Born and raised in an environmental justice community right here in Los Angeles, I now represent Californians and the San Fernando Valley at the heart of the Trump administration’s polluter-first agenda that is harming vulnerable Americans. One year of Donald Trump in office has wreaked havoc on critical environmental justice protections, with the administration set on gutting the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regulatory power, rolling back pollution limits, and dismantling lifesaving rules to give corporate handouts. This comes at the expense of communities like mine.
We will not be an afterthought of this administration. That’s why I introduced the Environmental Justice Screening Tool Act, a bill that ensures the federal government has the data and tools needed to equitably and adequately prioritize funding for environmental justice communities, like mine in the San Fernando Valley. Our government and advocates on the ground need reliable information to identify and support our most vulnerable neighbors who are struggling most with pollution, health problems, climate change, and economic hardship. This bill will make sure environmental justice communities aren’t left behind.
Californians know too well the very real threats of climate change. Just one year ago, my first days in Congress were marked by the Eaton and Palisades wildfires that swept across Los Angeles County. As my first speech on the House floor advocated for constituents affected by the fires, Trump was busy on Day One slashing the very policies meant to protect people from devastating wildfires and extreme weather events.
