“You have truly created a new standard for high quality community engagement with complex bureaucratic documents”. – Alegría De La Cruz, Director of the Office of Equity, Sonoma County

Climate change has already greatly impacted our community in the last few years. The effects of climate change are not foreign to us, and as tends to be the case, communities rendered most vulnerable by racist systems bear the brunt of the impact. In order to address climate change, we must address the fact that in Petaluma 60-70% of our greenhouse gas emissions (pollution that causes climate change) come from transportation. A primary reason for this is the historical prioritization of investment in highway development over public transportation and our resulting dependance on single occupant vehicles to get around. This historical underinvestment in meeting the mobility needs of low-income and people of color has resulted in racial disparities in transportation-related burdens and benefits, often exacerbating social inequities in other areas like health and wealth.

There are many solutions we can implement right here in Petaluma, and communities most impacted by systemic inequities, transportation policies, and climate change must be at the forefront of how decisions are made about implementing these solutions equitably. This coalition is designed to give YOUR voice direct input into the City’s upcoming Active Transportation Plan. Join us to reimagine the future of equitable transportation in Petaluma!

About PECAC:

A 6.5 month incentivized program from September-March 2023 designed to empower the voices of communities most impacted by our transportation systems and climate change, and who have historically been underrepresented in decision making. PECAC acts as an incubator of wisdom through a combination of training, capacity building and listening. As a result, PECAC is a platform to give input and issue recommendations into how the City of Petaluma can prioritize policies, programs, and resources to address transportation equitably.

Who is eligible?
Members of the Petaluma community who are concerned about transportation & mobility issues of ALL ages 14+. Communities of color, Indigenous peoples, Black people, Latinx people, seniors experiencing inequities, people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+, or people experiencing shelterlessness .

Who is an ideal participant?

• You are interested and/or concerned about the links between equity, transportation and climate change

• You have the desire to participate in local government decision making

• You have participated in community building activities and are excited to give back to the local community

What support will you receive?

• Training on core concepts, listening session support, and guidance from Equity First Consulting & Daily Acts

• Relationship building with local leaders, engaged community members and elected officials

• A stipend of $1,800

Why PECAC?

• We are headed for “catastrophic” global warming by century’s end. (IPCC Report, September 2022)

• Petaluma’s goal is to achieve greenhouse gas carbon neutrality by 2030 and 60-70% of our greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation.

• Communities rendered most vulnerable by racist systems bear the brunt of the impact of climate change and therefore must be at the forefront of how decisions are made about how to implement solutions equitably.

• PECAC is a new model of equitable community engagement designed to center the knowledge, wisdom, voices and lived experiences of our neighbors who have historically been on the margins of solution design.

Our Co-Designer:

Equity First Consulting is a global Diversity, Equity and Belonging Strategy Firm co-designed by women of color and their allies. This firm is led by its Founder, Ana Lugo, and is supported by a wide network of cross sector leaders who embrace our diversity and elevate our power. Equity First works to support organizations, institutions, and companies to develop internal cultures that foster and celebrate equity and meaningfully engage their leaders at all levels to create a community culture that reflects these values and practices.

Our Methodology:

• Part 1: Learn about equity principles, climate change and transportation, application of systems thinking, local government, community listening, and apply trauma-informed practices, collective and self-care.

• Part 2: Participants conduct listening circles with members of their community to understand their transportation and mobility related concerns, interests, and impacts.

• Part 3: Apply lessons learned to Petaluma’s Active Transportation Plan by synthesizing this input and presenting a set of policy recommendations to the City Council and Staff.

Transformative Communities Approach

• Conduct an intentional design process working in partnership and shifting the paradigm of who is an expert by applying a transformative lens outreach, interviews, selection criteria and curriculum design to center the wisdom, expertise and voices of folks who have experienced systemic inequities.

• Foster relationships and a space to build trust within the coalition where participants feel seen and valued, can be courageous and vulnerable, and show up as their full selves.

• Remove barriers by providing $1800 stipends for participation and honor the time, energy and work of folks engaged in program.

• Embrace discomfort and continual learning by actively decentering of whiteness, trusting the process, and humanizing climate change.

The Petaluma Equitable Climate Action Coalition (PECAC) first launched in Spring of 2021 with an incredible team of six passionate members of the Petaluma community: Celeste Chavez Hernandez, Luis Chavarin, Ri Bussey, Lisa Lim, David M. Ortega Jimenez, Kymberly Bailey.

Over the course of six months, the team analyzed the Petaluma Climate Emergency Framework, conducted three listening sessions, and synthesized their ideas for action into policy recommendations. They presented these recommendations to the City Council, City Staff and key decision makers in Sonoma County. Above you can view their Climate Action Policy Recommendations as well as a recording of their powerful, artistic and moving presentation.

The vision for PECAC in 2022 is to advance the transportation equity related recommendations from 2021 and continue to grow the impact of this unique and needed form of civic engagement.