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Cudahy elementary school’s struggle for environmental justice foregrounds how sites of industrialization connect to organization of schools and other public institutions. I am curious about the work of organizations involved in the struggle–Cudahy Alliance for Justice, East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice (EYCEJ). I am also curious about the tactics and strategies used by these individuals and organizations to attain recognitional justice (being heard and listened to): how did they get DTSC and the school district to get them to listen? Further, the latter half of the story focuses on the proposed construction of a charter school nearby the elementary school: How do environmental governance and education restructuring shape each other?

The podcast episode tells the story of the Park View Elementary School in Cudahy, LA County. Located on a former toxic dump, parents and educators have been involved in decades’ long fight to remediate and clean up the school land. That fight has not been easy. They have encountered an apathetic school district and a slowly-moving Dept. of Toxic Substances Control.  The coalition of parents, educators, and activists gained traction by collaborating with Spanish language media productions. The school closed down for a cleanup and reopened in 2001, but students and educators still reported feeling sick. They later found out that the cleanup had been planned to be short-term and a longer remediation plan was underway. Many parents shifted schools. The story continued with the proposal to build a charter school just a few miles away from the elementary school and from a former Exide battery recycling plant. The podcast offers a narrative-style discussion of cumulative impacts, mapping tools that make it possible to visualize different datasets to display disproportionate burdens, and structural and recognitional injustices that the parents and educators faced.

1) Industry Led Problem Solving. This element stresses the importance of rethinking industry analyses in order to create quality jobs. Thinking as industry as a whole enables just transition planners to set industry boundries and lift as much of the industry onto the high road as possible. 

2) The Partnership Itself is a Priority. This category streeses the importance of leadership committment as well as problem-solving structure and culture building. 

3) Incorporate Worker Wisdom throughout Partnership Efforts. This component stresses the importance of valuing the industry workers' opinions and evaluations, and including them into the training process and partnerships. 

4) Industry-Driven Education and Training Solutions. This key element stresses the importance of coming up with appropriate an doable education methods. 

The California Workforce Development Board is cooperating with 8 other organizations as partnerships to implement just transition. 

The Shirley Ware Education Center (SWEC)

The West Oakland Job Resource Center (WOJRC)

Building Skills Partnership (BSP)

The Hospitality Training Academy (HTA)

Joint Workforce Investment (JWI)

The Port of Los Angeles (POLA)

Jewish Vocational Service (JVS)

Worker Education and Resource Center (WERC). 

Each organization is partnering with other different cooperations, institutes to implement the plan of just transitions according to the ECJ approach. 

Equity, climate and jobs are the cores of the high road training partnerships. Opportunity and mobility, a stronger economy for high road employers, a more sustainable and resilient environment and community are meant to be addressed with the approach of just transition. 

The governor's office of planning and research has put forward the High Road Traning Partnership on June 2018. https://cwdb.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/43/2019/09/High-Road-ECJ-B…;