Mayor Barbara Lee, state officials and 500 volunteers unveil Clean California designation and revitalize East 12th Street

Mayor Barbara Lee joined state and city officials and hundreds of volunteers on East 12th Street to unveil Oakland's Clean California Communities designation and lead an Earth Day revitalization of the corridor.

The mayor, speaking at the muraled Love Oak Building, said the designation "is real, and it's a testament to you all," and highlighted the City Council's recent advancement of "a comprehensive illegal dumping legislative package," which she said was passed unanimously. Mayor Barbara Lee thanked city staff and volunteers and said the day's work — planting trees, removing trash and restoring public space — contributes to health and safety in neighborhoods that have faced persistent sanitation and safety challenges.

"This work is powered by partnership," said Josh Friday, director of the Governor's Office of Service and Community Engagement, before volunteers began projects. "By having events like this, by investing in the way that you all are today, we're not just connecting with the Earth. We're connecting with each other, and we're building community." Friday also cited statewide initiatives including the Climate Action Counts campaign and the Climate Action Corps as models for community service.

Yana Garcia of the California Environmental Protection Agency emphasized the public-health and equity dimensions of neighborhood greening and climate resilience. Garcia thanked local partners and the California Climate Action Corps for on-the-ground work, noting that collective action at the neighborhood level helps address extreme heat and unequal access to safe corridors and clean air.

Councilmember Charlene Wong (District 2) described the East 12th corridor as "one of the most underserved communities in District 2," pointing to illegal dumping and prior encampments along the corridor and calling the day's work "environmental justice work in real time." Councilmember Rowena Brown (At-large) said the city had more than 80 volunteer activations across Oakland that day and praised sustained community engagement.

Abby Gold, a Climate Action Corps fellow serving with the City of Oakland, described local reuse projects that convert salvaged lumber into community garden beds for rec centers and said her program had diverted more than 1,000 tons of wood from landfill since the start of her term. Michelle Clark, executive director of Youth Employment Partnership (YEP), said youth engagement has helped sustain neighborhood projects and announced a follow-up roundtable to expand youth ownership of future efforts.

Organizers asked volunteers to focus on mulching, planting oak trees in medians and site cleanups; teams were coordinated with colored bracelets and led by named project leads. Attendees were also invited to take photos with the Clean California Communities designation plaque and to sign petitions and learn about partner services.

No formal municipal votes or ordinance adoptions were taken at the event itself; the mayor's reference to the illegal-dumping legislative package described recent City Council action rather than a decision made at the volunteer event. Organizers said follow-up actions include a Tuesday roundtable for youth partners and continued coordination between city departments and state volunteer programs.

The event brought together local nonprofits, city agencies and state programs including Keep Oakland Beautiful, Caltrans, Oakland Public Works, California Volunteers, the California Climate Action Corps, Trees for Oakland, PG&E and Blue Shield of California.

Volunteers began site work immediately after the speaking program concluded.