Report on April’s Los Angeles People’s Climate March

Dear SoCal 350 Friends:

Thanks to all who made it out to Wilmington for the Los Angeles People’s Climate March!

Between 5-8,000 people from all over Southern California converged on Wilmington on Saturday, April 29. They marched to the Tesoro Refinery to speak out against the dangers to communities and the planet from our fossil fuel addiction. Speakers such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., California Senator Kevin de Leon, and Actor and Activist Jane Fonda joined many advocates for and residents of the vulnerable communities surrounding the five nearby refineries.

Activists crowded Pacific Coast Highway marching towards Tesoro’s Los Angeles facility, now undergoing a merger/expansion with BP Carson, seeking to create the largest refinery on the West Coast of North America. They plan to double the storage capacity of dirty and volatile crude oils from Canada and North Dakota, the same threats which inspired movement against the Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines, both recently green-lighted by President Trump’s Executive Orders.

Whitney Amaya organizes with East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice to address the industrial pollution in her West Long Beach community. She says they are fighting back at environmental racism, where communities of color face a disproportionate amount of pollution from refineries like Tesoro’s. Walking along with Kimberly Amaya, Whitney said, “We march because we’re tired of the high rates of asthma and cancer in our community caused by industrial pollution. Our health should be of first priority! People over profit!”

READ MORE & CHECK OUT A PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE MARCH!

Stay tuned for a petition to demand the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) send the environmental impact report back to the analysis phase!

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EcoJustice Radio: If you were marching on April 29th and missed Episode 1 of SoCal 350’s EcoJustice Radio on KPFK 90.7 FM, take a listen here! The episode features guests Bill McKibben, co-founder and Senior Advisor of 350.org; Marta Segura, the Climate Law Institute Southern California Engagement Director of the Center for Biological Diversity; Andy Shrader, the Director of Environmental Affairs, Water Policy & Sustainability for CD5 Councilmember Paul Koretz; Dr. Alex Hall, a Professor at UCLA’s Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences; and hosted by Leah Garland, Steering Committee member of SoCal 350.

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Big thanks to all the supporting organizations who were involved in the April 29th march, especially those who were on the planning committee or contributors to the march expenses!

350 Conejo/San Fernando Valley*
350.org
Actionism LA
Allesandro Coalition for Educational Justice (CEJ)*
Asian Pacific Planning and Policy Council (A3PCON) – Environmental Justice Committee*
American Indian Movement (AIM) Southern California*
ANSWER Coalition
Biodiesel Coop of Los Angeles
Burbank Green Alliance*
California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA)
California for Progress*
California Interfaith Power & Light
California Nurses Association*
California Safe Schools
Carson Coalition*
Center for Biological Diversity*$
Chicano Latino Immigrant Democratic Club of Los Angeles County
Citizens Climate Lobby – Pasadena Foothills
City Lights
Climate Action Santa Monica
Climate Hawks Vote
Climate Reality
Climate Resolve
Coalition for Educational Justice/Students Deserve*$
Coalition for Good Jobs and a Healthy Community
Coalition to Stop Seabed Mining
CODEPINK
Collaborative for Urban Agroecology
Communities for a Better Environment*
Compton For Bernie
Converging Storms Action Network
Democratic Socialists of America – Long Beach
DivestLA
Dorsey High School Students Deserve Chapter
Earth Protect
East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice*
EndOil
Environment Now $
ESP (Environmental & Social Policy magnet at Lincoln HS) Student Power (SD chapter)
Fight Climate Denial
Food & Water Watch*
Garfield High School Students Deserve Chapter
Green Party of Los Angeles County (GPLAC)
Harry Bridges Institute/Just Transition Committee*
Hunger Action Los Angeles
Idle No More Los Angeles*
Indivisible San Pedro
LA High Students Deserve Chapter
Lideres Independientes
Long Beach 350*
Long Beach Gray Panthers
Long Beach Progressive Revolution
Long Beach United*
Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition
Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters
Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust
LUSH Cosmetics $
March and Rally Los Angeles*
Marshall High School Students Deserve Chapter
MEChA of Los Angeles Harbor College*
Mendez High School Students Deserve Chapter
Mujeres Unidas: Womyn of Wilmington
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)*$
NextGen Climate $
Our Voice LA
Pacoima Beautiful
Pando Populus
Paramount Community Coalition Against Toxins
Physicians for Social Responsibility – Los Angeles
Planet Rehab
Progressive Christians Uniting
Residents Organized for a Safe Environment (ROSE)
Resist in LA
Resource Generation LA
RevolutionLA
Sacred Places Institute for Indigenous People
San Pedro Democratic Club
San Pedro Neighbors for Peace and Justice
Semillas del Pueblo
SoCal 350 Climate Action*$
SolarCity
South Bay Chapter of Surfrider
South Bay Los Angeles 350 Climate Action Group*
South Central Youth Leadership Coalition
Southwest Asian & North Afrikan – Los Angeles (SWANA-LA)
Stand.earth
STAND-LA
STEM Academy of Hollywood Student Activist Club (SD chapter) (pilot school within Helen Bernstein HS)
Stop Fracking Long Beach
Surfrider
Tar Sands Action SoCal*
The California Endowment $
UCLA Community School Students Deserve Chapter
United Residents of Southeast LA
United Teachers Los Angeles $
West LA-Malibu Chapter of Surfrider
Wica Agli
WilderUtopia*
Wild Heritage Planners*
Wilmington Improvements Network (WIN)

*Planning Committee
$Contributor

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PLEASE NOTE: The May SoCal 350 Monthly General Meeting is taking place next Sunday, May 21st!

When: Sunday, May 21st from 3:00pm – 5:00pm

Hosts/Where: Sabina and Kwazi: 1701 Morton Ave, LA 90026 (Echo Park)

RSVP: Sabina Virgo, sabina1@sbcglobal.net

Photo by Luke Massman-Johnson