E2. Front Line Community Green

By Kadiatu A. Sherriff, 2026 Africa Zero Waste Academy Participant

.stk-4lgao7t {margin-bottom:0px !important;}

When I joined the Africa Zero Waste Academy, I came with an open mind.

 I have been working within the waste sector and thinking about the challenges and possible solutions in Liberia for some time. And I knew there was still a lot to learn. And the Academy became much more than a learning programme for me.

It was wonderful meeting young people from across Africa who had come together for different reasons, but with a shared interest in creating better waste systems. We listened, learned and challenged ideas together.

What made the learning particularly meaningful was its practicality. Even when we discussed theory, stories, experiences, and examples from different African countries brought the ideas to life. Some experiences resonated strongly with what we see in Liberia, while others opened my mind to approaches we could explore or adapt in our own context.

Then came the participant presentations. 

Different people brought different ideas and solutions, and right there, we could see opportunities for collaboration. Sometimes, you realise that someone else is working on a piece of the same puzzle you have been trying to solve.

And, of course, the facilitators brought so much to the experience. Their knowledge, questions, and experiences pushed many of us beyond simply knowing what the problem is to thinking more deeply about why it exists, who is responsible, and what kinds of solutions can create lasting change.

The Personal Shift

One of my biggest personal shifts was learning to question solutions—even some I had previously considered good.

The Academy made me ask myself: Does this solution actually pass the climate test?

Or are we sometimes managing the consequences of a broken system while calling it a solution?

Those questions have stayed with me.

It made me look differently at some of our own methods and the solutions we see around us. A solution should not simply move a problem somewhere else or create another problem in the process. If the end goal is positive change, then we have to be willing to rethink how we get there.

I came home wanting to look at some of our work at Golden Waste Solutions with fresh eyes—not because everything we have done is wrong, but because there is always room to ask better questions and improve.

I also appreciated the lighter side of the in-person experience. The learning was intense, but moments of laughter, connection, and celebration gave us room to breathe. The launch of FISSWWAG was one of those moments. The cultural expressions, the stories, and the atmosphere reminded me that learning doesn’t always have to happen in a serious room with a notebook in hand. Sometimes, you learn just as much by witnessing people come together, celebrate their identity and share their experiences.

And, of course, there was Culture Night. It was beautiful seeing our different cultures come alive. 

But beyond thesessions, culturatural exchanges, and food I found myself appreciating something else: meeting people not only as representatives of their countries, but as individuals. I came to know people beyond the country they represented. That made the experience even more meaningful.

I left Ghana with more than notes, certificates and photographs.

I left with WhatsApp contacts—but not just people to watch on my status. 

I left with young people from different parts of Africa with whom I now share something deeper: a common goal and the understanding that, whenever an opportunity or challenge arises, someone in this network may be the right person to call.

Maybe we will collaborate on a project.

Maybe we will share an idea.

Maybe one of us will simply reach out and say, “I think you should look at this.”

I left with questions, new perspectives, new connections and new possibilities.

And I think the timing could not have been better.

From learning to contribution

Interestingly, shortly after completing the Academy, I had the opportunity to participate in a civil society roundtable convened by the United Nations Office for Sustainable Development (UNOSD), at the request of Liberia’s Environmental Protection Agency, as part of discussions around the country’s waste-management system.

I went into that conversation with fresh perspectives.

The Academy did not make me an expert on Liberia’s waste sector overnight. It gave me a stronger lens through which to contribute: looking beyond collection and disposal, and thinking about prevention, recovery, financing, climate impact, policy, people, and the connections between them.

I found myself better prepared to ask questions, share observations from our experience as a local waste enterprise, and listen to what others were seeing from their own positions.

That experience reinforced something I had begun to understand during the Academy:

Everything we do is connected to a larger system.

Writer’s Bio

Kadiatu A. Sherriff is the Founder and President of Golden Waste Solutions Enterprise Inc based in Liberia, where she works to design and implement ways to reduce waste and create income-generating activities for economically vulnerable communities.

The post I Came to Learn About Zero Waste, I Left Rethinking Our Waste Management System. first appeared on GAIA.

By Bob Kennedy, 2026 Africa Zero Waste Academy Participants

There are moments in life that quietly reshape how you see the world. For me, attending the 2026 Africa Zero Waste Academy in Accra, Ghana, was one of them.

As I boarded my flight from Kenya, I carried more than a suitcase. I carried years of lived experiences as a waste picker, community organizer, and climate advocate. I carried stories from the dumpsites of Nakuru and Likoni: resilience, innovation, inequality, and hope. Like many others working in waste, I have spent years proving that what society often overlooks is, in reality, one of the most important environmental services on our planet.

When I arrived in Accra, I quickly realized I was joining something much bigger than a training programme. The Academy brought together an inspiring community of practitioners from across Africa, each working in different contexts but united by a common belief: that waste is not merely an environmental issue; it is a question of justice, public health, livelihoods, and our collective future.

Throughout the week-long Academy, I listened to stories from different countries. While our languages, cultures, and waste systems differed, the challenges felt remarkably familiar. Communities everywhere are dealing with increasing volumes of waste, inadequate infrastructure, plastic pollution, open dumping, and policies that often fail to recognize the people who recover valuable materials every day. Yet alongside these challenges, I encountered extraordinary examples of courage, innovation, and community leadership.

One of the Academy’s greatest strengths was that it did not present zero waste as a theoretical concept. Instead, it showed that zero waste is already being practiced in markets, neighbourhoods, schools, recycling centres, composting projects, and informal settlements across Africa. It reminded us that solutions already exist within our communities if we are willing to recognize and invest in them.

The discussions also challenged me to think beyond waste collection. Zero waste is about redesigning systems. It is about preventing waste before it is created, supporting reuse, composting organic materials, strengthening recycling, and holding producers accountable for the products they place on the market. It is equally about ensuring that waste pickers, the people who have sustained these systems for decades are treated with dignity, fairness, and respect.

Another lesson that will stay with me is the importance of collaboration. Governments cannot build a circular economy alone. Civil society cannot do it alone. Researchers cannot do it alone. Communities cannot do it alone. Real transformation happens when all these actors work together while recognizing the expertise that already exists on the ground.

I was particularly inspired by the openness with which participants shared both successes and failures. Honest conversations about policy implementation, community engagement, financing, and public education reminded me that building zero waste systems is a continuous learning process. Every challenge shared became an opportunity for collective problem-solving.

Beyond the classroom sessions, some of the most valuable learning happened over meals, on walks between venues, and in informal conversations late into the evening. These exchanges created connections that extended beyond professional networking. They built friendships and a shared commitment to supporting one another long after the Academy ended.

Personally, participating in the Academy reaffirmed something I have believed for years: waste pickers are not victims of the waste crisis; they are part of the solution. Every day, thousands of waste pickers recover recyclable materials, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, prevent pollution, and contribute to local economies. Yet their work often goes unrecognized and unsupported. A just transition to zero waste must place waste pickers at the centre, not at the margins.

Returning home to Kenya, I brought back more than notes and presentation slides. I returned with renewed confidence that the work happening in communities matters. I returned with practical ideas, new partnerships, and a stronger belief that Africa has the knowledge and leadership required to build waste systems that are fair, inclusive, and sustainable.

The Academy reminded me that zero waste is not only about reducing waste. It is about rethinking our relationship with resources, valuing the people who manage them, and creating systems that protect both people and the planet.

As we continue this journey, I hope more young people, community organizations, municipalities, and policymakers will recognize that the future of waste management lies not in simply disposing of waste, but in preventing it, recovering its value, and ensuring that no one is left behind.

To everyone who made the Africa Zero Waste Academy possible, thank you for creating a space where learning, collaboration, and solidarity could flourish. The conversations that began in Accra will continue to shape my work, and I believe they will continue to strengthen Africa’s growing zero waste movement for years to come.

The journey continues, and so does our shared responsibility to build an Africa where resources are valued, communities are empowered, and zero waste becomes not just an aspiration, but a lived reality.

Writer’s Bio

Bob Kennedy Okoth is a Kenyan waste picker, climate justice advocate, and circular economy practitioner. His work is rooted in the lived realities of waste pickers and communities affected by poor waste management. He is actively involved in Zero Waste, climate action and environmental justice, and is a member of YOUNGO and the Youth Policy Action Network (YPAN). Through community organising, storytelling, and advocacy, Bob works to ensure waste pickers are recognised as essential actors in building inclusive, climate-resilient, and circular cities. 

The post From Nakuru to Accra: A Waste Picker’s Journey Through the Africa Zero Waste Academy first appeared on GAIA.

Click here to register for Part 2 of the webinar on September 14, 2026

The Climate Justice Alliance’s Just Recovery Working Group and movement partner Survival Bloc present the webinar “From Neighbors to Networks: Organizing for a Just Recovery and Resilient Communities.” Sign up for Part 2 on September 14, 2026!

Part 1 of this webinar, co-led by Daisy Carter (co-founder and network organizer with Survival Bloc), Im’ Unique Hyler (CJA Just Recovery Working Group co-chair and The Smile Trust), Anacua Orellana-Garcia (CJA regional organizer), and Susan Silber (Collective Resilience), explored how hyper-local organizing, neighborhood-based resilience and community defense structures can help frontline communities survive and recover while building power beyond moments of crisis.

Participants were introduced to how ‘Neighborism” (block-by-block organizing), mutual aid, Resiliency Hubs, and community defense can strengthen our ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters while building lasting community power.

Watch the recording to hear from organizers who are actively developing neighborhood resiliency models, and leave with concrete tools for strengthening relationships, communication systems, and collective response capacity in their own community.

Click here to register for Part 2 of the webinar on September 14, 2026 Webinar Presenters

Dailsy Carter
Survival Bloc

Im’ Unique Hyler
The Smile Trust

Anacua Garcia
Climate Justice Alliance

Susan Silber
Collective Resilience

The post From Neighbors to Networks: Organizing for a Just Recovery and Resilient Communities appeared first on Climate Justice Alliance.

By Desmond Alugnoa and Ama Asiedu

For nearly a decade, the GAIA Africa team has been providing technical expertise and supporting movements across the continent, helping communities advance practical, just and people‑centred zero waste solutions. In 2025, we hosted the first-ever GAIA Africa Zero Waste Academy, with a simple but ambitious goal: to build the capacity of a new generation of African zero waste champions and create a growing platform for the practical implementation of zero waste solutions across the continent. One year later, that journey continues!

In 2026, the GAIA Africa Zero Waste Academy returned for its second edition, co-hosted withthe Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO), in Ghana, a vibrant hub for youth‑led zero waste organising. This year’s Academy brought together 50 emerging and experienced climate and waste management practitioners from across Africa for a holistic journey of learning, exchange, movement building and action. More than 1,200 people applied to be part of the programme, reflecting the growing interest in locally led solutions to Africa’s waste and climate challenges.

A Movement That Keeps Growing

The Academy was created on the belief that Africa does not lack solutions to its waste crisis. Across the continent, communities are already composting, reusing materials, recovering recyclables, organising waste workers and developing alternatives to the extractive linear waste systems that perpetuate pollution and climate change. What is needed is to connect these experiences, strengthen the people leading them and create opportunities for learning across borders.

The 2026 Academy began with a five-week virtual programme, where participants explored movement building, waste characterisation, monitoring frameworks, climate and environmental justice, waste picker integration, community collection systems, composting, plastic pollution and methane. The learning was designed to go beyond theory. Participants were encouraged to examine the waste systems around them, understand the realities faced by waste workers and identify practical approaches they could adapt to their own communities, through hands-on weekly assignments to put their learning into practice.

As one participant, Bathseba Ratemo from Kenya, shared, the Academy offered an opportunity for “learning and unlearning, networking and sharing” a reflection that captures the spirit of the programme.

From the Virtual Classroom to Community Driven Action 

The in-person phase brought the cohort together in Ghana, creating space to deepen the learning through expert-led sessions, practical activities, field visits and conversations with people working directly within the waste sector.

Ghana provided a particularly fitting setting for this year’s Academy. In March 2026, Accra was recognised by the United Nations as one of 20 Cities Towards Zero Waste, highlighting the growing recognition of locally driven approaches to transforming urban waste systems. GAYO’s Zero Waste Accra Project has demonstrated how waste diversion, community action and the integration of informal waste workers can contribute to reducing pollution and methane emissions.

For Academy participants, visiting zero waste initiatives in Accra offered an opportunity to see these approaches in practice and consider how similar ideas could be adapted to their own contexts. But some of the most powerful learning came from witnessing movement building beyond the formal Academy sessions.

During the Academy week, participants attended the launch of the Federation of Informal Sector Waste Workers Associations of Ghana (FISWWAG). The launch marked an important step towards giving informal waste workers a stronger collective voice and advancing recognition, safer working conditions, fair pay and dignified livelihoods.

For participants, being present at this historic moment connected the Academy’s lessons on justice, organising and waste picker inclusion with a movement unfolding in real time. It was a powerful reminder that a just Zero Waste transition is not only about changing how we manage materials; it is also about ensuring that the people who collect, sort and recover those materials have a voice in shaping the systems they are part of.

Zero Waste Is About People

One of the strongest lessons from this year’s Academy was that zero waste cannot be separated from justice. Waste is not simply a technical issue. It is about livelihoods, health, dignity, climate and human rights.

Across Africa, waste pickers and informal waste workers recover valuable materials, reduce the amount of waste sent to dumpsites and landfills, and make important contributions to circular economies. Yet many continue to work without adequate recognition, protection or inclusion in formal waste systems.

This year’s Academy placed these realities at the centre of the conversation. Participants explored how waste systems can be designed to protect workers, recognise their knowledge and contributions, and ensure that the transition to zero waste does not leave anyone behind.

As GAIA Africa’s Zero Waste and Climate Programme Associate, Ama Asiedu, noted during the Academy, the programme is about more than managing waste better; it is about rethinking systems for climate resilience, green jobs and community health.

More Than a Training Programme

Perhaps the most valuable outcome of the Academy is the community that emerged from it. Participants did not simply leave with notes, presentations and certificates. They left with relationships, new ideas and a network of people working towards a common vision across the continent. The diversity of the cohort was one of its greatest strengths. Participants brought experiences from different countries, sectors and communities, but found common ground in the challenges facing Africa’s waste systems and the possibilities for change.

For us, this is what makes the Academy more than a training programme. It is a space where practitioners can learn from one another, challenge existing approaches, build solidarity and return home better equipped to act. The real test begins after the Academy.

From Ghana to the Continent

The second Africa Zero Waste Academy has shown us that the movement is growing and becoming more connected.

From Ghana to Uganda, Kenya to Nigeria, Senegal to The Gambia and beyond, people are already developing solutions rooted in their own communities. They are organising waste workers, building grassroots movements, advocating for stronger policies, reducing waste and demonstrating that our systems can work differently.

The role of the Academy is to connect these efforts, strengthen their capacity and create a community where knowledge can move freely across borders. We are grateful to GAYO Ghana for co-hosting this year’s Academy and helping create a learning experience rooted in African realities. We are equally grateful to the facilitators, partners, funders and everyone who contributed their time, knowledge and energy.

Most importantly, we are grateful to the 2026 cohort. You came from different places, carrying different experiences and facing different waste challenges. But you showed what becomes possible when people commit to change and learn together.

The Academy may have ended, but the work has only begun. The next chapter will be written in communities, cities and countries across Africa  through the projects participants implement, the policies they influence, the movements they strengthen and the people they bring along. Africa does not need to wait for a zero waste future. We are already building it.

Ends. 

The post From Online Learning to On-the-Ground Action: Africa’s Zero Waste Movement Grows Stronger first appeared on GAIA.

Chevron and the Western States Petroleum Association lead top spending on lobbying 

Sacramento, Calif. — As they made huge profits in the second quarter of 2026, oil and gas corporations spent $6.7 million on California state lobbying and influence, totalling $17.1 million in the first half of the year. Oil and gas giant Chevron led with the highest spending, pouring over $2.5 million into lobbying efforts in the second quarter. The Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA), the powerful oil industry trade group, trailed closely behind with $2.3 million. 

Top 5 lobbying and influence spenders of Q2:

Company/Trade Association Amount  Chevron $2,550,280 Western States Petroleum Assn (WSPA) $2,280,267 Phillips 66 $379,401 California Resources Corp (CRC) $230,417 Marathon Petroleum $189,712

Chevron, California Resources Corporation, Marathon, Valero, and WSPA all lobbied against SB 1245, the California Fuel Affordability and Stability Act, which would lower gas prices at the pump and boost transparency in oil markets, while stabilizing California’s gasoline supply. Similarly, Marathon, Valero, CRC, WSPA, and Chevron all fought to kill SB 1259, the Refinery Transparency Act, that would require refineries to disclose estimated costs and timelines for closure and remediation.

Bills impacting refinery workers were also severely influenced by the oil industry. AB 605, the Refinery Closure Safe Staffing Act, and AB 2157, the Displaced Oil and Gas Workers Fund bill, both saw lobbying from Chevron, Valero, and WSPA. 

SB 982, which would have allowed the Attorney General to sue fossil fuel companies to recover climate-disaster costs, was killed following lobbying from several oil corporations, including Valero, Marathon, CIPA, CRC, Exxon, Chevron, and WSPA among others. SB 982 drew lobbying from more oil and gas entities than any other bill in Q2 of 2026.

As California’s transportation fuels transition, refinery closures, and affordability remain a priority issue for lawmakers in Sacramento, advocates continue to stress the importance of climate policies the oil industry is trying to kill.  

“With millions to spend year after year on lobbying and misinformation campaigns, it’s obvious that companies like Chevron don’t need any more state-funded handouts,” said Woody Hastings, Phase Out Polluting Fuels Director for The Climate Center. “It’s critical that Governor Newsom and the legislature stop giving billions to polluters through the Cap and Invest program. It’s time to hold polluting corporations accountable and invest in clean transit, clean air, and a healthy California.”

Other payments went to front groups, including Californians for Energy Independence, which received $1.2 million from Chevron (and nearly $3 million for the year), and firms like DDC Public Affairs, The Axis Agency, and Unearth Campaigns LLC. 

The massive lobbying spending comes as oil companies announce their second-quarter profits, with Chevron making over $12 billion — a nominal, all-time quarterly record, and five times its 2025 Q2 profits  — and Valero making $3.7 billion, more than five times its 2025 Q2 profits. ExxonMobil earned more than both Chevron and Valero in Q2, reporting a $14.5 billion profit, more than double its Q2 profits from the previous year. Q2 profits follow the ongoing war on Iran, which has driven months-long price spikes at the pump. Name brand gas stations like Chevron have been named by the Division of Petroleum Market Oversight for overcharging at the pump for the same gasoline sold at unbranded stations. Average gasoline prices in California topped $6 per gallon in May.

“Chevron isn’t spending $2.5 million fighting affordability bills because the oil industry is broke — they are spending millions because they’re scared of accountability and transparency,” said Faraz Rizvi, Policy and Campaign Manager with the Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN). “While our communities breathe toxic pollution from their refineries and pay sky-high prices at the pump, Chevron just posted a $12 billion quarter — five times what they made a year ago. That’s not a coincidence, it’s their business model: gouge us at the pump, kill the bills that hold them accountable, and pocket record profits while our neighbors get sick. Sacramento needs to see this for what it is.”

Additional information on Q2 lobbying activity is available upon request.

###

Methodology: This report analyzes raw data from the California Secretary of State’s Political Reform Division as of Aug. 3, 2026. The analysis includes the lobbyist employers in the “oil and gas” category for the 2025-26 legislative session. The state’s definition of oil and gas lobbyist employers includes, in addition to traditional oil and gas firms, firms that advocate for biomass energy, compressed natural gas, and/or carbon removal. This press release’s numbers match the totals listed by the Secretary of State; however, Clean Energy and Kinder Morgan appear to have understated their Q2 spending, listing lobbying payments but reporting grand total spending at $0.

BAKERSFIELD

We acknowledge that Bakersfield is the traditional home of the Kitanemuk people of the Tejon Tribe. Part of our commitment to decolonizing ourselves, our language, and our organizations is a commitment to learning and better understanding the history of Indigenous Peoples of so-called California, including the history of contact, colonization and the extraction of resources from Indigenous lands which has been part of the continuation of modern colonization.

LOS ANGELES

We acknowledge that Los Angeles County is the traditional home of the Tongva, Chumash, and Tataviam people. Part of our commitment to decolonizing ourselves, our language, and our organizations is a commitment to learning and better understanding the history of Indigenous Peoples of so-called California, including the history of contact, colonization and the extraction of resources from Indigenous lands which has been part of the continuation of modern colonization.

SACRAMENTO

We acknowledge that Sacramento is the traditional home of the Maidu, Miwok and Nisenan people. Part of our commitment to decolonizing ourselves, our language, and our organizations is a commitment to learning and better understanding the history of Indigenous Peoples of so-called California, including the history of contact, colonization and the extraction of resources from Indigenous lands which has been part of the continuation of modern colonization.

SANTA BARBARA

We acknowledge that Santa Barbara is the traditional home of the Chumash people. Part of our commitment to decolonizing ourselves, our language, and our organizations is a commitment to learning and better understanding the history of Indigenous Peoples of so-called California, including the history of contact, colonization and the extraction of resources from Indigenous lands which has been part of the continuation of modern colonization.

The post Big Oil spends $17.1 million lobbying against climate policy in first half of 2026 appeared first on Last Chance Alliance.

The history

 

Phillips 66 has profited and polluted for over a century here in Carson. Now that the last barrel of oil has left the refinery, we finally have the chance to clean up the land, invest in good union jobs that protect our health and environment, and give residents a say in what happens next.

The stakes are high: Just because the refinery stopped refining oil doesn’t mean a century of pollution in the soil and groundwater will vanish overnight. There’s a “lake of oil” beneath the 233-acre Carson refinery site, made up of decades of petroleum sludge, toxins, and other pollution. 

Our communities know that back-room deals, shoddy cleanup, and greedy zoning decisions can lead to cancer, death, and huge cleanup bills down the line.

Lawmakers and regulators have a choice: let Phillips 66 and developers continue to take the lead – or can bring residents into the driver’s seat. They can allow Amazon warehouses, data centers, or ICE detention centers fill the gap left by the refinery – or create good union jobs for the city, with work that protects our health and environment.

Join us in fighting for a just transition in Carson, California. Tell the L.A Water Board: Capped toxins are still toxic.

Refinery communities deserve to see real cleanup today, not more promises from an unreliable corporate polluter.

Los Angeles: take action. Who we are We want to live, work, and raise our families in Carson, California, but with each passing year we’ve seen fossil fuel companies pollute the air and sicken our families.

Now, we’re organizing to demand that Phillips 66 pays to clean up their toxic mess – so that we don’t get left with the bill for cleanup. What we need from the City of Carson:

 

• Launch a Just Transition Taskforce – We need a real, staffed taskforce to guide refinery site cleanup, bringing together City planners, City building department, Los Angeles Waterboard, environmental and toxins experts, and frontline residents. 
• Conduct a Site Revisioning Process – Bring our neighbors and surrounding community into the site redevelopment with a visioning process for the refinery. Create an “open front door” with freely shared studies of the site. If Phillips 66 doesn’t pay, taxpayers will: we deserve to guide the process. 
• Champion Strong Community Benefit and Project Labor Agreements. Encourage strong Community Benefit Agreements and project labor agreements to ensure that unionized workers perform the decommissioning (tear-down) and remediation (cleanup).

What we need from the Los Angeles Water Board:

 

• Create a Strong Plan for Refinery Cleanup with Real Teeth –  Working together as the City and LA Water Board, we need a strong work-plan for cleanup that holds Phillips 66 to real standards. 
• Transparency & Real Input – Our neighbors deserve more information, updates, and a means of giving input on the site cleanup. The Water Board can and must hold public workshops to update residents; provide resources in the languages spoken and read by Carson residents; provide frequent opportunities for public comment and public forums; and establish an open door policy for site remediation data.

Phillips 66 Carson refinery site remediation estimated at nearly $1 billion

by TEAM APEN | Jun 5, 2026

For Immediate Release June 5, 2026 Contact:  Blake@sunstonestrategies.com, 310-894-6690   Phillips 66 Carson Refinery Site Remediation Estimated at Nearly $1 Billion   New report reveals Carson community at risk of shouldering millions in cleanup costs...

read more Holding Phillips 66 Accountable

by Jonathan Garcia | Jun 1, 2026

From engaging in door knocking campaigns to speaking at city council meetings, APEN's youth leadership in Carson plays an important role in our strategy to hold Phillip's 66 accountable for remediation of their Carson refinery. Through our advocacy, we were able...

read more Before the Last Drop: Lessons From the Phillips 66 Los Angeles Refinery Closure

by TEAM APEN | Dec 9, 2025

After years of asthma, sickness, and death for nearby residents, Los Angeles’ Phillips 66 refinery is on its way out.  Now, frontline communities are counting on elected officials and responsible agencies to clean up refinery sites and ensure the safety, health, and...

read more

The post We’re fighting for a future beyond oil here in Carson. appeared first on Asian Pacific Environmental Network.

June 6, 2026

Read new San Francisco Gate story:

“US Navy finds radiological material in unauthorized storage in San Francisco”

June 2026:

Bayview Hunters Point Community Call to Action and Demands issued by Greenaction and the Marie Harrison Community Foundation, Inc.

June 24th noon rally at San Francisco City Hall to support community demands for health, justice, and full cleanup of all contamination at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard Superfund Site.

June 24, 2026 Call to Action for Bayview Hunters Point

Check out “Censored News” coverage of May 16

Protest in Utah against Energy Fuels uranium mines and mill

“CENSORED NEWS: Shut Down Energy Fuels — Uranium Mining and Radioactive Dumping on Native People”

May 26, 2026: Read Truthout investigative article featuring Veronica Aguirre, Greenaction’s Central Valley Organizer and Program Coordinator:

“Residents of polluted areas say Trump’s rollbacks are getting really scary.”

Click here to read the article on Truthout.org

May 14, 2026:

See CBS TV coverage of

Greenaction Blasting Navy’s latest radioactive scandal at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard Superfund Site

Click here to watch

May 14, 2026—Politico’s Eric He reports on Gov. Newsom’s May Revise budget proposal, which calls for deferring $3.9 billion in Proposition 98 school funding despite revenues coming in $16.5 billion above projections. The move has drawn swift condemnation from teachers unions, school boards, and Democratic lawmakers who argue the constitutionally-guaranteed funding is urgently needed — including by Los Angeles Unified, which is counting on state dollars to honor $1.2 billion in new union contracts. On the positive side for education advocates, the governor preserved $1 billion for community schools expansion. Public Advocates Managing Attorney John Affeldt weighed in on the deferral, saying that while restraints are warranted, it’s “not a crazy maneuver given the volatility of our revenue picture.”

Read the Story

The post Politico Pro: Newsom sticks with controversial funding deferral in mixed-bag schools budget appeared first on Public Advocates.

May 15, 2026 Read the story on MSN.com Greenaction blasts the Navy over continued botched “cleanup” at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard Superfund Site Click here to read the Article on MSN.com

May 14 2026

Bay City News Article on the Latest Scandal with the U.S. Navy and the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard Superfund Site

Click Here to read the Bay City News Article

“SF: Cabinet Storing Radiological Materials Discovered At Former Hunters Point Naval Shipyard”

May 15, 2026 Read Capital & Main news story with Greenaction and allies: California Hazardous Waste Rules Criticized as Years Late and Polluter Friendly

May 1, 2026—EdSource reporter John Fensterwald covers Governor Newsom’s May Revision and its mixed implications for California schools—including a higher COLA, a historic $2.4 billion special education increase, and a $5 billion discretionary block grant, offset by the governor’s continued withholding of $3.9 billion in Proposition 98 funds that school groups say belongs in classrooms now. Managing Attorney John Affeldt is quoted warning that the budget’s reliance on AI-driven tax revenues is not a stable foundation: “Our state cannot continue to rely on temporary AI stock market bubbles.” Affeldt calls for more robust, permanent revenue streams—and makes clear that the same teachers being asked to transform students’ lives are being priced out of the communities they serve.”

Read the Story

The post Edsource: California schools could get billions more in Newsom’s final budget plan — with one catch appeared first on Public Advocates.

May 13, 2026,

Moab Times Independent article
“Protest Planned near La Sal over Uranium Mining Concerns”

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/protest-planned-near-la-sal-over-uranium-mining-concerns/

Thursday, May 14, 2026
Press Contact: Sumeet Bal, Director of Communications, 917-647-1952, sbal@publicadvocates.org

California Can’t Lead the World While Leaving Workers Behind

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—California enters this May Revision in a moment of unexpected abundance—and familiar avoidance. 

Tax revenues are more than $16 billion above forecast. The state’s cash position has hit record highs. California dominates the global technology economy, leading the world in IPOs, artificial intelligence, Fortune 500 companies and innovation. But California cannot claim to lead the world while its teachers, nurses and essential workers are being priced out of the communities they sustain. Dominating in technology while losing ground on economic security for working families is not a strong legacy—it is a contradiction that demands solutions. The question this May Revision must answer is not whether California can dominate. It already does. The question is who that dominance works for.

California already knows how to build the things families need—the governor’s commitment to increasing per-pupil funding, investing in our educators, and expanding community schools proves that. When the state chooses to invest directly, boldly and consistently, it changes lives. Community schools are doing that now, in the communities that need it most. 

Housing and transit deserve the same commitment—not threats, not red tape reduction alone, but direct state investment that meets the scale of the crisis. Without substantial and sustained funding for affordable housing, low-income Californians will continue to struggle, regardless of how much development streamlining or local government oversight the state pursues. Meanwhile, the state’s basic protections against rent gouging and arbitrary evictions, the Tenant Protection Act, will expire in 2030 unless a governor with the courage to fight for and strengthen it steps forward. At the same time, without an infusion of state money, our public transit network is in danger of collapse. 

Abundance is not the same as security—AND it is not the same as justice. The working families at the center of our state’s story are experiencing a cost of living crisis that no IPO can solve—and they are waiting to see whether California’s record revenues will reach them, or pass them by once again. The question is made more urgent by federal cuts stripping millions of Californians of healthcare, food assistance, and housing support, and a proposed restructuring of Cap-and-Invest revenues that could cut affordable housing, transit, and clean air programs in half—redirecting dollars from low-wealth communities to fossil fuel companies. Seven years ago, the governor promised to fix the state’s boom-and-bust tax system. The boom is here. The question is whether he will use it for the Californians who built this state—and can no longer afford to live in it.

Education: A Legacy Built, A Problem Unaddressed

“Governor Newsom’s historic community schools investments will cement one of his enduring legacies, just as LCFF defined Jerry Brown’s,” said John Affeldt, Managing Attorney for Education Equity. “The research is showing that California’s community schools have cut chronic absenteeism by 30% compared to similar schools, reduced suspensions by 15% overall and delivered learning gains in English equivalent to 151 extra days of instruction for Black students.”

“But the governor’s May Revise failed to address one of the key equity challenges remaining for him—the state’s unconstitutional discrimination against low-wealth school districts in modernizing facilities. The State’s program for renovating dilapidated schools substantially favors high-wealth communities who are able to raise much more in matching funds, leaving students in poor districts in overheated portables and leaky classrooms amidst black mold and unremediated asbestos. The governor has acknowledged ‘you can’t look in the eyes of these kids,” but today, he chose to look away—and to keep fighting them in court,” added Affeldt, a lead counsel in a Public Advocates’ lawsuit suing the State over the issue.

“As far as moving forward into the future, our state cannot continue to rely on temporary AI stock market bubbles. To his credit, the governor proposed some modest new taxes, but to build a budget that will enable our residents to thrive, California needs more robust permanent revenue streams to support our schools and healthy communities. We cannot ask teachers to transform students’ lives while those same teachers are being priced out of the communities they serve.”

Higher Education: Affordability Crisis Threatens College Access & Completion?

“California’s economy is growing because generations of students had a path to affordable higher education. But too many low-income students are still being left behind as the cost of education and living continue to rise. If we want a future powered by innovation, we need to make sure opportunity isn’t reserved for those who could afford college anyway. We call on the governor and the legislature to strengthen and expand Cal Grant to keep the door to economic mobility open for the students coming after us—and ensures California’s future includes everyone,” said Sbeydeh Viveros-Walton, Director of Higher Education.

“For low-income Black and Latinx students, affordability is the difference between access, completion and attrition,” said Jetaun Stevens, Deputy Director of Higher Education Equity & Senior Staff Attorney. “Housing is the largest cost students face when pursuing higher education, and California’s housing crisis makes higher education out of reach for many low-income students. With 60% of community college students facing housing insecurity and nearly a quarter of community college students facing homelessness, we need greater investment in housing. We call on the governor and legislature to invest in additional projects through the Higher Education Housing Grant program—including reinvesting funds from withdrawn projects—and open up access to part-time community college students. We encourage the governor and legislature to make greater investments in affordable housing and homelessness prevention to improve economic opportunity for all low-income Californians, including supporting the Senate’s proposal to invest $1 billion in Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program 7 (HHAP) and an additional $1 billion for HHAP 8.”   

Housing Relief Deferred, Renters Left Behind

We welcome the inclusion of $500 million in HHAP 7 funds—California’s primary homelessness assistance program—in the governor’s proposal, but we are concerned about new requirements to receive that funding. Requiring a local funding match will shut out many jurisdictions. Requiring a Prohousing Designation is even more limiting: only 47 jurisdictions would currently qualify. Further, a Prohousing Designation is substantially based on how friendly a jurisdiction’s development environment is for market-rate developers—a standard which should not impede aid to people experiencing homelessness. Consistent, predictable funding is what moves people from the streets to stability. The Senate’s “Foundation for the Future” budget priorities letter reflects this, committing $1 billion for HHAP 7 and $1 billion more for a subsequent 8th round of funding. The governor should match that commitment—without the barriers.

Governor Newsom’s proposal also fails to address what his administration’s proposed changes to Cap-and-Invest would do to the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities grant program (AHSC), the largest source of affordable housing funding in the state. When asked directly, the governor said it wouldn’t be addressed in his proposal. That is not an answer. Redirecting Cap-and-Invest money away from affordable housing and transit to fossil fuel companies and other polluters is a choice—and it demands a response.  Now is the time, however, for Governor Newsom to propose funding to backfill the affordable housing and transit funding that will be lost if his proposal to redirect AHSC money to polluters moves forward.

The human cost of inaction is not abstract.  More than half of California’s 6.1 million renter households spend more than 30% of their income on rent. Nearly a third spend more than half. Evictions have now surpassed pre-pandemic levels. “Housing is the largest item in a family’s budget and the governor’s housing proposals in his final budget do not address the problem or deliver the help renters desperately need,” said Michelle Pariset, Director of Legislative Affairs. “Governor Newsom will leave office without securing his legacy on rent stabilization and just cause for eviction, as the state’s basic protections against rent gouging and arbitrary evictions are set to expire in 2030. He could have worked with the legislature to remove this sunset on the Tenant Protection Act—permanently shielding renters from gouging and no fault evictions. Instead, renters will face that fight with a new governor and a legislature freshly-drenched in real estate industry campaign spending.”

Transit: When Transit Fails, Working Families Pay

The future of public transit in California hangs in the balance at the same time the rising costs of transportation is hurting low-income families. Citizens in multiple regions are collecting signatures for ballot initiatives to maintain critical service, but the state must do its part. “The governor’s proposed CARB regulations for the Cap-and-Invest program would eliminate over $600 million a year in critical state transit funding—funding for service, lower fares for seniors and students, electric buses, and infrastructure upgrades. These are cuts that the Californians who depend on transit cannot afford,” said Laurel Paget-Seekins, Senior Transportation Policy Advocate. “This governor’s proposal would leave a massive multi-year budget hole for transit and affordable housing at a time when Californians need additional investment to address rising costs of housing and transportation.” 

###

Public Advocates Inc. is a nonprofit law firm and advocacy organization that challenges the systemic causes of poverty and racial discrimination by strengthening community voices in public policy and achieving tangible legal victories advancing education, housing, transportation equity, and climate justice.

The post Press Statement: California Can’t Lead the World While Leaving Workers Behind appeared first on Public Advocates.

May 13, 2026 For Immediate Release:
Ute Mountain Utes, Navajos/Dine, Greenaction & Allies to Protest Energy Fuels’ uranium mines and the mill/dump next to White Mesa Ute Community – Saturday, May 16, noon

 

 

Click Here To Download the Press Advisory –> PRESS-ADVISORY_WMCC_La-Sal_Protest (1)

Click Here to Download Flyer –> May 16 No Uranium Protest at La Sal Junction

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, May 1, 2026

The eight-hour workday. Voting rights. Desegregated buses and schools. Every hard-won right Californians depend on today came from people who organized, refused to accept the status quo, and fought back.

In 1884, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions made a declaration: in five years, workers across the country would strike on May 1 for an eight-hour workday.  No guarantee of success—and no central command to make it happen. The idea spread anyway, city to city, carried by ordinary workers who organized locally and walked off of the job together. At Haymarket Square in Chicago, workers paid for that defiance with their lives. The movement grew anyway. They won, and May 1 became the international workers’ celebration, May Day.

That is the spirit that drives Public Advocates. For 55 years, we have combined civil rights litigation, policy advocacy, and deep partnership with grassroots communities to challenge the laws and power structures that lock low-income communities and communities of color out of good schools, stable housing, and reliable transit. We do this because rights declared on paper mean nothing without power behind them—and power is built through sustained organizing and coordinated struggle over time. That is how we win resourced schools, renter protections, and transit systems that serve the people who need these most.

That work has never been more urgent.

California is the fourth-largest economy in the world. The people who built it—teachers, nurses, farmworkers, transit workers, essential workers of every kind—are being pushed out of it. The Tenant Protection Act, the state’s primary shield against extreme rent hikes and unjust evictions, expires in 2030. Tens of thousands of affordable homes sit approved but unfinanced. Students in under-resourced school facilities are still denied what the law guarantees. This is not a series of policy failures. It is a system working exactly as it was designed—to concentrate wealth in the hands of a few rather than spreading it to include the people who make this state run.

We know it can be different today because we have seen it. In Minnesota years of cross-racial organizing produced the 2023“Minnesota Miracle,”— a single legislative session that delivered a billion dollars in affordable housing, free school meals for every child, expanded voting rights, paid family leave, and protections for workers and immigrant communities. This past January 23, that same coalition drove a massive ICE presence out of Minneapolis through peaceful community action. It didn’t happen by accident. It happened because people built power—across race, across issues, across years—together.

That is the work of May Day. That is the work of Public Advocates.

This May Day we recommit to the California that should exist—where the people who built this economy can afford to stay here, where every child has a school worthy of their potential, and where no community’s future depends on the goodwill of those in power.

Power isn’t given. It’s built. We’re building it.

###

Public Advocates Inc. is a nonprofit law firm and advocacy organization that challenges the systemic causes of poverty and racial discrimination by strengthening community voices in public policy and achieving tangible legal victories advancing education, housing, transportation equity, and climate justice.

The post Statement: Public Advocates Stands with Workers and Communities Fighting For a Just California on May Day appeared first on Public Advocates.