California Alliance for Children’s Environmental Health (CACEH)

The California Alliance for Children’s Environmental Health (CACEH) is working to coordinate groups across sectors for urgent action to radically improve state policy on children’s environmental health and justice.

This effort is based on the findings of a landscape analysis showing the incredible strength of California’s environmental health & justice leaders and pointing to the valuable strategy of framing environmental issues as children’s health issues.

CACEH is a network of local, regional, and statewide organizations that collaborate to raise awareness of environmental health issues affecting children in California, identify and build momentum behind focused policy priorities to improve environmental conditions for children, and lift youth leaders in the development of a children’s environmental health policy agenda and efforts to promote that agenda.

October is recognized by the EPA and by the California legislature as Children’s Environmental Health Month. Environmental health is a health, racial equity, and social justice issue. Every child deserves a safe and clean world to play, learn, and grow up in, but that reality doesn’t exist in many of California’s most marginalized communities.

For example, asthma is the most common childhood health condition in California, making it difficult for children to exercise, play and attend school. African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Latino children, have the highest asthma prevalence and hospitalization rates in California in part because of environmental racism that concentrates highways, industrial plants, toxic chemicals, neglected soil, corroded plumbing, and pesticide use in communities of color.

This month and every month, California must do more to address environmental health disparities and the lifelong effects of environmental toxins and climate change on our children through state-based investments and policy that center the needs of kids. There will be local and state events throughout the month to highlight key issues of importance for children’s health, as well as corresponding resources and factsheets.

2024 Issue Brief “In Defense of Children and the Planet”
2023 Children’s Environmental Health Policymaker Briefing Slides

• Children’s Environmental Health
• Chemicals and Food
• Asthma and Heat
• Pesticides
• PFAS “Forever chemicals”
• Lead

• Key 2024-2025 bills and CACEH member resources:
  • To be announced soon!

• Key 2022–2023 bills:
  • AB 1851 (Holden) – Lead Testing and Remediation Pilot Program (HELD)
  • SB 1182 (Gonzalez) – Climate Resilient Schools Master Plan (HELD)
  • SB 1193 (Menjivar) -Banning Leaded Aviation Fuel (PASSED)
  • AB 1864 (Connolly) – Pesticide Buffer Zone (PASSED)
  • AB 2316 (Gabriel) – Banning Synthetic Dyes in School Food (PASSED)
    
  • AB 2513 (Pellerin) – Gas Stoves and Ranges: Warning Labels (HELD)
  • SB 252 (Gonzalez, Stern, & Wiener) – Public retirement systems divestment form fossil fuels (HELD)
  • AB 1963 (Friedman) – Ban Paraquat use in California (PASSED)
  • SB 1266 (Limon) – Ban BPA/bisphenol in bottles and cups for children (PASSED)
  • SB 1308 (Gonzalez) – Improving ozone emissions standard in air filters
  • AB 2515 (Papan) – Ban PFAs in menstrual products (PASSED)
  • AB 418 (Gabriel & Wicks) – The California Food Safety Act (PASSED)
  • AB 579 (Ting) – Zero-emission schoolbuses (PASSED)
  • AB 652 (Lee) – Department of Pesticide Regulation Environmental Justice Advisory Committee (PASSED)
  • SB 253 (Wiener) – Climate Corporate Leadership and Accountability Act (PASSED)
  • SB 252 (Gonzalez, Stern, & Wiener) – Public retirement systems divestment form fossil fuels (2 YEAR BILL)
  • AB 1000 (Reyes) – Warehouse Good Neighbor Policy (ON PAUSE)
  • SB 394 (Gonzalez) – Master Plan for Healthy, Sustainable, and Climate-Resilient Schools (VETOED)
  • AB 249 (Holden) – Lead testing of drinking water at schools (VETOED)

• Other sign-on’s, advocacy opportunities, and events:
  • Public comment period, due February 25th: The Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) is seeking information on specific questions pertaining to quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) in cleaning products, and beauty, personal care, and hygiene products, including data gaps and availability of alternatives. 
  • Send a Letter to the Editor of your local newspaper connecting the recent wildfires to oil/gas companies and polluters. Template here.
  • EPA CA Clean Air Waivers action alert
  • Tell the EPA to greenlight air quality improvements
  • Tell the EPA to approve the Commercial Harbor Craft Rule amendment
  • New Wildfire Smoke Mitigation Coalition: Breathe Southern California is establishing a coalition to develop policy solutions to better understand and mitigate the impacts of wildfire smoke. To join this coalition, or for more information, please contact Tigran Agdaian, Breathe Southern California’s Manager of Advocacy of Public Policy, at [email protected].
    
  • Apply to join the CDPH Climate​ and Health Equity Advisory Group (CHEAG). CDPH seeks to hear from viewpoints outside of state government agencies, such as academia, community-based organizations (CBOs), local health jurisdiction (LHJ) staff, California Native American Tribes and tribal-serving organizations, and from individuals in the community with valuable lived experience and expertise, who are actively working within their communities or organizations to address climate, environmental, economic, racial, and/or heath inequities by pushing for policy changes in institutional and social systems. The application will be posted here soon!
  • Bay Area Youth Climate Summit: Read about their recent climate rally here! 
  • February 4th-6th, The Summit on Mental Health and Climate Change. This three-day online event is dedicated to exploring the connections between climate change and mental health. This gathering brings together researchers, mental health professionals, environmental advocates, policymakers, and community members from around the world to address how climate change affects psychological well-being and how mental health strategies can bolster resilience against climate impacts.  Click here to learn more.

• Environmental Health Factsheet (Oct 2022)
• Launch of CACEH Announcement
• Oct 2022 CA Environmental Health Briefing
  
• CDC Health and Heat Index Tool
• Center for Native American Youth: Fast Facts
• Partnering with Native Nations Guide
• Climate Science Alliance: Building Authentic Collaborations with Tribal Communities
• Children’s Environmental Health Network: CA Profile
• Californians for Pesticide Reform Paper: Childhood Cancer
• CalPIRG: Kids’ Health
• American Academy of Pediatrics: Environmental Health Resources

• New! Harvard University: Growing Up in a Warming World: How Wildfire Smoke Affects Early Childhood Development
• First ever California Department of Insurance (CDI) Extreme Heat Report (see especially section 4.3 on Health and Safety costs e.g. for pre-term birth, mental health, renal failure, etc.)
• Environmental Working Group: 1-in-4 Child Care Centers have Alarming Levels of Lead in Drinking Water
• California Environmental Health Landscape Analysis
• Greening Schoolyards Tree Canopy Equity Study and Policy Brief
• California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment: Children’s Environmental Health Center
• Harvard University Place Matters; The Environment We Create Shapes the Foundations of Healthy Development Working Paper 16 
• Harvard University Extreme Heat Affects Early Childhood Development and Health
• “Addressing a Multi-Billion Dollar Challenge”: Educational Outcomes of School Modernization
• Inaugural White House Summit for Sustainable and Healthy Schools: Panel Recording
• Climate Bond Equity Proposal Sign-On Letter

• Bringing greater awareness of environmental health and climate change to pediatricians and health providers in California, mobilizing health professionals for EH work
• Preventing childhood exposure to toxins and environmental hazards (e.g., lead in drinking water, toxic food chemicals, fiberglass, cleaners, beauty products)
• Greater funding and better infrastructure for electric vehicle (EV) buses
• Public education around gas stoves and childhood asthma
• Strengthening climate education, greater accountability around fossil fuel emitting businesses near schools, accessibility to healthy resources, mitigating food waste and carbon footprint of schools

• Improved enforcement of pesticide school buffer zones and prioritizing EJ policies for pesticide use and regulation
• Decarbonization of school environments and pensions, including climate resilience infrastructure changes
• Supporting implementation of Senate Bill 1137 by ensuring that the 2024 referendum to reverse restrictions on neighborhood oil drilling fails
• Ensuring equitable distribution of school facility modernization funds, especially through the 2024 education bond
• Weighing in on California Climate Resilience Bond and Education Infrastructure Bond funding distribution
• Continued oversight of Department of Pesticide Regulation and Environmental Justice Committee
• Supporting youth activism and direct action campaigns
• Children’s Environmental Health Month (October)