Environmental justice is becoming a higher priority in California as more Latino legislators come to power and try to improve the kinds of neighborhoods in which they grew up, where minority families live side-by-side with factories and waste dumps. Earlier this month, California lawmakers passed a package of bills that aims to limit pollution in neighborhoods shared by residents and industry; California Gov. Gray Davis (D) is expected to sign most of the bills. State Sen. Hilda Solis (D) has authored a separate bill that aims to make developers consider environmental justice issues when they conduct environmental reviews of proposed projects. Still, many environmentalists are disappointed that the bills are not stronger.
