PODER

JANUARY–MARCH RECAP 🌱 PODER kept busy these last three months! Just some of the things we were up to: 📋 Conducted 100+ surveys to develop SAGE — Seniors Advocating for Generational Equity — our new project aiming to bring a senior meal and activity program to Montopolis 💚 Joined @dscejnola and @bullardcenter for their 11th Annual HBCU Climate Change Conference in NOLA, where Susana was honored alongside many of the movement’s visionaries — Dr. Beverly Wright, Dr. Robert Bullard, José T. Bravo, Dr. Ben F. Chavis Jr., Tom Goldtooth, Charles Lee, Dr. Mildred McClain, Vernice Miller-Travis, Dr. Paul Mohai, Richard Moore, and Donele Wilkins! 🔎 Brought our Young Scholars for Justice into two projects co-created with researchers from UT’s Environmental Science Institute (on water quality and neighborhood resilience) and the Department of Mexican American and Latino/a/x Studies (on youth safety) 🗣️ Testified alongside @communitypoweredatx , @anc_atx , Community Not Commodity, and community members across Austin to prevent upzoning in Montopolis ☀️ Advocated for bringing solar into the public housing redevelopment at Santa Rita Courts ✊ Co-sponsored @psl.atx ’s ICE Out protest and film screenings of Earth’s Greatest Enemy 🌳 Planted trees at Oak Springs Preserve with @treefolks 🗳️ Signed youth up to vote at our all-day registration marathon 🤝 As always, community workshops, lotería, tabling… Much more to come this spring 🌷

VICTORY FOR MONTOPOLIS: Today, Austin City Council voted against rezoning properties along Caddie St., Fairway St., and Montopolis Dr. to build a mixed-use development on lots that have been preserved for single-family housing since the Neighborhood Plan was adopted in 2001. The development would have included no true affordability component — “affordable” units were promised to families of four with an up-to-80% yearly Median Family Income (MFI), which is $90,000. The MFI for families in Montopolis is 40%, less than $50,000; we need deeply affordable housing now, and we need housing for longtime residents who fight to remain in Montopolis across generations. Thank you to all who spoke against Items 40 & 41, signed up, contacted their councilmembers, and amplified this case. We continue to say NO TO SPECULATIVE DEVELOPMENT AND NO TO DISPLACEMENT!

Meet our Community-Based Research Symposium Speakers! Come join our free Symposium on May 19th & 20th to learn about how community-based research can help address pressing environmental and public health challenges! Discussions will bring together ideas across air, climate, energy, food, health, land use, and water to inspire collaborations, share best practices, and turn research into real-world solutions. Find more information and registration at bit.ly/May2026event (link in Bio). We look forward to seeing y'all there!

AUSTIN — THE FIGHT IS NOT OVER — WE NEED YOU AT CITY COUNCIL ON 5/7 🗓️ TOMORROW — Thursday, 7 May ⏰ 9:15am - sign up DEADLINE (in person) 🗣️10am - City Council meeting and public comment begins We’ve won a major milestone against the militarization of our city: City Council released a revised Economic Development Resolution (EDR) that officially removes AI data centers and defense technology from the list of target industries. This change is a direct result of our collective power and the pressure we’ve put on the mayor and council! But the fight is not over: the current resolution leaves open the possibility of military (defense), surveillance, and AI industries setting up shop in Austin with our tax dollars. We must let the city know: we’re watching. We remain vigilant and will keep up the pressure through the next phase: when this resolution gets turned into policy. Austinites refuse to allow our city to be tied to war, destruction, and oppression. NO TAX BREAKS FOR AI AND WAR TECH. Join us tomorrow. When we organize, we win.

Ready to make your voice heard in Austin? Join us for two powerful evenings of advocacy training and community brainstorming! Learn from the experts, connect with neighbors, and help shape real solutions for our 2027 Legislature. Snacks provided • All are welcome. RSVP with the QR code! See you there 💪

🗣️❤️‍🩹🫁WE #DARETOBREATHE! It’s #WorldAsthmaDay, and we won’t stop fighting to clear the air: After years of advocacy by Clean Air for the Long Haul and thousands across the U.S., the Trump administration is rolling back hard-earned public health progress, and putting polluter profits over our lives. Learn more and take action at our NEW website: or LINK IN BIO! #DIDYOUKNOW: Over 34 million kids, and over 78 million people of color live in places with failing air quality? (@lungassociation ) ❌ WHAT WE FOUGHT FOR, THEY’RE TRYING TO UNDO: - Trump’s EPA is trying to weaken clean air protections that could prevent an estimated 30,000 deaths and save $275 billion each year they are in effect. (AP, 2025) Clean air isn’t a privilege, it’s a human right. We won’t stop working to protect our health, our families, and our future. EPA: DO YOUR JOB. ➡️ WHAT YOU CAN DO: - Like and share this post - Tell your reps you want to protect EPA clean air standards This cohort is a part of the Environmental Justice Leadership Forum @ejforum , hosted by WE ACT for Environmental Justice. Organizations include @drcc_org , @greenlatinos , @greendoorinitiative , @poder.austin , @rise4ej , West End Revitalization Association (WERA), WE ACT, and Wisconsin Green Muslims/Michigan Green Muslims @wigreenmuslims . #CleanAirMonth #AirQualityAwarenessWeek

💨💨💨WE #DARETOBREATHE! On #WorldAsthmaDay, we’re fighting to clear the air: After years of advocacy by Clean Air for the Long Haul and thousands across the U.S., the Trump administration is rolling back hard-earned public health progress, and putting polluter profits over our lives. Learn more and take action at . LINK IN BIO ! With over 30 rollbacks underway, alongside efforts to gut the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) @epagov funding, research, staff, air monitoring, and investments will worsen air quality for those already breathing toxic air, further threatening our health and future. #DIDYOUKNOW: More than 78 million people of color live with failing grades for air pollution in their neighborhoods? (@lungassociation ) Black Americans are three times more likely to die from asthma than white adults. (OMH, 2021) ❌ WHAT WE FOUGHT FOR, THEY’RE TRYING TO UNDO: - Trump’s EPA is trying to weaken clean air protections that could prevent an estimated 30,000 deaths and save $275 billion each year they are in effect. (AP, 2025) Clean air isn’t a privilege, it’s a human right. We won’t stop working to protect our health, our families, and our future. EPA: DO YOUR JOB. ➡️ WHAT YOU CAN DO: - Like and share this post - Tell your reps you want to protect EPA clean air standards This cohort is a subset of the Environmental Justice Leadership Forum @ejforum , convened by WE ACT for Environmental Justice. Organizations include @drcc_org , @greenlatinos , @greendoorinitiative , @poder.austin , @rise4ej , West End Revitalization Association (WERA), WE ACT, and Wisconsin Green Muslims/Michigan Green Muslims @wigreenmuslims . #CleanAirMonth #EnvironmentalJustice AirQualityAwarenessWeek

Update: Updated resolution removes the list of target sectors while still alluding to them. While this is a win, it’s only the beginning. These industries might come back during the 90 day ordinance drafting period into the final policy! Tomorrow let’s make it clear: we need guardrails and guarantees against defense, surveillance, AI & data centers, listed in the policy! We are working on an updated statement and talking points and will share soon! PACK CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS & SIGN UP TO SPEAK ON ITEM 24 📆 May 7, 2026 ⏰ 10 am- 12:30 pm 📍 Austin City Hall- 301 W 2nd St A new economic development plan proposed by the City Council intends to attract AI and aerospace companies to Austin. But those sectors have their hands in the defense industry too. We pushed back, and now we demand—NO TAX BREAKS OR INCENTIVES FOR AI AND WAR TECH IN AUSTIN! We want guardrails against city incentives for the defense industry and data centers! Learn more: tinyurl.com/AustinNoAI Sign up to speak against a specific agenda item, item 24, on May 7th. Speakers can participate virtually as well

Tomorrow is Earth Day, and we will be at the Carver Branch Library from 5:30-7:30pm, in dialogue with organizers from @poder.austin @pymcentraltx @communitypoweredatx and @data.center.action.coalition discussing how our local grassroots fights connect to a global struggle for radical systems change. This event will be a great 101 or 201 introduction to environmental justice from a socialist perspective, grounded in the local organizing and real conditions here in Central Texas. RSVP here: bit.ly/ED2MD. 📅 Wednesday, Apr. 22nd ⏰ Doors at 5:30pm, program at 6:00pm 📍 Carver Branch Library, 1161 Angelina St, Austin, TX 78702 Raging wildfires, rising gentrification, the military assaults on Iran and Lebanon and Palestine, dying coral reefs, the price of gas and food—all of these crises stem from extractive capitalism, which is waging war on people and planet. Join us on tomorrow as we talk about how to connect and build our movements toward a just world and a new system, starting with May 1st, 2026!

TWU RATE HIKE HEARING The Administrative Law Judge is allowing us to watch live hearing updates on the rate hike case for our docket. April 21st 1:00 PM CT Watch live on the official YouTube channel, LINK IN BIO: /live/1cubXGEgs9M?si=0iHmwLU9vOLfmr4u This is a critical moment for transparency and public participation. SHOW UP. SHOW UP IN NUMBERS. Be there, stay informed, and stand with our representatives. Please share so others know when to tune in.

Only a few days until “Earth Day to May Day: Uniting our Struggles for a Just World.” Bring a friend, family member, coworker, or comrade, and join us at 5:30 to chat, snack, and visit tables from local organizations, before the event starts at 6. RSVP here: bit.ly/ED2MD. 📅 Wednesday, Apr. 22nd ⏰ Doors at 5:30pm, program at 6:00pm 📍 Carver Branch Library, 1161 Angelina St, Austin, TX 78702 Supporting orgs: @pymcentraltx @austinforpalestinecoalition @poder.austin @sunriseatx @communitypoweredatx @data.center.action.coalition @austinfoodforest @atxclimateweek The “environmental teach-ins” of the first Earth Day in 1970 were premised on the anti-war teach-ins of the student movement against the Vietnam War. Unions played a crucial role in the organizing; UAW was the largest financial contributor. Although the tradition of Earth Day is rich with anti-corporate protest and labor/environmental coalition-building, it has also been co-opted by polluting corporations like Exxon and conniving politicians like Trump. It’s time to go back to the radical roots of Earth Day and address the real cause behind climate catastrophe and ecological collapse: capitalism & imperialism. As we gear up for May Day, 2026, when workers, students, and families will refuse business as usual through “No School. No Work. No Shopping”—join us for a teach-in on environmental justice through the lens of class struggle. Hear from experienced organizers highlighting local struggles around environmental justice and community defense: - People Organizing in Defense of Earth & Her Resources (PODER) - Community Powered ATX (CPATX) - Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) - Data Center Action Coalition (DCAC) We will have free childcare (and possibly a “WALL-E” screening) available in an adjacent room for anyone who needs. Masks are encouraged and will be provided. Fill out the RSVP form to let us know you’re coming, and of any accessibility needs you may have: bit.ly/ED2MD See you there!

RELOCATING THE BFI RECYCLING PLANT ✊🏽 Join us next Thursday, April 23, for our last of three panels leading up to our 35th anniversary celebration. Situated in the Gardens Neighborhood of East Austin, Browning-Ferris Industries (BFI) was contracted by the City of Austin to collect waste and recyclables from over 350,000 households. The site became a landfill, contributing to several issues that affected the surrounding community: rat, roach, and mosquito infestations, heavy truck traffic that caused damage to roads and posed a threat to pedestrians, noise, general environmental pollution, and a major fire in 1996. BFI refused to accept responsibility for these issues, prompting PODER to organize alongside the Gardens Neighborhood Association and coordinate efforts not only to relocate the site, but to also change zoning laws and prevent other hazardous facilities from opening in their backyards. Next week, we’ll hear from panelists who had a hand in our fight to move the BFI recycling plant outside of East Austin until victory: - Angelica Rangel Faz, Gardens Neighborhood Association - Lonnie Limón, Gardens Neighborhood Association - Maria Loya, PODER - Paul Saldaña, Chief of Staff for Former Councilmember Gus García - Susana Almanza, Executive Director & Founding Member of PODER Free and open to the public! No RSVP needed. 🗓️ THURSDAY, APRIL 23 🕕 6–8 PM 📍 CEPEDA BRANCH LIBRARY (651 N. Pleasant Valley Rd.)