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Gabriela Chavez-Lopez learned about the power of organizing from an early age. Born and raised in the Central Valley, the birthplace of the farmworker movement, Chavez-Lopez grew up hearing stories about Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta. She was inspired by their ability to mobilize the community to aid farmworkers and create policy change. “Here are these...
San Jose airport closure could poison another neighborhood
County officials are working to shut down Reid-Hillview Airport in East San Jose, citing lead exposure for surrounding residents. But shutting it down could shift the lead burden onto another low-income neighborhood: Washington-Guadalupe. Should Reid-Hillview close, some Washington-Guadalupe residents fear planes en route to Mineta San Jose International Airport will bring leaded fuel pollution to...
Santa Clara County nixes leaded fuel at Reid-Hillview Airport, considers early closure
After a decades-long fight by activists to shutter a small airport in East San Jose, county supervisors made a historic decision to eliminate leaded fuel by any means—including closing the airport. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously early Wednesday morning to eliminate lead exposure from operations at Reid-Hillview Airport. County lawmakers want to explore prohibiting the...
Arenas: Reid-Hillview Airport must close
Reid-Hillview Airport is poisoning the children of East San Jose and Evergreen—the children I represent on the San Jose City Council. It’s imperative that the county Board of Supervisors act now to stop this harm. For generations, the leaded fuel—still used by small planes—has sprayed down lead into the air my community breathes. The particles...
East San Jose airport switches to unleaded fuel as demands for closure escalate
Amid a contentious fight to close an East San Jose airport, officials announced Monday it will switch to unleaded fuel — but the move might not quell opponents’ concerns. The announcement came Monday from the Community and Airport Partnership for Safe Operation. The organization, which has fought to keep the airport open, reportedly received the...
Op-ed: San Jose can reckon with and heal the damage of redlining and racism
We love San Jose. We also recognize and clearly see that San Jose is one of the many communities connected to America’s struggle with equality and justice. As so much of America seeks to heal and reckon with this, we have a chance to address that here in San Jose. The Reid-Hillview Airport is our...
East San Jose airport switching to unleaded fuel after years of demands
Representatives from the local aviation community will announce Monday that planes at Reid-Hillview Airport in East San Jose will run on unleaded fuel, marking a victory for environmental and community groups that have complained for years about the dangers of leaded fuel. Officials from the Community and Airport Partnership for Safe Operation, a nonprofit committed to...
Blood lead levels near San Jose airport are average, despite alarm
Despite Santa Clara County officials describing lead exposure from Reid-Hillview Airport as a decades-long health crisis, a county-commissioned study shows elevated blood lead levels consistent with the state average. The report, released last week, found that out of 17,000 blood samples from children ages 0-18 within 1.5 miles of the airport, only 1.7% have elevated lead levels...
Study: San Jose children near Reid-Hillview Airport exposed to high lead levels
Lead levels at the Reid-Hillview Airport in East San Jose are dangerously high for children in the surrounding area, according to a report issued by the county. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors commissioned the lead study in 2020 using 17,000 blood samples collected between 2011 and 2020 from children living near the airport....
Santa Clara County to receive Reid-Hillview Airport toxicity report
Santa Clara County has started the process to close Reid-Hillview Airport, but its future—and the supposed danger of lead exposure to surrounding residents—hangs on an upcoming health survey. The survey, conducted by the county, will be released to the Board of Supervisors on Aug. 17, according to county officials. It will examine whether residents in Reid-Hillview’s flight path—the Latino-heavy...