Asian Pacific Environmental Network

From engaging in door knocking campaigns to speaking at city council meetings, APEN’s youth leadership in Carson plays an important role in our strategy to hold Phillip’s 66 accountable for remediation of their Carson refinery.

Through our advocacy, we were able to pass a resolution to create a taskforce to engage residents, community members, and environmental experts on the refinery remediation process.

Today we hear directly from Jonathan Garcia, a youth leader and Carson resident, on the impact of living so close to the refinery and the future of APEN’s work in the South Bay Harbor Gateway.

Hi, my name is Jonathan and I’m a member of APEN LA. I’ve been a part of that community for about two years now. A lot of our work recently has been focused on Phillips 66 and the refinery closure. 

To me that’s an issue that really hits home because I’ve lived near the major refinery complex in Carson my entire life. 

There’s a lot of pollution, noise, costs, occasional explosions that come with having to live near oil infrastructure. 

I didn’t realize I had asthma until my late high school years. A lot of my peers have breathing issues or cancer in their families. 

Recently, we received political education around the war in Iran and the connections between our national reliance on fossil fuels and our military aggression abroad. 

We discussed how the same fossil fuels that cause cancer, sickness, and death in our own neighborhoods drive resource wars and destruction overseas.

 Destructive forever wars like the war in Iran will keep happening and fossil fuels will keep poisoning our communities unless we transition fully to renewable energy. 

We want renewable energy investments in our people, schools, healthcare, and communities and that can only happen when we stop oil companies from squeezing as much profit as they can out of infrastructure, and declare bankruptcy leaving toxic sites that they refuse to clean up.

That’s why last year APEN LA mobilized and won a taskforce from the Carson City Council to oversee the Phillips 66 refinery closure. 

This coming year, APEN LA will focus on working with Carson City Council and the Planning Commission to build up this taskforce, meet with LA Regional Water Board to understand the remediation process for refinery grounds, and expand our youth membership so we can have a say in the clean up process.

Please donate to our spring fundraiser so we can continue to do this crucial work in Carson and the South Bay Harbor. 

In solidarity,

Jonathan Garcia

Youth Member, APEN Los Angeles

 

The post Holding Phillips 66 Accountable appeared first on Asian Pacific Environmental Network.

APEN’s Youth Leaders in Richmond have been at the forefront of our campaigns – protesting, gathering signatures, and giving testimony at city council meetings.

Audrey Min Thiphakhinkeo Paun is a vocal youth leader who has been heavily involved in the community input process to hold Chevron accountable to its Polluters Pay campaign promises. 

Today we hear from Min directly about the connections she’s making between the media, her experience with APEN, and her family’s history. 

Have you seen Pixar’s most recent release, Hoppers? It’s about environmental justice and some APEN Youth Leaders and I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between the work we do in Richmond and the themes of the movie.

The main character is Mabel. She’s an Asian American kid who develops a deep appreciation for nature through her grandmother. When the glen and stream she shared with her grandma is threatened by developers, Mabel tries to organize to fight back.

Mabel is characterized by everyone in the town as a troublemaker. But really she’s a passionate activist who keeps fighting to protect the environment! Like Mabel, APEN Youth Leaders like me know what it is like to organize to protect your city from harm.

In Richmond we organize against Big Oil. We rally outside Chevron’s gates to demand a Just Transition away from fossil fuels. Like Mabel, we’re not troublemakers. We’re changemakers!

Mabel spends time trying to get signatures for a petition, in efforts to stop the city from building an illegal and environmentally devastating beltway. But she gets rejected at every turn.

APEN Youth Leaders have experienced this when we canvass, too. We face immediate rejections and often more failures than successes. 

 It might take longer to convince people in our community but we’ve realized it’s important that we do not give up: change takes time and work! 

Another similarity between us and Mabel is that she repeatedly holds the mayor of her town accountable for his illegal and harmful infrastructure project.

We know what it is like to hold local elected officials responsible. 

APEN Youth Leaders have given testimony at key council meetings and rallied outside of city hall to demand change.

Last year, a grassroots coalition in Richmond that we are a part of, fought and won the Polluters Pay campaign. This win ensured that Chevron invested $550 million back into Richmond! Now, it’s time to deliver on the promise of the Polluters Pay campaign for the people of Richmond.

We want to make sure that these funds are invested back into the community.With these new resources, we can fund essential services and infrastructure – like safe, walkable streets, bike lanes, public hospitals, and neighborhood parks. 

We can invest in our local economy, reduce our dependence on Chevron, and plan for a Just Transition. The families and workers who have been most impacted by Chevron’s pollution must have a real voice in deciding how the funds are spent.

As changemakers, all of us Youth Leaders in Richmond are taking time to learn about the war in Iran and how it relates to environmental justice.

Right now, the U.S and Israel are spending billions of our tax dollars to terrorize the people of Iran, Lebanon and Palestine.

My mom immigrated to Richmond from Laos because of the Secret War, an often overlooked conflict during the Vietnam War.

During that time, the U.S. dropped 270 million bombs on a country about the size of California, making Laos the most heavily bombed nation in history.

As Asian immigrants and refugees, our families know devastating war and imperialism can be. 

That’s why I’m dedicated to learn and fight alongside my fellow youth leaders. 

APEN Youth Leaders are going to continue to do the work, hold electeds accountable, and live up to our responsibilities as change makers. 

I hope you’ll donate today so we can reach our spring campaign fundraising goal. You can help resource the work APEN is doing in LA, Oakland Chinatown, and of course, Richmond. 

You can join the change makers! Give today!

The post What’s next for APEN Youth Leaders? appeared first on Asian Pacific Environmental Network.

This year of the Fire Horse brings a long-awaited transformation to one of America’s oldest Chinatowns. 

After years of organizing, planning, and fundraising, APEN and Friends of Lincoln Square Park are finally breaking ground to renovate the Lincoln Recreation Center into a state-of-the-art Resilience Hub!

With disasters becoming more frequent and intense, we need deep investment in the systems and social supports that strengthen our communities and offer resources in times of crisis.

This is where Resilience Hubs come in.

By turning a place where the Chinatown community gathers every day into a resilience hub, we shift disaster response from an individual burden to a collective plan.

Hear directly from APEN Chinatown members and community advocates on the importance of this project.

Since the 1970’s, Lincoln Rec Center has been more than a building; it’s been an essential gathering spot.

Today, it serves roughly 1,000 neighbors each day, including youth, seniors, immigrants, and low-income families who rely on the Center for CalFresh assistance, voter registration, free community college classes, and essential services in their own languages, like Cantonese, Mandarin, and Vietnamese.

“I have been a member of APEN and a resident of Oakland for nearly 20 years. To me, Lincoln Recreation Center is more than just a place—it is the heart of our Chinatown community,” shares APEN member Feng Ying Zhou.

Feng Ying Zhou and Chinatown members kicking off the year with APEN’s big member meeting in 2024.

Our Chinatown members’ passion and courage have been critical to the momentum of this long-spanning project.

“We have met with city departments on-site, joined countless meetings, and provided feedback to shape the design. We have spoken directly with elected officials, sharing the real needs and voices of our community,” Feng Ying explains.

And a Resilience Hub can’t come soon enough. California’s perennial wildfires have shown how quickly smoke, ash, and power outages can put vulnerable residents at risk.

This project will turn Lincoln Rec Center into a safe shelter where neighbors can access clean air, emergency resources, culturally appropriate services, and recovery support when disaster strikes.

Volunteers created 5,800 emergency starter kits packed with life-saving essentials like flashlights, first aid kits and masks at Lincoln Rec Center.

“I was deeply moved when I first heard about the vision for a Resilience Hub,” shares Feng Ying.

“I was reminded of the devastating wildfires in California. It made me realize how critical and urgent this project is. This is not just a renovation—it is about building a lifeline for our community.”

Every dollar you donate today helps our members continue to build resilience in Chinatown and steward a place where generations can continue to live with dignity and security.

We hope to welcome you soon to the new Lincoln Rec Center!

 

With gratitude,

Sky Liang (APEN Lead Organizer) and Feng Ying Zhou (APEN Oakland Chinatown Member)

 

 

The post A Long Awaited Glow Up for Oakland Chinatown appeared first on Asian Pacific Environmental Network.