City Council Public Hearing
October 20, 2026
Environmental Justice Element (EJE)General Plan Amendment - Appendix N
Overview and Purpose
The City's Planning Division prepared Fullerton's first-ever Environmental Justice Element to comply with Senate Bill 1000, which requires cities and counties with disadvantaged communities to adopt environmental justice goals, policies and programs.
Environmental Justice means no community regardless of race, ethnicity or income bears a disproportionate share of pollution or environmental harm, and every resident can live, work and thrive in a healthy, safe environment. — California Government Code § 65040.12(e)
Gov. Code Section 65302(h) requires the Element to:
Reduce Health Risks
Cut pollution exposure; improve air quality, food access and safe housing Promote Participation
Ensure impacted communities have a meaningful voice in decisions Prioritize Investment
Target improvements and programs to community-specific needs
Key Items For Consideration of Adoption
The EJ Element Itself — Fullerton's first-ever Environmental Justice Element, adopted as new Appendix N, plus a companion Appendix N Supplement summarizing online survey responses.
Identifies Nine Impacted Communities — Using CalEPA's 2022 Disadvantaged Community criteria and the SB 535 designation.
Integration of Public Comments — Nine comments received and incorporated into goals, policies and actions where possible.
SB 18 Tribal Consultation Completed — One tribal response received.
Establishes 8 Goals and 50 Policies — Addressing pollution exposure, climate resilience, public facilities, housing and civic engagement.
Adoption Requires a General Plan Amendment — Primarily a policy integration — no direct land use changes or zoning code modifications.
CEQA Exempt — Under Section 15061(b)(3), the Common Sense Exemption.
What is a “Disadvantaged Community?”
Under SB 1000, a jurisdiction identifies disadvantaged communities (DACs) using one or more of the following methods:
1 CalEnviroScreen Score
A census tract scoring in the top 25% statewide on CalEnviroScreen's cumulative pollution and vulnerability score. 2 Low-Income + Pollution Burden
An area with household incomes at or below 80% of the statewide median (or HCD's state income limits) that is disproportionately affected by pollution or hazards. 3 Local Knowledge and Data
Community-specific data — local health surveys, air monitoring, Code Enforcement records — that reveals burdens generic statewide models may miss.
Identifying Impacted Communities
Nine impacted census tracts were formally designated using CalEPA’s 2022 Disadvantaged Community (DAC) criteria: 001404, 001801, 001802, 011403, 011502, 011601, 011602, 086701 and 086802.
Designation criteria include census tracts in the highest 25% of CalEnviroScreen 4.0 scores and tracts identified as disadvantaged in the 2017 SB 535 designation, regardless of current score.
This designation is fixed and serves as the required basis for the Environmental Justice Element; supplemental indicators describe lived conditions but do not change which tracts are impacted communities.
Impacted communities are concentrated in three areas: the Northern Industrial Corridor, Southwest Communities and Southeastern Communities.
Pollution Burden and Social Vulnerability
Impacted community composite scores range from 70 to 95 percentile statewide — among the highest 25% in California.
Highest-ranking exposures Citywide include fine particulate matter (PM2.5), toxic releases from industrial facilities and drinking water contaminants.
Elevated scores largely reflect Fullerton’s legacy of oil extraction, manufacturing, and rail/freeway corridors, concentrated near freeways, rail yards and older housing stock.
The CDC Social Vulnerability Index, which measures factors such as income, age, housing and transportation, also ranks all nine impacted communities as highly vulnerable.
Community Engagement Summary
Survey Categories
Environmental Justice,
Open Space and Conservation, Access, Re-wilding and Climate Resilience Days Live for Responses
October 27– November 30, 2025
35 Media Channels
City Website, City Banner, City Instagram, Email Blast and Digital Display Boards 5 Total Survey
Participants
642
ONLINE SURVEY
5 Hours Connecting In person time connecting with the Community In Person Events
October 30, 2025
July 16, 2026
2 Flyers Provided
To build awareness on the Process
100+
In Person Visitors
OktoBOOfest and the Hunt Public Library
150+
OUTREACH EVENTS
7 2
Community Engagement Themes
Awareness Gap: Only about 45% of respondents had heard the term “environmental justice,” and many were only somewhat familiar with it.
Despite the awareness gap, respondents identified age, poverty status and disability as key factors contributing to vulnerability.
Top Concerns: Air and water pollution, noise, land use compatibility and health risks from climate conditions such as extreme heat and flooding.
A lack of civic engagement was also identified as a top concern among respondents.
Community Priorities:
Affordable housing, safer and cleaner public spaces, more green areas and trees, improved sidewalks and transportation and programs to support vulnerable groups.
SB 18 Tribal Consultation Process
SB 18: All California tribes provided by the Native American Heritage Commission in response to Sacred Land Files search request (Government Code §65352.3) and local governments that adopt or amend general plans or specific plans or create open space designations.
SB 18 initial notification letters sent out on May 7, 2026.
Received one response from a tribal group.
Consultation to be completed prior to adoption of the Environmental Justice Element by the City Council and that tribes be given 90 days to respond to the initial notice.
The Planning Commission reviewed this item and recommended City Council approval on August 12, 2026.
Goals and Policies Draft
Goal 1: Air, Noise and Odor
Protect residents, especially those in disadvantaged communities, from disproportionate exposure to air, noise and odor pollution by promoting cleaner land use patterns, reducing vehicle emissions, and enhancing natural buffers.
Goal 7: Safe and Sanitary Homes
Provide residents with access to safe, affordable and healthy housing by enforcing habitability standards, remediating environmental hazards and supporting programs that improve housing quality in impacted communities.
Goal 5: Parks and Active Transport
Expand and improve access to parks, recreation facilities and active transportation infrastructure to promote health, physical activity and environmental benefits in impacted communities.
Goal 2: Water Quality
Minimize water quality pollution, including compliance with state and federal water quality standards, reducing runoff and surface pollutants off-site and reducing pollutant loading in the water system.
Goal 3: Climate Resilience
Reduce vulnerability to climate change, cumulative pollution burdens, and overlapping health risks by implementing resilience strategies and prioritizing interventions in communities facing multiple hazards.
Goal 8: Civic Engagement
Strengthen community voices in environmental and land use decisions by ensuring meaningful participation, accessible information and equitable representation of impacted communities in public processes.
Goal 4: Public Facilities
Ensure equitable access to high-quality public facilities and infrastructure that support community well-being and opportunity.
Goal 6: Healthy Food Access
Ensure residents have access to affordable, nutritious food by supporting local food systems, incentivizing healthy food retail and addressing food deserts.
Gov. Code § 65302(h)(1) — policies must address the unique or compounded health risks of disadvantaged communities across these areas:
Goals and Policies
Goals and Policies
Goals and Policies
Goals and Policies
Next Steps
Submit Environmental Justice Element to Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (formerly OPR): November 2026 (tentative).
The Environmental Justice Element (Appendix N) advances the City’s SB 1000 compliance and was developed in coordination with the concurrent Open Space and Conservation Element update.
Recommended Action
Adopt City Council Resolution No. 2026-XXXX entitled:
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FULLERTON, CALIFORNIA, APPROVING A GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT TO ADOPT THE NEW ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ELEMENT OF THE FULLERTON GENERAL PLAN, AS APPENDIX N CEQA Exempt under Section 15061(b)(3) - Common Sense Exemption.
City Council Public Hearing
October 20, 2026
Environmental Justice Element (EJE)General Plan Amendment - Appendix N