By Verbal Adam | OBSERVER Correspondent
Gov. Gavin Newsom joined more than 80 Luther Burbank High School students and local nonprofits on Thursday March 23 to clean up areas surrounding the school’s Sacramento campus as part of Clean California Community Days. The 11-day event series is aimed at encouraging communities to get involved with local beautification efforts to clean up roadways, local streets and public spaces as part of the governor’s Clean California initiative, a sweeping $1.2 billion, multiyear statewide cleanup effort led by Caltrans.
“I don’t like driving around the state and seeing how damn dirty it is. And I don’t like the graffiti, or the mattresses on the sidewalks.” Gov. Newsom told students. “I don’t like all the garbage out there. Tires everywhere I go all up and down the state. And I’m wondering what the hell is going on and at a certain point, you lose a little bit of confidence in the government when you see all this junk strewn all around the streets and sidewalks, and you sort of wonder: where are my tax dollars going?”
The event highlighted the impact of litter on the Meadowview community and encouraged community participation in reducing litter and beautifying the community.
Joined by Caltrans, local elected officials, the Sacramento Kings, and the Sojourner Truth African Heritage Museum, the students demonstrated the important role all Californians can play in keeping their communities and the state clean.
“The important message about today is [us] having an impact on our community through this amazing beautification project and placemaking in our community,” Shonna McDaniels, founder of the Sojourner Truth Heritage Museum, told The OBSERVER. “And just making sure that our community understands that mission and how important it is to beautify our community and be a part of the act of beautifying our community, which means keeping our community clean and being a part of the artistic endeavor because we’re inviting the community to come out and be a part of that process.”
Students during the cleanup collected items such as plastic bottles, cans, broken glass and more than 220 pounds of trash near and around the Burbank High campus.
Participating students also learned about the Florin Road Community Beautification Project, a public outreach, youth engagement and beautification effort to improve the area from Tamoshanter Way through Franklin Boulevard on Florin Road made possible by a Clean California grant. The project will coordinate with the Sojourner Truth African Heritage Museum, Burbank High, the Florin Road Partnership, the Florin Square Community Development Corporation and the City of Sacramento with a mission to reduce waste and debris, beautify and improve public spaces and advance equity for the area’s underserved communities.
During the event, students saw some of the community beautification and transformation efforts that will be installed in the community, including a prototype of a Harlem Chair designed by artist Taylor Pannell. Twenty-eight such chairs will be installed along Florin Road to create a cultural connection for the community, and feature artists to provide arts education. Twenty-two chairs are functional for public seating and six will be art installations 8 to 10 feet in height.
“Our faculty, staff and students are thrilled to be a part of the Florin Road Community Beautification Project, and our participation in today’s cleanup is a demonstration of our commitment to help keep California clean,” said Burbank High Principal Jim Peterson.
Students were unaware of the governor’s visit before his arrival.
“This is amazing,” Burbank High senior Jason Venegas, 17, told The OBSERVER. “I feel very honored that the governor came to our school. It’s amazing that we can help our community and be stronger as one.”
In addition to the governor, Councilmember Caity Maple, Sacramento City Unified School District Board President Chinua Rhodes, Caltrans Director Tony Tavares, and player Kessler Edwards and Slamson the Lion of the Sacramento Kings were in attendance.
“We’re going to step up our game and we’re going to do more, try to be better,” the governor said. “The thing that is not academic is, you can’t legislate pride. You can’t legislate spirit. There’s no legislative proposal. There’s no gubernatorial signature or presidential signature on that. That’s why I’m here – because I’ve been hearing some good things about this school. I’ve been hearing some good things about you guys actually wanting to participate, to be more active and engaged in not just your school, but the community. …
“I traveled a long way to come here and say thank you. Thank you for giving a damn. Thank you for supporting each other, not just the state. It’s not something you have to do, but we’re grateful that you are doing it and I hope it becomes more of a way of life.”