Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Environmental Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bayview residents press SF Environment commissioners on decades of toxic exposures
Summary
Residents at a San Francisco Commission on the Environment meeting urged the department to act on long-standing pollution, construction dust and health problems in Bayview Hunters Point, calling for independent testing, enforcement and stronger cross-agency coordination.
Dozens of Bayview Hunters Point residents told the San Francisco Commission on the Environment on Dec. 3 that persistent contamination and recent construction activity continue to harm neighborhood health and quality of life.
At the commission’s meeting at the Bayview Opera House, long-time activist Espanola "Mother" Jackson recounted a history of toxins from the Hunters Point shipyard and Treasure Island and urged independent environmental testing around a new clinic at 3450 Third Street, saying the city’s own agencies cannot be trusted to protect children. ‘‘They were in cahoots with the EPA to lie about what was happening out here at the shipyard,’’ Jackson said.
Other speakers described dust from demolition near schools and childcare sites, respiratory and skin symptoms among children, and family histories of cancer. Tessie Ester, coordinator of the Mothers & Fathers Committee, said demolition and site preparation at construction parcels forced residents to close windows and left children coughing at night. ‘‘They are killing us up there,’’ she said.
Commissioners acknowledged many of the concerns as within the commission’s purview for advocacy and community outreach but emphasized limits to the department’s direct regulatory authority over land use and some health investigations. Commissioner Angelo King said the Department of the Environment can and does manage matters such as pesticide rules, outreach and energy programs, but that zoning and permitting remain with other city agencies.
Residents called for immediate measures including on-site dust suppression, independent air and soil monitoring, health-department investigations, and better coordination among city agencies. Karen Huggins, president of the Holly Courts resident council, urged the commission to press the housing authority and other agencies to include solar and public-protection measures during renovations.
The commission closed the public-comment period and said staff would ‘‘digest’’ the testimony and consider next steps, including follow-up agenda items and cross-agency engagement in 2014. Director Melanie Nutter noted the department has funding and partnerships for neighborhood outreach and resilience work and invited residents to continue participating in those efforts.
