The local youth-led campaign was instrumental in securing City resolutions in support of keeping the law to protect neighborhoods from toxic drilling San Diego, CA – After months of advocacy and activism from grassroots organizations and frontline communities, including Youth v. Oil in San Diego, last night (June 26) Big Oil withdrew its referendum to overturn the oil setback law that was passed in 2022. Despite spending nearly $61 million on deceitful efforts, Big Oil conceded defeat. Senate Bill 1137 will take effect immediately, protecting California frontline communities by prohibiting oil companies from drilling new or reworked oil wells within 3,200 ft of places

By Roran Ausman, SD350 Volunteer Starting off the morning of World Ocean Day (June 8th) eating breakfast on the beach seemed fitting. It should have been serene, but seeing the empty waters of Imperial Beach a few days after reading Surfrider’s Clean Water Report, and knowing it’s been closed for over 900 days because of the poor water quality, was sobering. I thought of the devastating impacts of the flooding in this area earlier this year, and the two hours it would have taken me to get there had I wanted to take public transit that morning. Both the infrastructure

By Chris Roberts, Transportation Team Leader Co-lead, SanDiego350 Also published on The Jumping Off Place On May 31, 2024, a remarkable rally was held at one of San Diego’s most dangerous intersections for pedestrians and bicyclists: Market and 19th Street in Sherman Heights. At that intersection, in 2020, Jason Gordon was crossing the street when he was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver. He left behind his wife Katie and his two one-year-old daughters. The protest, called “Fix the Fatal 15”, was organized by Circulate San Diego, Families for Safe Streets San Diego (FSSSD), BikeSD, and San Diego County Bike

“Under the best of circumstances, we will see global catastrophe with highly-populated regions becoming uninhabitable.” By Joel Martin, Climate Writer Read the original article from The Jumping-Off Place, a new progressive news outlet. There is no point in sugar coating this. We almost certainly passed the 1.5 degree Celsius global temperature increase target last year and 2024 is looking to be even hotter. According to insideclimatenews.org, “the world is on a path to heat by about 2.7 degrees Celsius by 2100, which would threaten modern human civilization within the lifespan of children born today” (emphasis added). A temperature increase of 2.7 degrees Celsius corresponds to a

This month, we interviewed SanDiego350 volunteer, Daniel Hernandez to share about their climate activism. Daniel is part of the SD350’s Youth4Climate and Youth v. Oil. How did you first get involved with SD350, and when was that? I was first involved as a speaker at the Sweetwater Union High School District (SUHSD) electrification resolution on November 13th, 2023. With an interview with Telemundo and speaking at the rally, it was a lot more than I expected, which was only giving a speech to the board of trustees. That event has inspired me to work on the projects I am doing

By Maria Rivera, Co-lead of the SanDiego350’s JEDI team Introducing the SanDiego350 Podcast, your go-to platform for insightful and engaging environmental discussions. This podcast is designed to provide San Diegans a diverse and inclusive space to discuss crucial issues affecting our planet. Whether you’re passionate about climate action or just beginning to explore the world of environmental advocacy, this podcast is for you. Meet the Hosts: Anita Martinez and Maria Rivera Our dynamic hosts, Maria Rivera and Anita Martinez, bring knowledge, passion, and energy to each episode. Maria and Anita are happy to be environmental advocates committed to driving positive

By Monserrat Mejia, Student at University of San Diego and Climate Corps Fellow with SanDiego350 Also published on The Jumping Off Place As a Mexican-American resident in San Diego with little prior knowledge about climate change, the concerns about how environmental issues affect low-income neighborhoods like mine felt overwhelming. However, my journey to understanding the Regional Decarbonization Framework (RDF) has been enlightening and empowering. Many low-income communities in San Diego, including Barrio Logan, are historically significant and culturally rich areas. Unfortunately, they also face significant environmental challenges. The community is situated near industrial zones and busy highways, contributing to higher levels

New SD350 Mapping Tool Identifies Areas of Greatest Need By Sanjiv Nanda and Wendy Mihalic on SanDiego350’s transportation team SanDiego350’s Microtransit Subteam, has developed a new capability using maps to help cities and communities zero-in on areas where microtransit can best serve those with greatest need. Microtransit refers to a shared-ride neighborhood shuttle service that operates like a pooled Uber or Lyft.  It provides low or no cost on-demand service to fixed transit stations or other community destinations within a zone of unserved demand. Thus, microtransit overcomes the problem that, while major transit arteries exist, getting people to and from

I am so excited and honored to be joining the SanDiego350 team/family as the new Youth Program Coordinator. I’m most looking forward to getting to know the youth climate leaders, working on our Spring 2024 Youth4Climate Summit, and getting involved in the Youth v. Oil Campaign for a Safe and Healthy California.   I grew up in Pittsburgh and became passionate from a young age about the environmental hazards facing my community, from lead in our drinking water, concentrated sewage overflow in our rivers, and air pollution consistently ranking as one of the worst in America. I decided to pursue this

By Abigail Costello Growing up in San Diego, specifically Chula Vista, my dad often took me on hikes, biking, or to the beach, which sparked my environmental awareness. In early 2020, as climate change gained prominence in the media, I realized how its effects perpetuated injustices impacted my community. Entering high school, I joined the eco-club, Youth 4 a Sustainable Future, eventually becoming president. Our main project, partnered with South Bay Sustainable Communities, involved rescuing food waste from lunch. Organic waste in landfills produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas. We compost organic waste, recycle non-organics, and donate untouched food to

The mission of the Transportation Team is to accelerate the transition to an equitable, fully connected, multimodal, zero emission transportation system in the San Diego region. An overarching goal of the team is to promote transit solutions that result in reduction of Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMTs).  The Transportation Team meets monthly on Tuesday evenings and has been led by Rita Clement and Mike Rancourt. After 1.5 years, Rita is stepping down as co-lead but will continue her work as a regular attendee of public SANDAG meetings, and will start work on advocating for the Sweetwater Floating Solar Array. Thank you

By Emma Rodriguez, SanDiego350 Campaign Coordinator California is home to a uniquely powerful system of direct democracy. California voters are able to propose and approve laws independently of the political establishment. With roughly 120,000 signatures, an initiative can qualify for a vote of the populace in the County of San Diego. One such initiative is Let’s Go! San Diego.  Let’s Go! San Diego, if approved, will impose a half-cent sales tax on most purchases (not including groceries) to fund transportation solutions across San Diego County.  Why us 48% of the greenhouse gas emissions in San Diego come from transportation. And

By Janet Yao, Climate Writer & insights from SanDiego350’s Legislative Team’s co-chairs Beth Chopp, Parke Troutman, and Katharine Harrison We often think of climate activism as people on the streets marching, holding signs, and chanting for change – but climate activism can also look like hours spent on the computer researching policies, talking to local elected officials, and collecting signatures for ballot initiatives. This is the crucial behind the scenes work that SanDiego350’s Legislative Team dedicates their time toward, and it pays off! Although policy work can be a slow process at times, it can be some of the most

How the Cult of Business Education Leaves A Wake of Death and Destruction, Part 1 By Joel Martin, Climate Writer Read the original article from The Jumping-Off Place, a new progressive news outlet. To begin with, I offer my sincerest apologies to the Bard for misappropriating and misusing his line from Henry VI. Nevertheless, I think you get my drift. I’m writing about how the narrow-minded and nearly religious acceptance of the business school curriculum is contributing to everything from our loss of privacy to the destruction of our planet. Since the world is now thick-headed, absolutist and angry, I feel obliged