Preventing Closure of Clinics: In 2002, Los Angeles County proposed closing several clinics and trauma centers due to a budget shortfall. In reaction to this decision, One LA - IAF leaders along with health care organizations throughout the county and several county supervisors supported a ballot measure to raise additional funds through a parcel tax on all new construction in the county. Measure B required a two-thirds majority to pass and One LA - IAF leaders worked vigorously to get out the vote in support of the measure. In the precincts where One LA - IAF leaders worked, the measure passed at 80 percent. Countywide, Measure B passed at 67 percent, preventing the closure of much needed health services.
Ensuring a Healthy School Environment at Park Avenue Elementary: In 2001, parents and teachers at Park Avenue noticed a thick black substance surfacing through the cracks of the school's playground. After initial inspections, district personnel declared that the substance caused no safety hazard. After several students became ill with respiratory problems and two pregnant teachers miscarried, a team of parents and teachers began organizing with One LA-IAF (then known as LA Metro-IAF) to address the environmental problems in the school. They learned that the school was built over an old chemical plant whose materials had turned toxic. Parents and teachers reached out to congregations in the area, challenged LAUSD and secured an agreement to move all of the students from the school site and to devote $14 million to the clean-up effort. Once on the new school grounds, parents and teachers continued organizing and acquired agreements from the district for numerous school renovations. New air conditioners, carpets, desks and a new paint surface were all included in the school renovation effort. In 2003, students moved back to their school - a building that thanks to their efforts was now renovated, healthy and beautiful.
Improving Nutrition at Miles Avenue Elementary: In 2005, teachers and parents at Miles Elementary began a series of house meetings. During those conversations, stories of the cafeteria at Miles surfaced: Parents spoke of their children complaining of under-ripe or rotten fruit, of greasy pizza and of "blue" hotdogs. The school's core team decided to launch an effort to improve the quality of food in the cafeteria. The core organizing team discovered that one obstacle to improving Miles' food options was the size of the school. Miles Avenue is one of the largest elementary schools in the country, with more than 2,000 students. With such large numbers of children, the cafeteria was unable to offer anything other than a limited menu, with items such as nachos, pizza and hot dogs that could be delivered quickly. Miles Avenue successfully organized to renovate the school cafeteria in order to ensure that more students could be served at any given time and allow for the distribution of healthier food.
In addition, the school district began a taste-testing program with Miles Avenue students, working with several classes to test out new menu options. These menu options, aimed towards creating healthier options for children, are now available to all students in the district.
Ensuring Clean Air in Sun Valley and Fernangeles Elementary: The Bradley Landfill, located in Sun Valley in the North East San Fernando Valley, is one of the city's two major landfills. Garbage from businesses and apartment buildings throughout Los Angeles - up to 10,000 tons a day - ends up at Bradley. In 2002, One LA - IAF leaders at Fernangeles Elementary in Sun Valley began a series of house meetings centered around health concerns in their community, having discovered that asthma rates in their neighborhood were three times the county average. In preliminary research into the causes of these health problems, parents and teachers learned that Waste Management, the operators of Bradley Landfill, were applying for a permit to increase the height of the landfill. Parents, teachers and administrators at Fernangeles, along with families from congregations throughout the neighborhood began organizing to ensure that their community was no longer the dumping ground for the city of Los Angeles.
Since then, One LA - IAF has won several victories alleviating the environmental hazards brought by the landfill, including securing a commitment from the city to install air-quality testing devices throughout the neighborhood and a commitment to close Bradley and begin shipping waste out of Los Angeles County. In reaction to One LA - IAF's organizing, Waste Management is developing a community reinvestment program and has planted numerous trees throughout Sun Valley. The dump itself is now surrounded with vegetation. One LA - IAF leaders are currently in negotiation to ensure that the transfer station built to move waste from Sun Valley outside of the county is constructed in a manner that ensures minimal environmental impact on the region. In addition, leaders are working to limit the emissions produced by the garbage trucks that will continue to move through the neighborhood.
For press on the work in Sun Valley, click here.