Paloma Hernandez Email and Phone Number

As an Environmental Equity Summer Associate, I was tasked with evaluating the efficacy of the Environmental Equity team in incorporating equity as a priority in California climate legislation. Additionally, I assessed the community-level equity impacts of the Strategic Growth Council's Transformative Climate Community program. This work required that I conduct expert interviews with a wide range of stakeholders: from government entities to community-based organizations.

While interning at the think tank The Energy and Resources Institute, I conducted a literature review of the policy environments in countries with successful electric vehicle markets in order to assess the viability of electric vehicles in India. Throughout the summer, I was committed to advocating for low-income populations and creating recommendations to minimize inequitable outcomes.

During my internship with the California Air Resource Board (ARB), I conducted research on access to clean transportation in low-income communities throughout California. While my work primarily consisted of researching, blueprinting, and advocating for policy recommendations, I was fortunate enough to co-lead a public meeting in partnership with the community-based organization ValleyLEAP and incorporate into my final report the perspectives of community members from the rural city of Huron. It is a major source of pride for me that this report informed ARB`s SB 350 Low-Income Barriers Study, Part B: Overcoming Barriers to Clean Transportation Access for Low-Income Residents.