A new partnership between the Westside Coalition and HEAL Utah, Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah, aims to help Westside residents learn how to best make their voices heard during the upcoming legislative session. Photo courtesy of HEAL Utah.
Salt Lake City’s Westside residents are watching a new partnership grow between the Westside Coalition (WSC) and the Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah (HEAL). At their November board meeting, the WSC confirmed HEAL as an advisor to help educate and train community members on how to effectively participate in the upcoming legislative session.
WSC President Daniel Strong highlighted the need to prepare for future developments as a key reason for getting involved. “Our city and state have seen significant growth in recent years, bringing both substantial burdens and potential benefits to Westside neighborhoods. In order to mitigate the burdens and maximize the benefits, it is critical that we build productive relationships with policymakers and find our seat at the table.”
Between growing infrastructure demands and declining Great Salt Lake water levels, Westside residents face worse pollution than those living on the Eastside. Higher rates of asthma, exposure to toxic dust storms, and lower life expectancies all fuel residents’ demands for comprehensive policy solutions. Organizations like HEAL Utah believe that the upcoming legislative session offers an opportunity to achieve just that.
“Lawmakers need to hear directly from the Utahns most affected by the policies they are making,” said Lexi Tuddenham, HEAL Utah’s Executive Director. “If you don’t have community insights informing policy, then you risk having this top-down policy process that doesn’t actually address the on-the-ground needs of people living in Westside communities.”
On February 17th at 9:00am, HEAL Utah and the WSC will host a community lobbying training in the Copper Room of the Utah State Capitol’s Senate Building. There, HEAL staffers will train community lobbyists and organize meetings with policymakers to help residents voice their experiences in pursuit of meaningful and positive change for the Westside.
Learn more about the upcoming community lobbying training and register here: https://www.healutah.org/events1/westside-lobby-day/.