Mecca Residents Affected By Smell Ask For Congresswoman’s Help

Over a dozen Mecca residents affected by the smell near Saul Martinez Elementary School hand delivered 600 signed petitions to Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack’s office. The grassroots organization, Eastern Coachella Valley Environmental Justice is asking for a meeting with Bono Mack in order to discuss her lack of support for the Environmental Protection Agency. “She is sending letters to the EPA to take action but then she is supporting measures to minimize its physical capacity and the role of the EPA,” said Sergio Carranza. Congresswoman Bono Mack was one of the first to put pressure on the EPA to investigate the smell. Her District Director Marc Troast said, “Every agency is going see some cuts, that doesn’t mean at the same time we’re not going to focus on the issues at hand.” Eduardo Guervara Jr. was one of two students who helped deliver the letters. His dad, Eduardo Guevara said, “Less than two miles away there is a school that my son attends, there are soccer fields, we can’t play soccer and we can’t play at the park because the kids get sick. It’s not a life I want for our kids.” Mack has agreed to meet with the group to discuss her commitment to solving the smelly problem. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., will be making a personal visit Thursday to a Mecca school where offensive fumes allegedly emanating from a solid and liquid waste recycling plant have sickened students and staff. Boxer, who chairs the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee, called on federal regulators earlier this month to take whatever steps necessary to identify and prevent noxious fumes from polluting the air around Saul Martinez Elementary School.