About the Long Beach Alliance for Children with Asthma

 The Long Beach Alliance for Children with Asthma (LBACA) started in 1999 and is a partnership to improve the lives of children with asthma in the Long Beach community. Since its inception LBACA’s membership has grown to include over 70 individuals and organizations that convene at regular bi-monthly meetings. The coalition employs a multi-faceted community based approach to addressing the systems, policies and social barriers to effective asthma care using evidence based models. It examines and addresses factors at every level of influence including self-management, family and the home, provider capacity, schools and after-school support, community awareness and action, environmental measures, and policies.

 Objectives of the Coalition

1. To change the profile of childhood asthma in the most affected areas of the cities of Long Beach, Carson, Wilmington and San Pedro through improved healthcare delivery and quality, outreach, education, support systems, improved living environments and changes in policy at all levels.�
    
2. To improve clinical outcomes including reduction in preventable hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and school absenteeism due to asthma, and enhanced quality of life measures.

 Community Members Speak Out Against the Expansion of Railyards and Freeways in their Neighborhoods: An Update on the Actions of Long Beach Alliance for Children with Asthma (LBACA)

 As an advocate for children’s health LBACA is involved in fighting sources outdoor air pollution at multiple levels. Through funding from Community Action to Fight Asthma (CAFA) the coalition has been able to expand the depth of its advocacy activities related to outdoor air pollution. Long Beach and the surrounding communities served by LBACA are home to the third largest port complex in the world. Combined, the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach bring in over 40% of the nation’s goods and contribute to over 20% of the pollution in the South Coast Air Basin.[1] 

 Central to the function of the ports and regional goods movement activity are the I-710 freeway and railyards. The 710 runs through the heart of Long Beach and is the largest infrastructure project in the nation. Railyards in the area include the Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF), an existing facility operated by Union Pacific, and the Southern California International Gateway (SCIG), a project proposed by Burlington Northern Santa Fe. Despite the downturn in the economy and decrease in the number of goods being moved in and out of the United States plans to expand both the 710 Freeway and the railyards are already in place.

 Expansion of the I-710 Freeway

 The 710 freeway gained renewed interest on the part of local communities in 2003 when plans for expansion were first announced. LBACA joined with other communities located along the I-710 corridor to form the Coalition for Environmental Health and Justice (CEHAJ). Through the efforts of CEHAJ and pressure from community members the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) – decision makers for the project – were forced to incorporate an expanded community participation structure into the planning process. The structure facilitates meaningful community participation and influence in determining the design and implementation of the project’s Environmental Impact Review/Statement (EIR/EIS).

 Despite an expanded community participation framework into the planning process CEHAJ and many of LBACA’s members still face an uphill battle in influencing the MTA and project decision makers to develop a realistic and implementable plan guaranteeing the health of local communities is prioritized. The final stages of the EIR/EIS for the project are set to be completed in the fall of 2010. The 4 items currently being recommended by the community for inclusion in the EIR/EIS are:

 1.  To adopt the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s (SCAQMD) significance threshold for the evaluation of alternatives before the project begins.

 2.  To incorporate near source modeling into any analysis of air quality and to consider ambient air quality that reflect near roadway concentrations.

 3. To address construction impacts from the project and develop a staging plan to quantify results from any study carried out in a Health Risk Assessment (HRA).

 4. To utilize Health Impact Assessment (HIA) to fully assess the potential health impacts from the project.

 LBACA’s community members have been actively engaged in regular project meetings to urge the consideration of the above recommendations. On October 29, 2009 the Project Committee, a body at the top of the decision making process, voted in favor of using SCAQMD significance thresholds to measure air quality. Their decision was in large part due to a strong community presence – organized by members of CEHAJ. Prior to the October 29^th meeting CEHAJ and LBACA met individually with Project Committee members to educate them about the recommendations and community concerns.  In addition, many LBACA mothers testified at the meeting highlighting the impact of the project on children with asthma.  The remaining 3 recommendations will be discussed in detail at the next meeting in January. In the coming months LBACA will conduct individual outreach to committee members about the importance of the recommendations as well as to local residents likely to experience the direct health impacts of expansion.   

 Railyards in West Long Beach

 LBACA is also working to raise awareness of and address the significant health risks posed by railyard activity in California. A Health Risk Assessment of 18 railyards in California conducted by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) found that railyards create significant cancer risks for individuals who live close by and are responsible for 210 tons of diesel pollution a year. Based on research over the last decade it is now well known that exposure to diesel exhaust is associated with asthma, cancer, heart disease and premature birth among other health problems.[2] The proposed expansion of railyards in West Long Beach is especially pertinent to LBACA’s members as the projects are located near 8 schools, representing a population of over 9,400 students as well as churches, homes and other community facilities who will be further exposed to harmful diesel emissions.

 LBACA is working with the Los Angeles Port Working Group to bring the message “We Need to Grow Pollution Free” to policy makers, urging them to oppose the expansion of the ICTF and SCIG and support stricter regulations to reduce already unacceptably high health risks resulting from railyard emissions.

 On September 25, 2009 LBACA members joined hundreds of others representing communities across California at a CARB Board hearing.  The large number of community members and their testimony at the hearing clearly had an impact. The board directed staff to look into imposing stricter standards and regulations for railyards operating in California. Stricter standards will force railroads to comply with regulations and move away from an existing model dependent on voluntary compliance.

 On October 9, 2009, LBACA members as part of the Port Working Group had the opportunity to share their personal concerns about the health impacts of railyards in West Long Beach with members of City Council and their staff in a day of action at Los Angeles City Hall.  LBACA’s Community Outreach Liaisons led efforts to mobilize community residents for the day and organized a Community Art Event attended by over 100 residents where information about ICTF and SCIG was presented. Participants at the event helped to create signs and banners around the slogan “We Need to Grow Pollution Free” used on October 9^th.

 Over 30 members of the public representing communities impacted by railyards in the Los Angeles area attended Action Day at City Hall. During the day community members met with council members and their staff to personally convey the “Pollution Free” message and provide information on the significant harm these projects pose for local port communities. As a follow-up to an “ask” on the part of community members during Action Day LA City Council members and their staff will travel to Long Beach in early November for a tour and meeting to see, firsthand, the effects of railyard activity on local neighborhoods

Voices from Local Communities

The participation of community members in meetings and hearings has been instrumental in influencing decision makers for the 710 freeway and SCIG and ICTF projects. In August, LBACA held a workshop where participants were asked to share their vision for the future through a drawing depicting before and after pictures of the effects of pollution on their community. The workshop was attended by over 50 people, many of them families living in the community. The material produced by the workshop and the messages conveyed in drawings represent the power of community perspective and voice in advocating for change. In the coming months LBACA will continue to carry community perspectives to key decision makers and ensure struggles faced by local communities to raise healthy children in environments overburdened by high asthma rates and unhealthy air are at the center of any expansion debate.   For more information about LBACA, visit our website at http://www.lbaca.org/. 

 

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[1] Retrieved from: http://coalitionforcleanair.org/our-campaigns-preventing-port-pollution.html., March 30, 2008

[2] Retrieved from “The need for Locomotive & Rail Yard Regulations” fact sheet, Eastyard Communities for Environmental Justice (2009).

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