Introduction

Project Background & Objectives

California’s Latino communities face disproportionate health risks from environmental hazards, such as air pollution and extreme heat. This project builds on a foundation of prior research and policymaking to create an actionable framework for understanding and addressing environmental health disparities in California.

This report documents the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute’s development and construction of county-level factsheets highlighting environmental, health, and socioeconomic disparities between neighborhoods. The factsheets contain county-level and census tract-level indicators identified based on their relevance to environmental justice, climate vulnerability, and public health disparities. This project aligns with California’s legislative efforts, including SB 535 (Disadvantaged Communities), AB 32 (California Global Warming Solutions Act), and AB 617 (Community Air Protection). Our factsheets are designed to support decision makers, public agencies, philanthropic partners, and community groups as they address systemic environmental health disparities.

The project’s main objectives are: (1) identify key indicators related to environmental, health, and climate burdens at the county and census tract level, (2) create a series of factsheets that highlight disparities by demographic groups and neighborhood types, and (3) develop tools for stakeholders, policymakers, and advocacy groups to use in addressing inequalities to ensure historically marginalized neighborhoods benefit from the state’s climate change policies. 

This project aims to advance sustainable, inclusive solutions to California’s most pressing environmental and health challenges by centering the lived experiences and needs of Latinos.