CRLA Latest News
Cristina Mendez at Home in Coachella
As a community worker with CRLA, Mendez serves as an important link for residents seeking answers, whether from polluters about the long-term health effects of noxious smells in the air, or from the agencies responsible for overseeing large-scale waste dumps surrounding communities like Mecca, in Riverside County. Without such support, residents of unincorporated communities are often ignored by area residents, regulatory groups, and government officials.
Methyl Iodide Update
In a significant win for California public health, the manufacturer of the pesticide methyl iodide announced last month that they were immediately suspending all sales of the known carcinogen in the United States. The announcement came on the eve of an Alameda County Superior Court judge's decision - in a CRLA-litigated case - compelling the California Department of Pesticide Regulation to rescind registration of this highly toxic pesticide.
Unincorporated communities lack basic services
Nearly every day, Modesto Junior College student Arleen Hernandez battles an aging septic tank that backs up into her toilet and shower, bringing with it "bits of paper and chunks of mold."
When her parents moved to Parklawn in 1986, they didn't realize the extent to which their new neighborhood, an island of Stanislaus County land within the city of Modesto, lacks basic public services.
Big Win for Latina Workers
In a big win for Latina workers, clients represented by CRLA in a lawsuit jointly litigated by CRLA and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) accepted a $240,000 settlement in a case against two Southern California orchid growers accused of targeted sexual harassment against Latina workers.
Finalizing the settlement took bilateral support from CRLA and the EEOC, as well as notable bravery and loyalty from plaintiff Francisca Alvarado Garcia, a longtime employee of the growers who first reported the harassment to CRLA offices in Oxnard.
