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<br />Dear City Officials, <br /> <br />In case it is helpful, I wanted to provide a summary of the main demands regarding the <br />community outreach process that were expressed by the (30+?) youth and adult CUAL <br />committee members from MPNA during the meetings a couple weeks ago, several of which echo <br />what ELC has sent. <br />1. The City's General Plan outreach should be designed to collect community input that <br />will be incorporated into the plan, not just provide updates. <br />2. The community needs advance notice of all meetings, and sufficient time to provide <br />public comment. <br />3. Meetings and events should be held at convenient times for working families, and have <br />remote options for participation and comment. <br />4. Planners and city officials should visit the community to see the needs firsthand and <br />hear residents' input in community forums. <br />5. The City, rather than the residents, is responsible for initiating public outreach and <br />research on community needs. <br />6. All outreach needs to be bilingual/multilingual so all community members can <br />participate. <br />7. Community outreach for the General Plan process should be multi-pronged, including <br />outreach to residents on radio, social media, publicly posted fliers, email, and mailers. <br />8. There is a widespread lack of trust in the City because of its record of excluding <br />community voices through insufficient or inadequate opportunities for public comment. <br />There are other key themes from these meetings that may also be relevant to mention: <br />1. SE Santa Ana is uniquely and directly impacted by EJ issues in the General Plan, because <br />the industrial zone abuts the residential zone and several schools. <br />2. Every member of the community has a neighbor or family member with asthma, and SE <br />Santa Ana has the highest rates of asthma ER visits in the city. <br />3. Residents' health and wellbeing are widely impacted by the cumulative effects of <br />multiple forms of pollution, including foul odors, noise pollution, air pollution, and soil <br />and groundwater pollution (including lead). <br />4. The lack of transparency about the planning, zoning, and permitting processes has <br />stymied the community's concerted efforts to monitor air pollution and its effects on their <br />neighborhoods. <br />5. Previously scheduled community outreach activities related to the General Plan update <br />process have been delayed, and the community has been given minimal notice, context, <br />or additional information regarding opportunities to engage in the process. <br />th <br />6. Today’s July 7 Council meeting had insufficient notice, and offers inadequate means for <br />the public to engage and comment. <br />7. The city’s idea of “Community Outreach” seems to be merely providing information <br />about EJ to community members, not the robust engagement envisioned by SB 1000 and <br /> <br />