PANEL 3 – Presented by the Aoki Center "Environmental Justice in the Central Valley" (The introductory lunchtime podcast that was played is at http://www.agroots.org/mechanical_tomato_harvester ) The Central Valley is a landscape of contrasts – ground that feeds the world but lacks safe drinking water, producer of immense wealth and abject poverty, sparkling mansions and toxic air quality, vibrant cultural diversity and persistent racial discrimination. As low-income communities of color bear the brunt of environmental hazards created by topography, politics, and Big Ag, this panel explores what roles the major powers are playing and should play in exposing and eliminating those dangers and inequities. Speakers will discuss how grassroots organizing, community-engaged research, educational campaigns, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and collaborative efforts with governmental agencies are tools that lawyers, academics, and community activists are utilizing in this effort. Dr. Mario Sifuentez, Assistant Professor, Department of History, UC Merced Janaki Jagannath, Former Coordinator, Community Alliance for Agroecology Ashley Werner, Senior Attorney, Leadership Council for Justice and Accountability Moderator: Camille Pannu, Director, Aoki Center Water Justice Clinic, UC Davis School of Law 2018 ENVIRONMENTAL LAW SYMPOSIUM | March 9, 2018 | UC Davis School of Law "Humans & Their Environment: Protecting Our Planet and Its Inhabitants" The 2018 UC Davis Environmental Law Symposium will explore the growing intersection between humans and the world around them, and how the lines between the anthropocene and natural world become increasingly blurred. This event will examine the inherent challenges in ensuring equitable access to environmental resources and the undue burdens many communities face. In bringing together legal and policy authorities from the government, nonprofit, academia, community, and private sectors, the event will discuss the evolution and current state of environmental justice law and policy in California, along with solutions for the future. The day-long event will feature panels addressing: the disproportionate public health effects of climate change; the tragic impact of the 2017 wildfires on Northern California communities; the dichotomy between industry and community interests in the Central Valley; and the efforts dedicated to tribal sovereignty and Native American land restoration. Within this range of topics, panelists will discuss regulatory responses and enforcement actions, private litigation, academic and scientific discourse, and the activist movements that have shaped today’s environmental equality landscape.