Digital Commons Network^™

From State To Nation: A Federal Framework For Breast Cancer Primary Prevention Informed By California's Paths To Prevention, Serena Padda

Master's Projects and Capstones

The United States’ federal government should adopt a primary prevention framework for breast cancer modeled after Breast Cancer Prevention Partners’ (BCPP) Paths to Prevention: the California Breast Cancer Primary Prevention Plan. The plan focuses on systemic actions to reduce breast cancer risk through a social and racial justice lens. Breast cancer is the leading diagnosed cancer among women in the United States, with incidence rates increasing annually by 1% since 2012. Disparities persist in communities disproportionately burdened by chemical and environmental exposures, contributing to unequal and preventable risk. Current federal policy focuses primarily on secondary prevention through screenings, which does …

Safe, Secure, And Affordable? The State Of Household Water Insecurity In California, Melissa Beresford, Wendy Jepson, Jeremiah Osborne-Gowey, Kristin Dobbin, Amanda Fencl, Silvia R. González, Gregory Pierce

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

California's efforts to advance the Human Right to Water are constrained by limited household-level data on water insecurity. Using the 2021 CalSpeaks statewide probability survey (n = 628) this study offers the first representative look at water insecurity across California households. Results reveal significant water-related struggles: approximately 23% of respondents worried about having enough water to meet their household needs, 15% worried about perceived health impacts from water quality, and 7% struggled with affordability. Negative binomial regression models show that water insecurity is not randomly distributed: households with non-white residents, households which rely on private or small water companies for …

Trial By Fire: Disaster Justice And Lessons Learned, Clifford J. Villa

Natural Resources Journal

Disaster Justice reflects the intersection of environmental justice and disaster law. The study of disaster justice is becoming increasingly essential as disasters become more frequent and devastating in the face of accelerating climate change. Disaster law is marked by statutes such as the federal Stafford Act and by theory such as the “disaster cycle” of readiness, response, and recovery. Environmental justice recognizes that the distribution of harms such as bad air or water quality may be distributed inequitably among groups such as low-income populations or racial minorities. In similar fashion, the adverse impacts of disasters may also be distributed inequitably …

“The New Normal”: California’S Escalating Wildfire Crisis, Alexandra Vasquez

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper addresses the current state of California's wildfire epidemic and how the increasing effects of climate change have worsened the fires, harming residents' health and the state's economy. The wildfires are shaped by factors such as climate change, land-use choices, and policy designs. California wildfires have worsened substantially in the 21st century, with the worst burns in the 2020 season setting a record of 4.2 to 4.5 million acres destroyed. Given current policies and the administration's disinterest in combating climate change, understanding wildfire history and data is essential to improving California's wildfire resilience, creating sustainable land management practices, and …

The Disparate Impact Of The California Wildfires On Minority Communities: Exposing Environmental Injustice & Zoning Flaws, Jasmyn Hardin

University of Cincinnati Law Review

No abstract provided.

Toward The Human Right To Water For Vulnerable Communities: The Effectiveness Of Stakeholder Processes To Control Regional Shallow Groundwater Contamination By Nitrates, Iris Stewart, John Dialesandro, Samantha Lei, Lilah Foster

Environmental Studies and Sciences

Nitrate contamination in shallow drinking water wells is an urgent and persistent concern for agricultural regions and disadvantaged communities worldwide. As viable options for the large-scale removal of nitrates from groundwater remain elusive, greater emphasis has been placed on stakeholder-based integrative approaches, yet few have been developed, and fewer evaluated for their effectiveness. The Central Valley in California is one of the most important intensive agricultural regions globally, where such a stakeholder-based process (CV-SALTS) has been initiated, and which is poised to serve as a model for controlling nitrate contamination elsewhere. Based on the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment Program …

Health Impacts, Air Pollution And Electric Vehicles In California, Pufan Qi

Economics ETDs

This research examines the impact of electric vehicles (EVs) on air quality in California over the period from 2010 to 2021, as well as the implications of air pollution for respiratory health, organized into five chapters. The initial chapter provides background information and outlines the objectives, findings, and contributions. The second chapter examines the relationship between air quality and electric vehicles by utilizing fixed effect panel regression models. The third chapter employs panel regressions with Poisson control models to assess the correlation between changes in air quality resulting from electric vehicles and the prevalence of respiratory diseases. The fourth chapter …

Using State Policy To Neutralize Green Infrastructure Project-Ending Litigation And Strategically Advance Community Engagement, Sara Cody

Pace Environmental Law Review

In May 2023, Governor Gavin Newsome publicly announced a California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) reform bill (SB 149), which he signed into law on July 10, 2023. From the moment this was announced, the proposal was barraged by pushback, not from climate negative industry, but from major environmental groups, including the National Resource Defense Council and the Sierra Club, among others. Why is this? One reason is that permit reform has historically been championed by the fossil fuel industry as a method for cutting red tape to make resource exploration faster, easier, and less costly. Even so, the ratio of …

Electricity Affordability In Context, Troy A. Rule

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

Recent residential electricity price increases in California have caused some to suggest the state is experiencing an electricity affordability crisis. Although the typical household in California and across the country spends less than three percent of its income on electricity, California’s soaring electricity rates can impose substantial burdens on some of the state’s lowest-income households. Why have retail electricity prices rapidly risen in California over the past decade while remaining relatively stable in others? What are the potential downsides of overly fixating on electricity affordability concerns in the context of energy policymaking? And what principles should guide policymakers in California …

The State Of The Carbon Capture And Sequestration Industry In California In 2024: Challenges And Policy Solutions, Noah Jackson

Pepperdine Policy Review

Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) is the process of capturing CO2 from an above-ground carbon source, transporting it to a sequestration well, and permanently sinking it deep underground. Despite California’s dependency on CCS to reach carbon neutrality, not one CCS project is operational yet in the state. This paper looks at the history and development of the CCS industry. It explores the following research questions: How do permitting, financing, CO2 transportation, and property rights affect the pace and scale of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) development as a carbon dioxide removal (CDR) solution? Then, what policy changes are necessary as …

Environmental Racism In Our Backyards, Elizabeth Sanchez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This paper aims to investigate the connection between environmental racism and marginalized groups in Monterey County, California.

Law School News: Eddie Ahn Demonstrates The Impact Of Combining Advocacy, Creativity, And Authenticity 3-24-2025, Jane Govednik

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

Tfpa, Wildfire Mitigation, And The Dissemination Of Indigenous Knowledge, Lauren Palmer

Pace Environmental Law Review

The United States is experiencing a multitude of environmental issues across the country, including increasingly frequent and disastrous wildfires. Simultaneously, Indigenous persons are demanding their right to self-sovereignty and working to preserve intergenerational Indigenous Knowledge including cultural burning practices. Cultural burning is a practice of many Indigenous tribes that help environments and the species that comprise them, foster and grow. To further help tribes with their mission in keeping Indigenous Knowledge alive and to reduce the frequency and severity of destructive wildfires, this article argues the federal government should amend federal acts to provide Indigenous tribes with a greater opportunity …

Natural Gas Or National Gas–Would A Statewide Natural Gas Ban In New Development Violate The Commerce Clause?, Madison D. Montague

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

This Article analyzes: (1) the contours of a natural gas installation ban, how municipalities have incorporated these bans, and how the state government may pass a statewide ban; (2) the likelihood that these bans would place a substantial burden on interstate commerce; (3) who, if anyone, would have standing to sue to end these bans; and (4) whether anyone could prevail in an action against a ban on new gas development.

Fighting Erasure And Dispossession In The San Francisco Bay Area: Putting Archaeology To Work For The Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, Lee M. Panich, Monica V. Arellano, Michael Wilcox, Gustavo Flores

Faculty Publications

The Muwekma Ohlone Tribe has long been involved in the archaeology and stewardship of their ancestral homelands, both through their own cultural resource management (CRM) firm and though collaborations with academic and CRM archaeologists. In this article, we build on the past 40 years of archaeological collaborations in the southern San Francisco Bay region and offer examples of how archaeologists can support tribal heritage and environmental stewardship by using the traditional purview of material culture in combination with a broader array of evidence and concerns. As presented in our brief case studies, the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe and scholars are working …

The State Of The Carbon Capture And Sequestration Industry In California In 2024: Challenges And Policy Solutions, Noah Jackson

School of Public Policy Capstones

Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) is the process of capturing CO₂ from an above ground carbon source, transporting it to a sequestration well, and permanently sinking it deep underground. Despite the state of California depending on CCS to reach carbon neutrality, not one CCS project is operational yet in the state. Due to the recent creation and expansion of state low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) credits and the federal 45Q credits, CCS projects are beginning to be developed. Between 2021 and 2023 twelve Class VI applications were submitted to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in California.

This paper …

The Pacifican March 2024, University Of The Pacific

All Issues - Student Newspaper, The Pacifican, Pacific Weekly

No abstract provided.

The Pacifican February 2024, University Of The Pacific

All Issues - Student Newspaper, The Pacifican, Pacific Weekly

No abstract provided.

Analyzing Stakeholder Perceptions On Biogas Production Incentives Under California’S Low Carbon Fuel Standard, Emily Read

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Accounting for more than half of California’s methane emissions, the dairy and livestock sector has become a central focus for the state’s emission reduction efforts. As a leader in climate policy, California’s approach to addressing agricultural methane emissions has the potential to shape the future of livestock agriculture on a national and global scale. The state has prioritized anaerobic digesters as the primary strategy for addressing livestock methane, a decision that has been both widely contested and strongly supported by stakeholders. This thesis investigates stakeholder perceptions on livestock biogas under California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) using interview and survey …

Nitrate Contamination In Two California Groundwater Basins: What Creates Disparities?, Catherine Protiva

Scripps Senior Theses

Nitrate contamination is a major problem within California groundwater basins. A form of nitrogen, nitrates leach into groundwater aquifers from the surface where they remain for many decades. The most common source for the contaminant is agricultural sources like nitrogen fertilizer. Consequently, the problem is concentrated in regions of the state with a history of large-scale agricultural production. When water is pulled from contaminated basins and used as drinking water, the nitrates can cause serious negative health consequences, most commonly methemoglobinemia, also known as blue baby syndrome. In this thesis, I will examine what factors contribute to a region’s ability …

Solar-Powered Microgrids In Northern California: An Opportunity For Resilience, Marina Riddle

Master's Projects and Capstones

Planned and unplanned power outages have been increasing in frequency and duration, negatively impacting all public sectors, and threatening public safety. These outages are deadly to those who rely on medical devices. As climate change-fueled extreme weather events (wildfires, earthquakes, storms, etc.) also increase in frequency, our electrical grid must be prepared to bounce back. Microgrids provide necessary redundancy and reliability. Through a novel GIS suitability analysis, based on solar radiation, land use type, local energy demand, distance to transmission lines, distance to roads, and slope, optimal locations for solar-powered microgrids throughout Northern California were determined. The counties of Fresno, …

Disrupting The Grid: Encountering Fire And Smoke Through Energy Infrastuctures, Deepti Chatti, Sayd Randle

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Experiences of fires are mediated by energy infrastructures and refracted through social inequality and difference. In California, a state marked by increasingly intense and frequent wildfires, the grid is a source of fire risk, with historically marginalized groups bearing the brunt of exposures to wildfire smoke. Drawing on research conducted by one of the co-authors in collaboration with California’s Karuk Tribe and Blue Lake Rancheria Tribes, this empirically grounded review article expands our understanding of grids. Extant scholarship presents the grid as a networked infrastructure mediating access to energy and one’s relationship to a collective and the state. We extend …

Accelerating California's Transition Toward An Electric Transportation Sector, Stella Streufert

CMC Senior Theses

As the need to reduce carbon emissions becomes more urgent, electric vehicles are becoming an increasingly popular solution. Last year, California, a leader in climate policy, mandated that 100 percent of new vehicle sales must be zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) by 2035. ZEVs will rule the freeways of California eventually, but uncertainty remains in terms of when and how this shift will occur. This thesis delves into the barriers still at hand in order to accelerate and promote an equitable and effective transition to ZEVs, primarily looking at total cost of ownership (TCO), lack of adequate charging infrastructure, and slow …

Warehouses In The Inland Empire: Displacing Land And Life, Katherine Gelsey

Pomona Senior Theses

The Inland Empire in Southern California embodies unique spatial and social configurations as a consequence of how settler colonialism has manifested locally in the region since the Spanish Mission Period. This work uses GIS software to estimate patterns of land conversion for residential, agricultural, and warehouse land from 2012 to 2022. Preliminary analysis suggests that thousands of people have been displaced by warehouse expansion over the ten-year period. In the twenty-first century, the Southern California logistics industry continues processes of land dispossession and racialized labor exploitation through displacing agricultural and residential land, exposing disproportionately low-income Black and Latine communities living …

Quantifying The Problem And Risks Of Poorly Abandoned Oil And Gas Wells In Ventura County, California, Haley Ehlers

Capstone Projects – Politics and Government

Innovators around the world are frantically searching for new green technologies to make our lives more sustainable and combat the climate crisis we are experiencing. But as we move away from fossil fuels, we must address the threats present in this industry’s legacy. The persistent extraction of oil and gas in Ventura County’s history has left over 4,000 plugged and abandoned wells and over 2,000 idle wells. “Plugged and abandoned” is a term used the describe wells that have been safely and successfully closed – meaning that they should no longer pose any danger to the land, air, and water. …

Assessing The Efficacy Of California’S Wildfire And Forest Resilience Action Plan, Chloe Nelson

Master's Projects and Capstones

California’s wildfire threat eclipses current forestry management and wildfire mitigation strategies in place to protect people, infrastructure, and the natural environment. Climate change escalates wildfire risks with declining water supply coupled with hotter, drier conditions. California’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan attempts to integrate and build upon previously successful wildfire resilience plans to amplify the scale and pace of the state’s land management and community protections. This research assesses the plan’s efficacy to respond to the growing wildfire threat. This study investigates if there is equitable planning for the needs of high-wildfire risk groups living in the WUI and …

Book Review: Kathleen A. Cairns' At Home In The World: California Women And The Postwar Environmental Movement, Molly Mcclain

History: Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Prescribed Burns And Smoke Exposure On Marginalized Communities In California, Annika Ragnartz

Scripps Senior Theses

In response to the increase in wildfires seen over the past decade, federal, state, and private landowners in California are taking steps to mitigate the effects of future wildfires. A key part of the mitigation plan is to increase the number of prescribed burns being done across the state. This planned substantial increase in prescribed burns aims to protect communities from wildfires but a key concern this paper will address is the impact that this increase is having on marginalized communities in the state. This paper will aim to provide some context for the current situation in California and examine …

Forest Offsets In The California Carbon Market: Challenges Of A Market Based Climate Solution, Eric Warmoth

CMC Senior Theses

Within California’s cap-and-trade program, forest offsets allow landowners to earn carbon credits for protecting forests that sequester carbon and sell these credits to polluters that can then emit one additional ton of carbon. The state’s top regulator, the California Air Resources Board (CARB), is tasked with overseeing cap-and-trade and the forest offset system. CARB is currently updating the state’s Climate Change Scoping Plan to set California on track to achieve its 2030 climate goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 40% below 1990 levels. CARB is approving forest offsets that overestimate emissions reductions, while allowing companies to continue polluting in …

The Pacifican November 2021, University Of The Pacific

All Issues - Student Newspaper, The Pacifican, Pacific Weekly

No abstract provided.