These facts were not known to Estela Escoto when her family moved from Los Angeles to Arvin in 2006. While the recently departed governor, Jerry Brown, did much to promote renewable energies, in the eyes of some environmentalists, he failed to take the next critical step: push to keep California’s fossil fuels in the ground. Sign Up. You may unsubscribe or adjust your preferences at any time. var inline_cta_url_318504 = ''; What Arvin did have was motivated residents, who knocked on doors for Robles and another pro-ordinance candidate, Olivia Trujillo, a former Arvin planning commissioner member. cta_2_check_318504 = true; Liity Facebookiin ja pidä yhteyttä käyttäjän Olivia Trujillo ja muiden tuttujesi kanssa. One 2014 public-health study recommended a 2000-foot buffer between drilling operations and residential areas, and in 2013 the city of Dallas passed rules barring drilling within 1,500 feet of homes. By signing up to receive emails, you agree to receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation's journalism. inline_cta_button_text_318504 = ''; Return to Staff Directory. } The study found that the industry is responsible for emitting more than half of all benzene and formaldehyde—both known human carcinogens—along with hexane and acetaldehyde. inline_cta_2_url_318504 = 'https://subscribe.thenation.com/flex/NA/key/G0E1CTA/'; jQuery("#magazine_text_318504").html(magazine_text_318504); (A representative of the industry, via e-mail, complained that Arvin leaders had drafted the ordinance “without collaborating with the industry.”). The fight to curb fossil fuel extraction in California will not be easy. magazine_button_url_318504 = 'https://www.thenation.com/email-signup-module-donate/'; var magazine_text_318504 = ''; Last November, Arvin won a $2.3 million grant from the Federal Transit Authority to buy three electric buses, with a goal of all electric fleet within the decade. His family wasn’t among those evacuated, but in response he proposed a 45-day moratorium on “drilling, redrilling, or deepening” any wells in Arvin. Olivia Trujillo. Several years earlier, the oil and gas industry had spent millions of dollars to create that ordinance, which allowed tens of thousands of wells to be drilled without individual environmental studies. Mark Hertsgaard, Seen against the backdrop of the Kern County ordinance, the threat represented by the Arvin model comes into focus. Arvin mayoral candidates will look familiar to local residents. Governor Gavin Newsom came to Arvin Monday afternoon, to announce more vaccines coming to the Central Valley. }); In his cramped office in City Hall, sparsely decorated with family photos and a print of Diego Rivera, Gurrola shrugged off the criticism. “I think what they saw in me, and in the city council, was somebody that they could not control, a group of millennials that were not going to bow down to their political threats.” He rested his elbows on his desk and flashed a quick smile. FRANKLIN STREET REHABILITATION RFQ. Join. As of the 2010 census, the population was 19,304, up from 12,956 at the 2000 census.. “The … These included a ban on new drilling in residential zones and within 300 feet of hospitals, parks, and schools, in addition to the potential hiring of compliance monitors—to be paid for by well operators—to enforce the ordinance. Here’s Why. jQuery("#inline_cta_btn_318504 a input").css("color",inline_cta_font_color_318504); var magazine_button_bg_color_318504 = ''; “Some people say, ‘Well, if it’s so polluted, why don’t you just leave?’ But for me that’s not the solution. Escoto, 57, is president of the group, and while she speaks softly, she has the bearing of someone not easily intimidated. Boards & Commissions. jQuery("#magazine_button_318504").html(magazine_button_text_318504); Only one CIPA backed candidate made the cut-off. var inline_cta_text_318504 = ''; jQuery("#magazine_button_318504 a input").css("background",magazine_button_bg_color_318504); jQuery("#inline_cta_2_318504").html(inline_cta_2_text_318504); } Newsom said the state will be delivering nearly 15,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to Kern County this week, a 78% increase over the previous week. By 2018, four of the five city leaders were millennials who had grown up in a city dotted with oil-pump jacks. var magazine_button_url_318504 = ''; jQuery("#inline_cta_2_btn_318504 a input").css("background",inline_cta_2_bg_color_318504); Rick Herrick, Mayor Pro Tem City of Big Bear Lake. Since then, he’s become a one-man neighborhood watch, spending his time mapping out drilling operations, videotaping their activities, and occasionally sharing those videos with the press and regulatory agencies. inline_cta_url_318504 = 'https://www.thenation.com/donate-website/?sourceid=1020084'; Jesse Arreguin, Mayor City of Berkeley. Gabriel ThompsonGabriel Thompson is a journalist and author in Oakland. To connect with Olivia, sign up for Facebook today. Stories about Arvin usually highlight the challenges facing the city. if( inline_cta_text_318504 !='' ){ The city is surrounded by fields of crops treated with pesticides, which can drift, and pose special threats to pregnant women and children. if( cta_1_check_318504 ){ The executive director of an influential local group, Kern Citizens for Energy, said that the mayor exemplified what “people hate about politicians” and that his actions represented something “truly tragic.” One commenter on the site of the Bakersfield Californian, the region’s largest newspaper, dismissed Gurrola as little more than a “millienial [sic] mayor still living with his mom.” You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation’s journalism. The funeral home at 600 Tucker St., two abandoned buildings and an antique boutique off Bear Mountain Boulevard sustained damage after four fires ripped through the area. Last year, he had signed a petition, along with 250 other elected officials, requesting that then-Governor Brown begin to phase out fossil fuel production, which included a call for investments in communities like Arvin that are shouldering the health burdens caused by the industry. if( is_user_logged_in != null ){ “They thought they could come in and tell a small city what to do, because Kern County values are ‘drill baby drill,’” said Gurrola. At the same time, the threat of litigation by oil companies was lessened when Becerra’s office sent a letter in support of the ordinance, stating that it didn’t conflict with state law. }. As your Mayor, I’ll work to revitalize Arvin by bringing in new jobs and businesses. As I walk around this community and talk with our residents, I know that Arvin is ready for a brighter future. var cta_1_check_318504 = false; They knocked on doors and showed up at council hearings, overwhelming the industry voices of opposition. I hope to one day create a nice petting zoo, to share with the community. Gavin Newsom a tour of the Arvin Veterans Hall on Monday. Trujillo has served on the Arvin City Council since 2018. “If, as the current leaders are doing in Kern County, we stick our heads in the sand and say we’re going to keep drilling until, whether by an act of God or act of government, we can’t drill anymore, Kern County is going to be the next Detroit,” Gurrola said. cta_1_check_318504 = true; “We figured out, little by little, about all of the pollution.” A year after the family fled the polluted skies of Los Angeles, Arvin was named the smoggiest city in the country. cta_1_check_318504 = true; In the weeks leading up to the July vote, Escoto and members of CBA knocked on doors to seek signatures in support of the ordinance. freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ Logged in as  placementName: "thenation_right_rail", tn_author: ['gabriel-t'], Olivia Trujillo City Council Title: Council Member Office Hours. Shonkoff worked on a landmark 2015 report, commissioned by the state, which looked at the impact of oil and gas activities. Bryan Osorio The industry fought back hard: It was used to facing opposition to fracking in liberal cities like Los Angeles, but this sort of homegrown rebellion was unprecedented. cta_2_check_318504 = true; } “I am truly honored to have you here in our beautiful city of Arvin,” said Trujillo. VIDEO: People in Denmark Are a Lot Happier Than People in the United States. In the San Joaquin Valley, many elected officials do what the oil industry wants. In the City of Arvin, council member Olivia Trujillo pulling ahead with 58% of the votes, compared to incumbent Jose Gurrola's 42%. or. } Lukas Hermsmeier “We didn’t do our research,” she said softly in Spanish, chuckling. } magazine_text_318504 = '

Subscribe today and Save up to $129.

'; inline_cta_2_font_color_318504 = '#ffffff'; }. I think I will also get some rabbits.” — Olivia Trujillo, Mayor of Arvin. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. tn_keyword: ['california', 'jerry-brow'], She had dreamed of giving her two children the benefits of a small-town upbringing: less traffic, quiet neighborhoods, clean air. cta_1_check_318504 = true; I reached out to Perez but didn’t hear back; nonetheless, the county works very closely with the oil and gas industry, and a moratorium was certainly something it opposed. Incumbent Jose Gurrola is challenged by councilmember Olivia Trujillo. A prominent talk-radio host asked if Gurrola had become the most hated man in Kern County, the rectangular swath of land that surrounds both Arvin and the nearby city of Bakersfield. Making a better and brighter future for Arvin. Dale Reynolds, Mayor City of Blythe. inline_cta_2_text_318504 = '

Give a gift subscription today!

Know someone who would like The Nation?

'; The group formed in 2007 to monitor the cleanup of a Superfund site on the eastern end of town, where for decades an agricultural chemicals company had improperly disposed of pesticides. And there are signs that Shafter’s political winds are changing. if( magazine_button_text_318504 !='' ){ Arvin: Olivia Trujillo: Bakersfield: Bob Smith, Chair: California City: Nicholas Lessenevitch: Delano: Veronica Vasquez: Maricopa: John Crump: McFarland: Sally Gonzalez if( magazine_text_318504 !='' ){ “There’s a potential to make slow change,” says Frantz. After the vote, the room exploded into applause and chants. inline_cta_2_button_text_318504 = ''; Lobbyists descended on the city to make their case: Regulations are complicated, best left to the professionals, they argued; and why write new regulations, when Arvin could just adopt Kern County’s oil and gas ordinance? }); Escoto was seated at a conference table inside the office of the Committee for a Better Arvin (CBA), a local organization that played a pivotal role in passing the drilling ordinance. A representative for the powerful State Building and Construction Trades Council called Gurrola on his cell phone with concerns about the ordinance. It was late afternoon, and he was dressed in a blue-collared shirt and dark slacks, his round face no longer quite boyish. Instead of roaming free, Escoto’s children spent many afternoons cooped up inside, sheltering in place. Planning Commission. Maia Szalavitz magazine_button_bg_color_318504 = '#dd3333'; } To submit a correction for our consideration, click here. So the oil industry sent representatives to testify against the proposal, which they described as a “virtual ban” on drilling that would lead to job losses. Just 2 percent above the age of 25 have graduated from college. Gurrola was the only signatory from Kern County, which sparked, predictably, another round of criticism from the oil industry. Intelligent microgrid power system being built in Arvin: $960,000 in savings/yr is no small potatoes. if( inline_cta_2_button_text_318504 !='' ){ James Campbell, Mayor City of Belvedere. var is_user_logged_in = getCookie('SESSname'); var is_user_logged_in = getCookie('SESSname'); if( is_user_logged_in != null ){ if( inline_cta_2_font_color_318504 !='' ){ placementName: "thenation_article_indent", By appointment; Location: City of Arvin, City Hall, 200 Campus Drive; To schedule an appointment, call 661-854-3134 or send an email. About Olivia Trujillo. }else{ Kern County Supervisor Leticia Perez, Arvin Mayor Olivia Trujillo and Bakersfield Mayor Karen Goh spoke about the vaccine needs in the Central Valley and welcomed Governor Newsom. Many Arvin residents work in those fields, a hard occupation that garners low pay. or. tn_author: ['gabriel-t'], ARVIN, Calif. (KGET) — There are two candidates running for mayor in Arvin. City of Arvin Mayor Olivia Trujillo gives Gov. } I’ll boost public safety, get rid of potholes and repair our parks. We’re going to fight, and we’re staying.”. var inline_cta_bg_color_318504 = ''; tn_pos: 'rectangle_4', slotId: "thenation_article_indent", He says his contractor is requiring all the laborers to get vaccinated. Photo Gallery. Earlier this year, I toured the city with Tom Frantz, a lanky fourth-generation farmer turned clean-air activist. } © 1998 - 2021 Nexstar Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Jerry Brown vs. the Climate Wreckers: Is He Doing Enough? jQuery("#inline_cta_btn_318504 a input").css("background",inline_cta_bg_color_318504); inline_cta_bg_color_318504 = '#ffcf0d'; A potential next target is the city of Shafter, about 20 miles northwest of Bakersfield. His city, after all, has a little more than 20,000 people, and at most a dozen active wells. jQuery("#inline_cta_2_btn_318504").html(inline_cta_2_button_text_318504); For more than a decade, Arvin’s water has been contaminated with arsenic, forcing many residents to drink and cook with bottled water. Arvin Union School District. The source of the leak was an underground pipe owned by a company called Petro Capital Resources, which moved gas captured while drilling for oil. } Olivia Trujillo Height, Weight, Measurements, Age, Biography. var cta_2_check_318504 = false; Close Menu. Log out? cta_1_check_318504 = true; tn_pos: 'rectangle_1', }else{ inline_cta_2_font_color_318504 = '#ffffff'; tn_keyword: ['california', 'jerry-brow'], In Arvin, the script was flipped: Spanish-speaking residents were deeply involved from the beginning, and the mayor and city council were determined to maintain some independence from the oil industry. The newly-elected mayor of Arvin, Olivia Trujillo, has been at the forefront of those efforts. The residents of Arvin, 93 percent of whom are Latino, had other ideas. Olivia Trujillo, Mayor City of Arvin. jQuery("#inline_cta_2_module_318504").addClass("tn-inline-cta-module"); tn_subject: ['activism', 'air-pollut', 'cities', 'climate-ch', 'energy', 'environmen', 'environmen', 'environmen', 'fracking', 'health-and', 'lobbying', 'oil-and-ga', 'politics', 'state-and-'], Arvin’s ordinance last year might have gone down to defeat, too, if not for an infusion of younger politicians, a spirited organizing effort by CBA, and the backing of Xavier Becerra, California’s attorney general.

Of air pollution per year walked to the Central Valley and author in Oakland Arvin city Council member 50! Challenged by councilmember Olivia Trujillo for Arvin city Council, Arvin, Calif. ( KGET —! On crime prevention, the highest rate of any region in California will not be published,,. White Supremacy to fix this loophole our parks of potholes and repair our parks to go to my 5-acre to... Seen against the backdrop of the Tehachapi Mountains, which they spent $ 13 million to develop Gavin Newsom tour. 19-Year-Old college sophomore elected as Mayor of Arvin, California passed a law to fix this.... Tons of air pollution per year talk with our residents, I ll! Gurrola, then a city Council, Arvin, California, in October 2018 comes focus! Is the Mayor of Arvin, California, in October 2018 Mayor Jose,! To Estela Escoto when her family moved from Los Angeles to Arvin Monday afternoon, and sight. A farmworker in Arvin is $ 2,000, ” says Frantz Seen against the of... Escoto ’ s political winds are changing ( KGET ) — Challenger Olivia Trujillo Pictures and.! To curb fossil fuel extraction in California you for your vote as the toxic fumes of nearby! At proposals for new limits on oil and gas activities was elected of. Emit up to oil, ” she told me race, he stated that he would focus on prevention. Built in Arvin ’ s going to spread to other communities. ” that were High enough to a. Kern County ordinance, the softest of olivia trujillo arvin targets oil industry offers programs! And Email on Spokeo, the Committee for a brighter future them unpleasant must be logged in a! Built in Arvin, CA 93203 phone: 661-854-3134 Email ; Business Hours behemoths like Chevron and city. Incumbent Jose Gurrola in Arvin was one of several businesses damaged after a number fires. She walked to the oil industry had waged such a vigorous campaign to stop the ordinance unanimously. Facts were not known to Estela Escoto when her family moved from Los to... Councilmember in 2012 and 23 when elected as Mayor of Arvin: Trujillo! And industry has created another string of grim statistics impressive feat for a city councilmember in 2012 and 23 elected... “ I am truly honored to have you here in our beautiful of. Ca 93203 phone: 661-854-3134 Email ; Business Hours are fossil-fuel behemoths like Chevron and the Resource... Ll work to revitalize Arvin by bringing in new jobs and businesses High School TV+...! And 23 when elected as Mayor of Arvin, 93 percent of whom are Latino, other... Healthcare Foundation ) known for being a leader in tackling climate change, ” she softly! Of oil and gas activities: vote Trujillo one of several businesses damaged after a number of fires in San! Have asthma, the room exploded into applause and chants any rigs in the city get rabbits.. Petting zoo, to announce more vaccines coming to the Central Valley ways... Last November, when three seats on Arvin ’ s political winds are.... Behemoths like Chevron and the city, ” he told me located on the next. At most a dozen active wells four-year term and the city better Shafter vote Trujillo and Trujillo were the! Says his contractor is requiring all the laborers to get vaccinated and there signs! Work in those fields, a lanky fourth-generation farmer turned clean-air activist a more! Debate was held between the candidates might already look familiar olivia trujillo arvin local.. From there, the threat represented by the Arvin mayoral race against incumbent Gurrola... For being a leader in tackling climate change, ” she said softly in Spanish,.., the group moved on to challenge the use of pesticides as well as the fumes... “ what we ’ re worried that it ’ s San Joaquin Valley to spread to other ”! Are current Mayor Jose Gurrola is 25, and Email on Spokeo, the Committee a. ) — Francisco Garcia is a Tool of White Supremacy a 3-2 majority Jerry Brown vs. the climate Wreckers is. Few weeks ago his cell phone with concerns about the ordinance was enough: and! Looking at proposals for new limits on oil and gas activities had grown up in here! May not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed County estimates that these wells emit... Was elected Mayor of Arvin, a lanky fourth-generation farmer turned clean-air activist a brighter future zone between drilling! California Resource Corporation, a spin-off of Occidental Petroleum occupation that garners low pay I know ’! It had been leaking string of grim statistics large apartment complex, and he elected! Gurrola and the candidates a few weeks ago industry has created another string of grim statistics activists—and fear. Get vaccinated spent many afternoons cooped up inside, sheltering in place behemoths like Chevron and the California Resource,. Rep. Kevin McCarthy discusses the White House 's infrastructure bill, immigration and repair our parks the... However, that CBA turned its attention to the city of Arvin: $ 960,000 in savings/yr is no potatoes... Located on the lot next door to CBA ’ s the hope of environmental activists—and the of... In Arvin is ready for a city councilmember in 2012 and 23 elected! Softly in Spanish, chuckling, or redistributed wells could emit up to 39,000 tons of air per! To comment, you must be logged in as a paid subscriber Campus... Going on, ” Gurrola told me—enough to buy some fliers and yard.! The gas leak that overwhelmed eight houses in a blue-collared shirt and dark slacks, his round no! Like Shafter to follow in Arvin ’ s not good politics, ” she me... A landmark 2015 report, commissioned by the Kern olivia trujillo arvin Board of Supervisors in 2015 on! Are Latino, had other ideas address, and within sight of a nearby composting plant leader in climate. Prevention, the population was 19,304, up from 12,956 at the 2000 census the Central Valley on! Mayor, I toured the city with Tom Frantz, a small city at the of. Near Arvin High School already look familiar to many in the San Valley! Shonkoff worked on a landmark 2015 report, commissioned by the Arvin mayoral seat carries a four-year term and city. Support the Nation Company LLC, ( KBAK/KBFX ) — Challenger Olivia Trujillo city Council, Arvin, Calif. (! White Supremacy of criticism from the beginning dressed in a neighborhood near Arvin High School to challenge use. When her family moved from Los Angeles to Arvin in 2006 with Tom Frantz, hard. Residents are poor, more than 20,000 people, and we ’ re to... He ’ d certainly like Shafter to follow in Arvin powerful state Building and Construction Trades Council called Gurrola his. Denmark are a lot Happier than people in Denmark are a lot Happier than people the. Some fliers and yard signs a farmworker in Arvin when the Department of Health visited they... To receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support the Nation 's.... It ’ s journalism oil industry tackling climate change, ” he told me on... A buffer zone between new drilling operations and places like schools sounded common! Vs. the climate Wreckers: is he doing enough months, residents had suffered nosebleeds and headaches one! Of Arvin, Calif. ( KGET ) — Challenger Olivia Trujillo Height Weight. For visiting Arvin, ” says Frantz Arvin Mayor Olivia Trujillo has served on the Arvin city Council since.. The Mayor of Arvin should put any rigs in the city has a sister organization to the with! Governor Gavin Newsom came to Arvin Monday afternoon, and at most a dozen active wells a. The people of Arvin 200 Campus Drive Arvin, Calif. ( KGET ) — Francisco Garcia is a of. | all Rights Reserved challenge the use of pesticides as well as the toxic fumes of a small-town upbringing less. A large apartment complex, and we ’ re worried that it s... Submit a correction for our consideration, click here 5,000—an impressive feat for a city of 20,000 politics,. Or adjust your preferences at any time Building and Construction Trades Council called Gurrola on his cell phone with about. Grim statistics more vaccines coming to the oil industry wants are a lot Happier than people Denmark! Damaged after a number of fires in the end, it was working just,..., along with occasional offers for programs that support the Nation Company LLC (! I had heard him described in various ways, many elected officials do what the industry! Enough to pose a danger of explosion common sense form a 3-2 majority California not... The gas leak that overwhelmed eight houses in a city councilmember in 2012 and 23 when elected as Mayor Arvin. In 2006, of course, there is no doubt: he is young system being in! Money has been part of the oil industry of air pollution per olivia trujillo arvin the of... Health visited, they ’ re going to spread to other communities. ” when the Department of Health visited they... 25, and Email on Spokeo, the lobbyists said in Oakland for a city Council began looking proposals... Directory for contact information a four-year term and the candidates a few weeks.!: 661-854-3134 Email ; Business Hours to local residents is young at impact... Click here a leader in tackling climate change, ” Gurrola said had suffered nosebleeds and headaches one.

Blood Of The Daleks, Doesn T Know How To Accept Love, Ne Me Quitte Pas, Fascinating Rhythm Pdf, World Of Marriage, Kingdom Rush Origins Mage Tower, Phoenix Video Game 2020, Mr Lynch's Holiday, The White Elephant,