Environmental Justice in Orange County, California

Orange County, California: a home to beautiful ocean views, hiking trails, and toxic soil? When most people think of Orange County (OC), they think of nice weather and pleasant suburban life. However, there is much more going on below the surface that contrasts the blissful assumptions of OC residents’ quality of life. Marginalized communities throughout California have faced unfortunate inequities due to discriminative historical systems and environmental decisions. This blog seeks to dive into what environmental justice (EJ) is and how we can combat the environmental challenges that residents of California are facing. 

Spatial distribution of historical and modern roads and its relationship with soil-lead levels in Santa Ana. The 1931 map displays road locations before the ban of leaded gasoline, and now the same region overlaps with locations where soil-lead levels are the highest. Photo Credit: Rubio, J. M., Torres, I., Masri, S., Sun, Y., et al. (2022).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines environmental justice as “The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, culture, national origin, income, and educational levels with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of protective environmental laws, regulations, and policies (EPA, 2021). To break it down in simpler terms, EJ is the idea that all communities, regardless of their demographics, should receive equitable access and benefits to environmental resources, while no community receives a disproportionate level of harm from environmental burdens. You can imagine this as every neighborhood thriving from benefits such as clean air and proximity to green spaces, while no community is more exposed to harms such as pollution sources. 

Unfortunately, our communities here in Orange County have not reflected this definition. In reality, communities in OC, especially those with demographics of working-class individuals and people of color, struggle disproportionately with higher environmental harms than other, mostly higher-income, neighborhoods.

Irvine is a city in Orange County with abundant green space. The map highlights how Irvine communities have extensive access to parks and trails. Photo Credit: Irvine Standard (2021).

Let’s take a closer look at the city of Santa Ana, for instance - a city located in the north-central region of OC where the nonprofit Orange County Environmental Justice (OCEJ) does a lot of its work. Santa Ana is home to many Latino, working-class, and immigrant families. However, it is also home to alarmingly high levels of soil lead contamination.

Negative implications from soil lead contamination have been widely recognized by environmental health experts globally. The EPA recently lowered their screening level for lead in soil in residential areas from 400 parts per million (ppm) to 200 ppm (EPA, 2024). A screening level is used as a warning sign to indicate the threshold when contamination may be harmful for human health. Concentrations below the screening level do not promise safety, but going above the threshold indicates possible concern. Drastically different in comparison to the EPA’s standards, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) set a stricter screening level for lead in soils throughout residential areas at 80ppm (OEHHA, 2017). However, OEHHA’s analysis are only advisory and not enforceable by law under state regulations. As a result, state law will only claim that soil is “lead-contaminated” if it reaches the EPA’s 400ppm screening level or higher (CDPH, 2008). This gap leaves a lot of room for communities to potentially, and unknowingly, live with dangerous levels of lead right in their backyards, because these levels don’t meet the legal definition of contamination. 

Several cities in northern Orange County have significantly less access to green space, as shown by red and orange shades on the park access map. Photo Credit: Sukhman Sahota, Voice of OC; data from Trust for Public Land (2025).

Lead contaminated soils in Santa Ana did not just appear out of thin air. This is the result of systemic decisions, such as urban planning and industrial zoning, which have concentrated major highways like the I-5 and 55 directly through Santa Ana. Before gasoline regulations banned leaded gasoline, Santa Ana was exposed to the emissions from car exhaust for many years and continues to face those issues today from other air pollutants, even after the ban. These highways were often built right through low income communities of color during the 20th century since those industrial projects prioritized profit and convenience over the safety and health of neighborhoods. 

The soil quality conditions in Santa Ana are undeniably urgent to mitigate, however, this is only one of the countless environmental threats in OC that is currently harming our local communities. 

Compared to stereotypical views of environmentalism, EJ is different because it incorporates a multifaceted approach to address political and social systems, rather than solely focusing on obvious changes such as recycling. It asks the question: Why are certain communities surrounded by beautiful and clean green spaces while others live directly in harmful emissions? Environmental justice looks beyond the surface of concepts of conservation and restoration that we are familiar with, and shines a light on how power and systems throughout history have both protected some communities while leaving some defenseless.

Maya Cheav, OCEJ Land and Health Director, presenting Soil Lead program. Photo Credit: OC Environmental Justice

On the bright side, OC communities and advocacy organizations have been fighting back against these injustices through community engagement and impactful programs. 

Local residents, organizers, and nonprofit organizations have stepped up to advocate for safety in their neighborhoods and call for the environmental standards they deserve. 

Orange County Environmental Justice (OCEJ) is at the forefront of action in OC, directly working with local residents through research on injustices such as soil-lead in Santa Ana, educational programs to inform OC residents on environmental issues, and empowering individuals through programs that teach them the skills and knowledge to be environmental leaders in their own community. 

Stay tuned for part two of this blog to learn about specific programs and events that OCEJ hosts to fight for environmental justice in Orange County!