To elevate its community partners in San Francisco and beyond, policy nonprofit Brightline Defense presents its December 2016 report from its first-ever policy summit: ”Brightline Sustainability Report: Jobs and Environmental Justice for the Bay Area."
This report caps a year-long effort by Brightline and its coalition members to elevate the needs of Bayview-Hunters Point and the Bay Area to the state level. After convening over ninety community, government, and private sector leaders in September 2016, Brightline will seek to address articulated needs of our communities throughout 2017. The needs range from climate change destruction that threatens our neighborhoods on the waterfront and community jobs in different industries beyond San Francisco's successful Local Hiring Policy for Construction.
New Federal Cabinet Picks Signal Drastic Shifts in Policymaking
Anticipating drastic shifts in policies under the new Administration, Brightline has been gearing up its advocacy for progressive policies on workforce and climate change issues throughout 2017. Indeed, the Trump Administration has proposed several Cabinet appointees that have spoken openly in the past about dismantling worker protections and environmental programs. Brightline anticipates its work will adapt accordingly, particularly to empower vulnerable immigrant populations.
Brightline Expands Work to San Mateo
With the generous support of Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Brightline will also expand its scope to include regional work, particularly in San Mateo's intractable pockets of poverty and most vulnerable immigrant populations: East Palo Alto, North Fair Oaks, and Belle Haven.
"Brightline's longtime community inspiration and godmother of Bayview-Hunters Point, Dr. Espanola Jackson, would often bless advocates 'picking up the sword' as 'her babies,'" said Brightline executive director Eddie Ahn. "California, more specifically the San Francisco Bay Area, represents the tip of the spear in the struggles ahead. As Espanola's babies, we hope to make her proud in empowering more communities and creating sustainable environments."