Port of Oakland

West Oakland

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Overview

The West Oakland community is located in the city of Oakland in the BAAQMD. The community has a mix of air pollution sources from freight, freeways, industry, and port operations. The West Oakland community has a high cumulative air pollution exposure burden, a significant number of sensitive receptors, and includes census tracts that have been designated as disadvantaged communities. Due to its high pollution exposure burden, West Oakland has been an area of focus with studies conducted over the last decade, including studies undertaken by the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project including the 2008 Truck Traffic Survey and the Intel Personal Air Monitoring Study.

The West Oakland community has an area of 7 square miles with a population of approximately 25,000. The community of West Oakland is impacted by mobile sources such as diesel trucks and buses, locomotives, the Port of Oakland operations, railyard operations, and adjacent Interstates 580, 980, 880, and the Harbor Channel, plus non-port marine operations in the San Francisco Bay. The community also has large distribution centers, a cement plant, a power plant, metal facilities, and industrial and manufacturing operations. The sensitive receptors in the community include 17 schools and 15 licensed daycare facilities. The community experiences some of the highest asthma and cardiovascular disease impacts in the region, along with high unemployment and incidences of poverty.

Community Boundary

Image displaying West Oakland's AB 617 community boundaries

West Oakland's AB 617 community boundary files

Community Air Monitoring

In 2018, the West Oakland Community was nominated by the District and selected by CARB as a CERP-only community.

CARB and the District have historically implemented air monitoring which includes regulatory monitoring in Oakland. While the West Oakland is not preparing a Community Air Monitoring Plan, the Community Steering Committee and the West Oakland Indicators Project has worked with Aclima to develop and provide air quality monitoring data. This monitoring data has been provided to CARB (currently seven sites) and can be downloadable on AQView where monitoring data from other AB 617 community air monitoring plans are also included.

Community Emissions Reduction Program

BAAQMD partnered with the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project (WOEIP) as co-leads to convene a community steering committee and developed Owning Our Air: The West Oakland Community Action Plan. BAAQMD and WOEIP also hosted a Town Hall in August 2019. The Plan focuses on reducing exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), diesel particulate matter (DPM), and carcinogenic toxic air contaminants (TACs) from sources such as port-related activities, trucks, industrial sources, road dust, and residential burning. The steering committee, BAAQMD, and WOEIP identified 89 specific strategies.

Community Engagement

Image of the West Oakland Community Steering Committee

Community engagement is a key part of the AB 617 program. Air districts are responsible for convening a community steering committee using an open and transparent nomination process. Community steering committees create new, and foster existing, local partnerships which drive the AB 617 program. In this advisory role, community steering committees oversee the development and implementation of the program such as in community identification, community air monitoring, and community emissions reduction programs. The steering committee aims to identify metrics, track progress, solicit, and share information with the West Oakland community. The current Community Steering Committee was selected representing a diverse range of community viewpoints.

The current Community Steering Committee charter describes the West Oakland Community Steering Committee membership process, how meetings are conducted, and how information is made available to its members and the public.

Annual Implementation Progress

Annual progress reports are completed by the District. Qualitative and quantitative progress assessments as well as status updates from interim milestones identified by the CARB Governing Board are available in the annual progress report and accompanying metric workbooks. A detailed update for each strategy can also be found here as it is made available.

Additional Resources