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We demand that the city establish a permanent Environmental Justice office with a public <br /> health expert on staff, to conduct regular meetings with residents and community <br /> organizations to guide implementation of these policies, give regular reports on local <br /> environmental health issues, and ensure a relationship of accountability and transparency <br /> between the city and the community. <br /> Furthermore, the Environmental Impact Report should not be passed as is, because it does <br /> not account for the fact that removing lead-based paint, as one of the General Plan provisions <br /> requires, actually shakes lead loose into the air and substantially increases soil-lead <br /> contamination in the area. Therefore, mitigation will be necessary to counteract this <br /> environmental impact. Furthermore, by the Planning Department's own admission, the EIR's <br /> data is set to expire in February 2022. An updated EIR with fresh data, community input on <br /> which neighborhoods are designated as EJ Communities, and consideration for the impacts <br /> of lead paint removal activities is necessary before the city can ethically move forward with <br /> the General Plan Update. <br /> If City Council decides to vote on the General Plan Update and Environmental Impact Report <br /> at the next council meeting, please vote not to approve the Environmental Justice <br /> components of the plan without our recommended revisions, and do not approve the EIR <br /> without accounting for the stale data and increase in lead contamination that the Plan could <br /> cause. Failing to account for these issues will place the city in violation of California S131000, <br /> a dangerous move when the eyes of the California Attorney General's office are fixed on <br /> Santa Ana. If necessary, feel free to approve the Housing Element of the plan--but please, do <br /> not ignore these urgent health crises facing our community. <br /> Thank you for taking the time to listen to our voices, and for fulfilling your responsibilities as <br /> the council members we elected to represent the needs of our community. <br /> Maricela Castro <br /> maricela7720@gmail.com <br /> 300E. Santa Ana Blvd. Apt. 302 <br /> Santa Ana, California 92701 <br /> 20 <br />