In recent years, California has faced several daunting natural disaster and health emergency challenges. Most recently, the state is weathering the devastating COVID-19 public health crisis and its accompanying economic impacts. For many residents, this emergency is combined with the pain of unprecedented wildfires, drought, and extreme heat events that have been exacerbated by climate change. These events are especially devastating for low-income communities, and particularly for people of color who often have fewer resources to recover from a disaster. This workshop will illuminate how existing policies and practices can exacerbate challenges and hamper recovery, especially for low-income families, immigrants, and other vulnerable communities. We will also discuss how state and local governments can better protect all Californians in the years ahead when other disasters arise.

• Esi Hutchful: California Budget & Policy Center
• Oscar Chavez: Sonoma County Human Services Department
• Patricia Avila-Garcia: Community Water Center
• Genevieve Flores-Haro: Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project

Disaster Inequity: How California’s Policies and Practices Create Disparate Experiences for Communities