than in other populations. Green spaces have become increasingly essential places for us to socialize and have different types of gatherings that connect us to other members of our community in the time of COVID-19.
Climate change impacts are very real on our ability to have clean air. A collaborative study on the worsening quality of our nation’s air released last month by Stanford University and NPR exposes the extent of danger wildfires on the West Coast are causing to the entire country. The analysis of 10 years of data on air quality over the country counted the average days of bad air quality cities all over the country experienced on an annual basis. Over the past 10 years, Unhealthy air quality days have increased 400% in California. The annual average number of poor air quality days in some California cities includes:
- 32 days-Los Angeles
- 23 days-San Diego
- 55 days-Fresno/Sacramento
- 45 days-San Jose
Not only is the air becoming more toxic in California, but winds also carry the smoke to the rest of the country affecting the air in cities as far away as Philadelphia. In fact, over the same 10 years, Washington D.C. residents experienced a 40% increase of unhealthy air quality days to (roughly 20) on an annual basis. In terms of medical impact, the study also found Californians increased the number of claims for the Asthma medication, Albuterol, from 2013 to 2018. The 240,000 claims made between that period particularly affect our community. As Salud America notes, 44% of Latinos in California live with poor air quality compared to 25% of non-Latinos. As we advance future environmental legislation, we must also consider mitigating the climate change impacts on our natural resources.
The LCHC team recognizes the immense health benefits of green spaces. From being able to live more active lifestyles, which in turn, led to weight loss and improvement for other underlying health issues – to creating memorable moments with their loved ones, parks (both local and federal) have benefited the Latinx community. From Los Angeles to Fresno to the Bay Area, the quality of life and health outcomes for Latinos at large are intrinsically tied to the health of these lands.
What can we do to help secure The PUBLIC Lands Act? Let your representatives know how important this bill is directly! Find your member of congress here and contact their office. For questions regarding our work in this space and how you can help, please contact Oscar Sandoval via email at osandoval@lchc.org.
—————————-
About LCHC:
Founded in 1992, the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California (LCHC) is the only Latinx-led statewide policy and advocacy organization protecting and advancing Latinx health equity. We are a cross-sector coalition of community leaders, advocates, policy advisors, administrators and providers united by our common belief in protecting Latinx health and advancing health equity for all. Our work consists of community-centered programming, policy and advocacy development, and strategic communications.
