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Monterey County posts draft Environmental Justice element for public review; staff seeks community input
Summary
County planners released a draft Environmental Justice element for unincorporated Monterey County under SB 1000, identified 11 disadvantaged communities, and opened a roughly 60‑day public review with targeted outreach and bilingual comment options.
Monterey County’s Housing and Community Development staff presented the draft Environmental Justice element for the county general plan and invited community review and feedback.
Sarah Weigel, principal planner, said the state requires an Environmental Justice element when two or more general-plan elements are updated concurrently (Senate Bill 1000). The element aims to identify and reduce compounded environmental and health risks in disadvantaged communities, improve civic engagement, and prioritize investments in areas facing pollution exposure, limited services, housing and infrastructure inequities, and climate-related health risks.
The draft existing-conditions work identified 11 disadvantaged communities in unincorporated Monterey County, Weigel said, including Bradley, Castroville, Moss Landing, Pajaro, San Lucas and other unincorporated places concentrated in northern Monterey County and the Salinas Valley. Staff conducted outreach—focus groups, a community advisory committee, pop-up events, library displays and an online survey that received more than 300 responses—and used that input to shape goals, policies and an implementation framework.
Edgar Sanchez, project planner, said comments from residents are central to shaping the final element: “People who live in these communities are really the experts in their communities,” he said. Staff plans targeted April outreach with supervisorial offices and community groups and may extend the public-review period beyond the initial 60 days to ensure meaningful engagement. The county intends summer-focused implementation planning and is targeting a Planning Commission hearing and Board adoption in the fall, plus CEQA review in the summer–fall timeframe.
Staff asked reviewers to submit comments in English or Spanish via the county web page or email (the presentation listed Edgar Sanchez as the contact) and said appendix materials—including the existing-conditions report and summary of engagement—are available online for review.
