FAQs
The Environmental Justice Workgroup (Workgroup) is a newly established advisory group of local organizations and individuals committed to collectively addressing environmental justice priorities.
Facilitated by the Office of Sustainability and Environmental Justice (OSEJ) and in collaboration other local and regional partners across jurisdictions, the Workgroup advises on sustainability and environmental justice issues striving to improve people’s quality of life in the San Diego region.
The Workgroup is an advisory body without legislative or governing authority. The advisory group will work with County and other jurisdictions to advise on relevant projects, initiatives, and services through a membership informed selection process. The Workgroup does not need to follow the Brown Act or other formal procedures as an advisory group.
The Workgroup consists of no more than 21 members that are selected through an application process.
What is the Environmental Justice Workgroup?
Background Information
On January 25, 2023, the Board of Supervisors (Board) directed County staff to advance sustainability and environmental justice collaborations by establishing a regional social equity working group. In response to this Board direction, OSEJ is collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to meet the intent of the Board’s directive and the community identified needs of those most affected by environmental injustices.
The Board will not be involved in the selection of the Workgroup members. There are no appointed members for this Workgroup.
OSEJ staff will keep the Board of Supervisors informed of the Workgroup’s progress.
There is a broader purpose for the Workgroup that includes vision, intent, and desired outcomes:
- The vision for the Workgroup is to provide a platform and remove barriers for those who encounter environmental injustices and to help shape the County’s decarbonization efforts. The Workgroup will offer a diversity of perspectives, opinions, and experiences that help close the equity gaps in climate work.
The intent of the Workgroup is to gather valued feedback and garner support for regional initiatives, services, and programs related to the climate emergency, prioritized by the community. This will be achieved by cultivating a sense of belonging within the group through inclusive processes and recognizing the valuable contributions and strengths of each member.
The desired outcome is for communities systemically impacted by environmental injustices to have shared power in advancing sustainability efforts that directly affect their lives, and for the group to be a regional resource for the County and other jurisdictions to seek advisement for climate justice topics.
The Workgroup’s efforts are guided by the Regional Decarbonization Framework. The Workgroup will be a key part of actualizing the County’s commitment to community engagement by working alongside the communities most impacted by systemic environmental inequities.
The State of California defines environmental justice as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of people of all races, cultures, incomes, and national origins with respect to the development, adoption, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.”
Environmental justice starts with the understanding that past and current practices have disproportionate and negative impacts on particular populations typically Black, Indigenous, and people of color. It is government’s responsibility is to listen, learn, and study practices and address them or create new processes that make them obsolete and eliminate systemic inequities and human and environmental burdens in the past to ensure they do not occur in the future.
This Workgroup includes the incorporated and unincorporated areas of the county. It also includes representatives from local Tribes. There is not currently an advisory group in the region that has this reach.
The Workgroup is intended to inform relevant policies, practices, and programs for the County. Other jurisdictions and Tribal governments across the region that do not have similar groups are welcome to present to the Workgroup as well.
This Workgroup specifically focuses on environmental justice and sustainability efforts with communities, especially with people who have lived experiences and are often left out of sustainability conversations, centered in the process and content of the work. Other groups may not have the same intentionality.
It includes a broader range of voices than other governmental advisory groups, with residents, Tribal citizens, community leaders, academics and researchers and youth bringing diverse geographic and demographic perspectives.
Since there will likely be some overlap in content addressed at the various local groups, OSEJ staff will remain in contact with the leads of other similarly focused groups in the San Diego Region to avoid duplication and leverage opportunities for collaboration.
How are the Board of Supervisors involved?
Why was this group created?
What is environmental justice?
How is this group different from other similarly focused governmental groups?
How is this Workgroup related to the County’s Regional Decarbonization Framework and Climate Action Plan?
The Workgroup will focus on topics related to these initiatives and members will raise awareness about relevant work via their community networks.
About the Workgroup
The Workgroup will advise on sustainability efforts for the County and other jurisdictions with an equity lens during bimonthly meetings.
The members may also serve as ambassadors for their communities and organizations, furthering outreach efforts related to climate and environmental justice topics presented to the group.
The Workgroup will move these overarching goals forward:
Elevate community perspectives to advance decarbonization strategies using a social equity lens;
Address policy, program, and resource gaps caused by environmental injustices; and
Guide regional environmental justice and decarbonization priorities as well as issues such as air pollution, food security, and affordable housing.
There will be an associated workplan with these goals that identifies concrete objectives that the Workgroup will co-develop.
This is a great opportunity for collaborative people that care about making a difference for their community and the environment. Some of the specific incentives include the following:
- Influencing the work of the County, local jurisdictions, and regional agencies by informing climate initiatives
- Being a part of a group shaping meaningful change, and learning about other perspectives
- Serving the community and meeting new people
- Receiving participatory benefit of $150/meeting
- Accessing language interpretation and translation services as needed
- Partaking in training opportunities that may be available
Participant compensation honors the value of community participation by acknowledging the members’ time and expertise from lived and learned experiences.
Providing monetary benefits upholds community engagement best practices. National, state, and local jurisdictions commonly compensate and provide other benefits for participants to address any barriers to participation. Some common needs to ensure equitable involvement include:
Monetary support for the time commitment away from work responsibilities
Assistance for childcare
Transportation support
Meal availability
Members must live in San Diego County and meet at least one of the following criteria to support a diversity of perspectives and experiences in the group:
Residents with lived experience with environmental injustices
Members of a local Tribe
Youth between the ages of 16-24
Leaders from community-based or Tribal organizations working in health, social, economic, or environmental fields that focus on equity
Academics or researchers with expertise in addressing the underlying causes of health, social, economic, or environmental disparities in communities impacted by unjust systems
Other self-identified characteristics will be considered to strengthen diverse representation particularly for groups often marginalized or under-represented in public participation processes (i.e., people who identify as Black, Indigenous, and people of color; LGBTQ+; youth; immigrants and refugees; unhoused; low-income; or live in an unincorporated or rural area)
The group will be comprised with people who have formal education and direct experience in ecological and social justice subject areas. All participants’ perspectives, whether learned or lived, will be valued.
Workgroup members contribute their perspectives on relevant climate and environmental justice topics, and they may be gathering input or sharing information with their networks.
The commitment of service is a two- or three-year term.
Members participate in an orientation and attend up to six meetings each year.
Members may also be co-mentors for new members.
Yes, the Workgroup application process specifically seeks diverse membership in terms of the following criteria:
Experience - Community leaders, residents with lived experience, and subject matter experts with an array of interests and perspectives that will add to the breadth of the group.
Geography – Members from each supervisorial district, local sovereign Tribal nations, rural and urban areas, and members from unincorporated areas.
Personal Identity - Race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, age, and income level will be considered as shared since this information is optional on the application.
Staff from the County of San Diego Office of Sustainability & Environmental Justice are coordinating and facilitating the Workgroup with the support of internal and external partners.
Cross-sector partners may support workgroup meetings as co-leads on particular topic areas.
The team can be reached at osej@sdcounty.ca.gov and at this webpage.
What will members of the Workgroup do?
What are some of the benefits of participating?
Why are monetary participatory benefits being offered?
What are the desired qualities of Workgroup members?
What are the expectations of Workgroup members?
Is there a goal to have diversity reflected in the membership?
Who is leading the group?
How long is the term commitment?
Members are expected to serve a two to three-year term for group cohesion and continuity of the Workgroup’s goals. Participants must attend at least 75% of the meetings each year.
How many members will be a part of the Workgroup?
There will be 21 members in the Workgroup. There may be 3-5 alternates selected in the case a member no longer participates.
What are some examples of projects the Workgroup will focus on?
In the first year, the Workgroup will: work on a regional air quality effort with public agencies and eight community partners; develop a work plan based on the interests of the group; inform the County’s Climate Action Plan implementation with an equity lens; and create a regional definition of environmental justice.
How and where will the meetings be held?
Meetings will be both in-person and in virtual settings. They will be about 90-120 minutes long. The in-person orientation will be about 2-3 hours. Meeting locations will be accessible to public transportation, such as libraries or other community venues. Most likely, the meetings will be hosted at different locations each time with the intention of sharing the cumulative transportation time among the Workgroup members.
Application Process
The membership application has five parts: contact information, questions, demographic information, a commitment statement, and an optional character reference. It is anticipated that it will take 30 minutes-1 hour to complete.
Individual application assistance is available upon request at least 72 hours before the due date. Additionally, there will be two virtual information sessions hosting at different times for further Workgroup information, including application support. (Please see dates on timeline)
The applications are available in print by contacting osej@sdcounty.ca.gov or 619-629-7121 and electronic formats by visiting this webpage.
In addition to traditional communications and outreach approaches, staff will invest in place-based outreach efforts with priority groups across the region. There is a robust recruitment strategy in place that will increase awareness, participation, and recognition of the Workgroup’s goals with the intention of elevating community relationships and regional partnerships with the County. This includes presentations with resident leadership groups in rural and unincorporated areas, Tribal governments, faith-based organizations, schools and universities, and key community-based organizations. Canvassing neighborhoods that experience disproportionate environmental burdens in unincorporated areas is another outreach tactic staff will utilize. Cross-sector groups that are not yet apart of existing environmental efforts will be engaged to increase representation of unheard voices in the Workgroup.
Potential members will submit applications to be reviewed for the specified qualifications to ensure diverse representation of perspectives by a committee of County staff and partners from governmental agencies. Some of the specific groups that will be involved in the process this year will be the Office of Sustainability and Environmental Justice, Office of Equity and Racial Justice, Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, Health and Human Services Agency, and San Diego Air Pollution Control District.
If applicants for the Workgroup are not selected for this term after being interviewed, they will be invited to reapply when member seats open. OSEJ staff will contact applicants by email and telephone in this case.
How do you apply? What does the application consist of?
How will the members be recruited and selected?
Can we apply as a representative of a local organization or as an individual?
Applicants can apply as a member of a community-based organization, academic institution, or apply on their own. We are looking for representatives from community-based organizations and universities that work in social equity, health, social services, and in environmental fields.
How do I recommend someone for the Environmental Justice Workgroup (Workgroup)?
We encourage all residents of San Diego County to apply. Within the application there is an optional character reference that you can upload or send to osej@sdcounty.ca.gov by the application due date on November 11, 2024.
Can County of San Diego employees participate in the Workgroup?
County employees are ineligible to participate as a member of the Workgroup. The Workgroup is intended for members of the public. County employees can be a part of Employee Resource Groups.
Is there an age limit to apply for the Workgroup?
Members need to be at least 16 years old. Members under the age of 18 need parent/guardian permission to participate.
How many applicants will be interviewed?
There will be one round of interviews with no more than 30 applicants. The intention of the conversational interviews is to get to know the potential member’s interests, understand areas of alignment with the Workgroup’s goals, answer any questions about the Workgroup, and verify commitment to the Workgroup.
Public Participation
Please visit the Environmental Justice Workgroup website for details about the Workgroup activities and meetings.
Workgroup members will be asked to glean and share information regarding Workgroup topics with their community networks to expand the reach beyond the advisory group; there may be opportunities to participant as an informant through member communications within communities.
This is an informal advisory group that is not subject to the Brown Act, and the meetings are not open to the public. The Workgroup will foster belonging. In order to achieve this, setting-up intentional, safe spaces for the group to collaborate is necessary. Therefore, public participation in the meetings will be by invitation only.
If the public would like to make a comment or reach the Workgroup staff, they can do so in writing. Correspondence can be sent to osej@sdcounty.ca.gov or to the County Administration Center c/o Office of Sustainability and Environmental Justice at 1600 Pacific Highway, Suite 358, San Diego, CA 92101-2422.
- One of the desires of the Environmental Justice Workgroup is to collaborate across governmental organizations to support environmental justice initiatives for the region. Please reach out to OSEJ staff for an initial discussion if you have any collaborative opportunities for consideration at osej@sdcounty.ca.gov.
As a part of the process for the County and other jurisdictions’ presentations to the group, updates about how the Workgroup’s feedback will be incorporated into the efforts will be requested. Additionally, periodic updates on complex projects or initiatives may be needed to relay the outcomes based on the group’s advisement.
Each jurisdiction presenting to the group may have their own way of tracking outcomes of the projects the group informs.
How can the public stay informed about the Workgroup's activities and are there ways for the public to participate outside of membership?
Are there opportunities to collaborate with the Workgroup on environmental justice initiatives?
How will the EJW's recommendations be integrated into projects and programs, and how will they be tracked for progress?