Although Sacramento, California is currently ranked as one of the country’s most polluted cities, a coalition of advocates and grassroots leaders is determined to change that.
Due to Sacramento’s location in a mountain-locked valley, the pollutants produced from the city’s high amounts of traffic and industries become trapped, consistently earning it a top spot on the American Lung Association’s list for poor air quality.
Historically, racist policies have disproportionately exposed Sacramento’s marginalized populations – low-income residents, people of color, the elderly, immigrants and people with disabilities – to higher levels of pollutants for generations.
Redlining and other discriminatory practices have forced minority communities into neighborhoods zoned for industries and major freeways, exposing residents to toxic emissions linked to various health problems, including respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological and reproductive issues.
Faith-based, community-led grassroots action
With seed funding from The California Endowment, the Catholic Diocese of Sacramento and the Latino Leadership Council (LLC), the Sacramento Environmental Justice Coalition (Sac-EJC) promotes environmental equity through grassroots efforts grounded in universal faith-based teachings – like Pope Francis’s 2015 encyclical, Laudato Si’ (A Letter to the World on Caring for Creation).
“It’s a call-to-action to address the destruction of the environment,” said Sac-EJC Lead Community Organizer Herman Barahona. “[We have] to pay attention to what’s happening to the poor and marginalized – the ones bearing the brunt of this environmental crisis.”
Since 2021, Sac-EJC has held one-on-one conversations, house meetings and workshops in local schools, nonprofits and churches to educate residents on environmental injustices and develop local leadership to advocate for environmental justice.
At the heart of Sac-EJC’s mission is the belief that those most impacted should lead the fight for change.
“Our board is made up of low-income residents, immigrants, formerly unhoused, foster youth, people on Section 8, people who have experienced rough conditions in these neighborhoods – they are our teachers,” said Barahona.
Environmental justice efforts in Sacramento’s marginalized communities
As an industrial hub, Sacramento’s many truck depots pose an environmental threat to nearby low-income neighborhoods.
“We started campaigning for air quality monitoring, leading to millions of dollars being invested by regulators and policymakers,” Barahona explained.
By December 2025, 30 air quality monitors will be installed near the ten largest truck yards. Sac-EJC also plans to create expanded tree canopies and green spaces to promote natural air filtration and better temperature regulation.
Creating a blueprint for lasting change
With extensive partner support across four counties, Sac-EJC is exploring the possibility of establishing a community development corporation (CDC) in the Sacramento Valley – what Barahona called a “CDC desert.”
Together with groups like LLC, the Sierra Business Council and other allies of Rise Economy, Sac-EJC raised $50,000 for a feasibility study to guide this future work. The study will lay the groundwork for a CDC that offers lasting solutions to decades of systemic challenges.
“In an area long impacted by the Gold Rush, redlining and environmental damage to our air and water, that’s how we build a people-oriented mechanism for the future,” said Barahona.
Nicole Rothstein is a Contributing Writer.
Photo courtesy of the Sacramento Environmental Justice Coalition.
