By Keith Burbank. Bay City News.
A state bill aimed at allocating $18 billion in federal money in the Bay Area and statewide for environmentally and socially disadvantaged communities scores high marks for promoting gender and racial equity, according to the Gender Equity Policy Institute, a nonprofit think tank that exposes the impacts of business and government policies, processes and practices.
Assembly Bill 2419, authored by Assemblyman Isaac Bryan, D-Culver City, scored 94 out of 100, meaning that, if enacted, it would be "transformative," said institute president Nancy Cohen.
The bill would require California to spend 40 percent of the $45 billion the state receives from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act on environmentally and socially disadvantaged communities. State agencies that allocate the funds would have choices about how they define disadvantaged.
"If this bill passes, we could see all of California benefiting," Cohen noted.
The bill would benefit six out of 10 state residents, he stressed. That means 23.6 million residents would benefit.
The money could be used for improvements in communications, transportation, water and, among other things, air quality.
"Nearly 60 percent of all Californians live in disadvantaged and low-income communities," Bryan referenced in a statement. "Historically, our neighborhoods have seen sustainable investment and infrastructure pass us by."
AB 2419 will create economic opportunities and raise "historically silenced voices in all decision-making spaces," he said.
In the Bay Area, 1.3 million women of color would benefit from the improvements, and in Southern California, 3.2 million women of color living in contaminated communities would benefit, the report says.
"The numbers are quite startling," Cohen said, adding that it is encouraging that a public policy can promise to advance racial and gender equity.
Historically, residents of Bryan's West Adams district have been underserved, he explained by phone Tuesday. His district is home to the largest urban oil field, which has led to lower life expectancy and, among other challenges, poorer air quality for residents. That's one of the reasons he wrote the bill.
The oil field has also been a source of employment, he said, although he sees workers transitioning to greener jobs.
Although the bill did not get 100 percent, it does not mean that anything is missing, Cohen said.
"One bill cannot solve the problem," he stressed. Additional separate bills, such as those promoting equal pay for men and women, will be needed.
Women are not well represented in the construction industry, which will benefit from federal infrastructure money, Cohen said.
The Greenlining Institute of Oaklandwhich works for economic justice, is a co-sponsor of AB 2419 and suggested the money could go toward a couple of projects in the city. One is the East Oakland Industrial Streets project, which would resurface streets and add bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, said Melanie Morelos, senior manager of the institute's California strategy program.
Another is the East Oakland Mobility Hubs Pilot, which could share public transit, bikes and carpools, Morelos noted.
More generally, Cohen stressed that funding could go to public transportation in dense urban areas, helping women who are time-pressed. Women use public transportation more than men, and having access to public transportation can free up time for things like childcare.
Another idea is to provide cooling centers in low-income urban areas, which research shows tend to be warmer than wealthier areas. For example, wealthier areas may have more tree canopy.
In addition, low-income residents may not have as many resources to cope with the heat.
Bryan said AB 2419 is in the Senate Appropriations Committee. He expects it to go to the Senate for a vote and minor changes. Then back to the House to concur with those changes before heading to the governor's desk for a signature.
He anticipates that the governor Gavin Newsom sign the bill out of the Inglewood oil field.
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