We presented our research poster at the Air Quality and Health Conference, sponsored by the Health Sciences Research Institute and the Department of Public Health at the University of California Merced on October 17, 2024. This meeting brought together the many people working on air quality across the San Joaquin Valley and California to share current research, discuss new research directions, and discuss what policies, actions, and education are needed to improve air quality and public hea

August 16, 2025

Approaching the community site for this round of TARTA data gathering, we immediately noticed the industrial nature of the surroundings. A concrete materials facility greeted us immediately with towering structures, trucks surrounding it, and the sounds of its operation. Close by, we noticed the sheen of what appeared to be a newly constructed building. 

Back with our community partners, United Latinos in Sacramento, we were invited as guest speakers in an air quality lecture and activity with middle schoolers. 

An important part of the community-engaged work is the direct collaboration we have with a wide range of community members. Through our partnership with United Latinos in South Sacramento, we were invited to participate in workshops with middle and high school students as part of their curriculum.

https://caes.ucdavis.edu/news/statewide-research-uses-advanced-instruments-analyze-hazardous-air-pollutants 

Communities of color are disproportionately zoned and selected as sites for fossil fuel infrastructure projects given how dangerous and unhealthy constant exposure is (Pellow, 2020). This is particularly evident in the cluster of refineries along the Bay Area coast, which are located near frontline communities and have been active as early as 1896–such as the Phillips 66 San Francisco Refinery–and can process up to 120,200 barrels of crude oil per day (California Energy Commission, 2023).