Yvette Walker
With KVCR News. I'm Yvette Walker. This is IE Latino Voices, where we invite representatives from Latino led and Latino serving organizations to share their stories and their impact in our region. Joining me today is Karla Cervantes, Community Organizer. Karla, thank you so much for being with us today.
Karla Cervantes
Glad to be here.
Yvette Walker
Why is raising awareness about air quality important to you, especially in communities like Mead Valley, and for listeners unfamiliar with the area, can you explain where Mead Valley is and why it has become central to conversations around warehouses, logistics and pollution?
Karla Cervantes
Mead Valley is north of the city of Perris. It's nestled in between the city of Perris next to another unincorporated area of Lake Matthews. It is unincorporated rural destination, and we have the highest amounts of diesel trucks per person in Mead Valley, even though we're a really small population. So right now we are suffering with really high amounts of air pollution and possibly over 1000 acres of land being rezoned for more industrial in an area that doesn't even have a grocery store at this point. So air quality in our area is super important, because when we start seeing that there's diesel trucks using residential roads in order to get to their destinations, we know that these impacts are going to be long term, just for a short-term kind of gain.
Yvette Walker
Karla, in your view, are Latino communities more impacted by truck traffic, warehouses and poor air quality?
Karla Cervantes
I believe so. I think that with Latinos, because we are so hard working, or we have so much going on, we value family so much, but we also are ignored when we do come to the table, when we do come and speak out on things, and that's how these developments are able to happen in Latino based communities, because they guarantee "market jobs" will bring opportunity. But a lot of the times, we're finding as organizers that these jobs are going to be automated or they're low paying or high risk, high injury type of things. And so it's important to try to reframe and educate our community on what's going on before predatory developments come along and kind of lie to community members. And that's what's been happening in the IE for a long time. That's why I think that it's kind of purposeful that it's happening in Latino communities.
Yvette Walker
And what kinds of health concerns are residents experiencing, and what are community groups doing to push for change?
Karla Cervantes
When it comes to diesel trucks and emissions that obviously come with warehouses as well, we're seeing a high rise of bronchitis and respiratory illnesses, asthma rates and people who are immunocompromised or elderly or children when it comes to air quality concerns, there is agencies that are committed to letting you know when you can and can't be outside. Over a third of the year you're not supposed to be outside because the air quality is so bad. And these are going to be long term effects that we're going to see later on when it comes to brain function, lung function, kidney or heart there are so many things that PM2.5 does to somebody's body.
Yvette Walker
And Karla, what policies or actions do you believe are needed to better protect communities near warehouses and freight corridors?
Karla Cervantes
It might seem radical, but we are at capacity. We should not have any more warehouses in the IE. But because I know that might seem like it's impossible, I think that there needs to be buffer zones where, if you're going to build, it has to be built responsibly, it has to be built where there's a zoning far from homes, there's commercial and green spaces and land and real community benefits. Otherwise, we end up having warehouses that are right next to homes, and then community members do suffer. I think these are policies that are easily going to be able to implement, and that way, we can center community voices, concerns and health and not have to center so much of just developer wants.
Yvette Walker
And what are some mitigation efforts the community can implement to protect their health while these matters are being resolved?
Karla Cervantes
Downloading apps like the South Coast Air Quality Management District app so you know when it's safe for you to be outside and when it's not. And then when you're inside, I think making sure that you have plants that can clean the air, right? Also, kind of DIY air filters. There's some that are on USC that have tutorials on how to build your own air purifiers, even getting one that's inexpensive. Also getting with community groups. There's tons of community groups that have information whether or not you want to get involved all the way as an organizer. There's still information out there where you can make sure that at least your breathing is going to be more protected than not, and you don't have to spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars to be able to get some sort of air filtration in your home. There's also teas that you can make. Of course, check with your doctor, because you don't want to drink anything that you're allergic to unknowingly.
Yvette Walker
Karla, thank you so much for sharing your time with us. Karla Cervantes is a Community Organizer. Join us again next week for IE Latino Voices. You can find this story and others on our website. At KVCRnews.org/IELatinoVoices. IE Latino Voices is produced by KVCR Public Media and is funded by generous support from the CIELO Fund at IECF, uplifting and investing in the IE's Latino community. For KVCR News, I'm Yvette Walker.
