Clean Air for All: from the streets of East Oakland

by Kent Lewandowski

This blog isn't just about the TransAlpine race, but also a way for you to become more familiar with the local chapter of the Sierra Club, the benefactor of my fundraising run. I'm delighted to present a guest post by my friend Kent Lewandowski, who lives in Oakland and volunteers for the Club more than anyone I know. Kent serves on the Sierra Club Bay Chapter Executive Committee, is the former Chair of the Northern Alameda County Group, leads Club hikes and camping trips, attends countless City Council, Planning Commission, and organizing meetings, and still finds time to walk the streets of East Oakland for our Port of Oakland Campaign. Thank you Kent.

Recently I spent an afternoon walking International Boulevard in East Oakland recording license plates from Port trucks to measure Port trucking activity in residential and commercial areas. The Sierra Club is partnering with the Coalition for Clean and Safe Ports (CCSP), to survey and identify areas where Oakland 's Truck Routes and Prohibited Streets rule is not being enforced or observed.[1]  We hope to demonstrate to local elected officials and City/Port staff the need to address issues of environmental justice in East and West Oakland. Diesel trucks that are used for the movement of raw materials and consumer goods to and from the Port of Oakland have public health impacts on affected low-income communities.[2] Without enforcement of truck route regulations, and without better working conditions for the Port truck drivers, there is little incentive for drivers to observe existing rules. 

Since 2006, the Northern Alameda County Group of the Sierra Club has worked to get the Port of Oakland to commit to a long-term vision for cleaner air.  While we have partnered with the Port directly in developing plans for cleaning up the air, my experience has been that the Sierra Club does not have the necessary presence, particularly in low-income communities of color, to be a strong voice when it comes to environmental justice. Therefore it’s important we work with coalitions like the CCSP to advocate at the Port of Oakland and in City Hall. 

Now in its fifth year, the CCSP brings together a mix of labor and environmental groups including the Eastbay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy, Teamsters, Asian Pacific Environmental Network, Communities for a Better Environment, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Sierra Club. Our work has centered on the intersection between the interest in a cleaner environment and environmental justice.  The campaign in Oakland has been to pressure the Port to enforce clean air standards on shipping companies, while also mandating that shipping companies (and the retailers they work for) not shift the burden of complying with clean air regulations to the low-paid truck drivers who cannot afford to purchase and install expensive clean filters and anti-pollution devices. The goal is to achieve cleaner air and better working conditions – a goal that is achievable with the right mix of incentives and legislation.

Kent (far back) and young Sierrans raise awareness in East and West Oakland

The reality I have observed on the ground is that we are still far from achieving  fair working conditions and clean air.  Studies show that the average take-home pay for many of the Port truck drivers is $11 / hour,[3] with no health or retirement benefits, and drivers are often subject to predatory working conditions where their ability to work is dependent on signing usurious "leases" for the trucks they operate.  These are the same truck drivers who are mandated to comply with cleanair regulations by the California Air Resources Board.  I have heard more stories of hardship from low-income, immigrant truck drivers than I care to mention. They basically all involve the same story: I came to this country, I needed a job, I was offered a certain pay, I signed up to be a truck driver, and now I am saddled with a lease (on my truck) that consumes 1/3-1/2 of my family’s monthly income and I have lost my home, my healthcare, my car, etc.  I have seen Port truckers break down as they describe their family circumstances.  I have seen truckers testify in front of Congressional Subcommittees in Washington, D.C. and be accused of laziness by truck company operators. These stories are often uncomfortable to listen to, as they remind me of how easy my life as an office worker is in comparison. 

Standing on the street corner counting trucks was not my idea of what I’d be doing when I got involved in the Sierra Club's local conservation work. But I have come to realize that community efforts like this are important to the organization, the community, and the environment. It's important that the Sierra Club partner with community organizations focused on worker and environmental justice. There is no divide between cleaning up the air around ports and doing justice to the workers and neighbors.  Dirty air caused by diesel trucks in East Oakland drifts inland and eventually settles in areas like the Oakland hills, and eventually, the Central Valley.  Air pollution caused by diesel trucks in poor neighborhoods increases public health costs for everyone and drains money that could otherwise be spent protecting our parks, forests and wild lands.  By working together, we improve everyone's chances of success and help give the dream of a cleaner environment for everyone a shot at becoming reality. 

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[1] Commercial vehicles are prohibited and specifically routed on certain streets in Oakland by the California Vehicle Code and the Oakland Municipal Code (Chapter 10.52 - Commercial Vehicles).

[2] Emissions from diesel trucks include benzene, particulate matter, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and soot. In addition to being carcinogenic, these substances contribute to increased risk of asthma, respiratory disease and cardiovascular disease. (East Oakland Diesel Truck Survey Report, Communities for a Better Environment, September 2010)

[3] Taking the Low Road: How Independent Contracting at the Port of Oakland Endangers Public Health, Truck Drivers, & Economic Growth.  Eastbay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy, September, 2007