Each California city and county is required by State law to have a General Plan, serving as a roadmap for long-term planning and development within the municipality. In 2016, the State passed SB 1000, additionally requiring that each General Plan have a specific element focusing on Environmental Justice. As Menlo Park was preparing to write this element for the first time in 2022, the City contracted with CRC to conduct community outreach to ensure that all voices and preferences across the City were taken into account — particularly in Belle Haven, a historically redlined community within Menlo Park.

CRC led workshops, a survey, and language-specific focus groups to ensure that the lived experiences of historically marginalized populations within Menlo Park were gathered and incorporated into a comprehensive set of goals and policies aimed to reduce exposure to environmental and health hazards. Check out photos from the focus groups and explore our survey dashboard below.

The draft Environmental Justice and Safety elements are forthcoming — CRC has provided feedback on the City’s initial draft and comments are being incorporated. Once the draft elements are published, CRC will publish our internal reports summarizing the survey and focus group findings.