After tabling at community events and meeting with council members, students from Sunrise Oxy presented to the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council (ERNC) Feb. 3, supporting the Polluter Pays Climate Superfund Act. Following the presentation, the council voted unanimously to send a letter of support for the bill, according to LA Documenters.
Sunrise Oxy is Occidental’s chapter of the National Sunrise Movement, a youth-led climate justice organization founded in 2017. According to Sunrise Oxy member Catalina McFarland (sophomore), Sunrise Oxy members first began discussing the bill with Eagle Rock residents at the neighborhood council’s annual native plant giveaway in November, McFarland said.
“The Sunrise Movement is calling for a radical transformation of our political, economic and societal systems, mainly to bring about a Green New Deal that would transition our economy and our society to carbon neutrality [as well as] divest from our reliance on fossil fuels,” McFarland said.
According to McFarland, the Polluter Pays Climate Superfund Act would have required major fossil fuel companies to fund climate disaster recovery and environmental remediation efforts. After community members encouraged them to pursue a formal resolution, students connected with the council’s sustainability committee and began the process of getting on the agenda, McFarland said.
Evan Lieber (senior) is a Politics major and a member of the ERNC sustainability board. Lieber said he helped connect Sunrise Oxy with the appropriate committees when students presented first to the sustainability committee, then to the executive committee, and finally to the full council. Lieber said supporting the legislation felt necessary given the scale of the climate crisis.
“The environment is such a huge issue that we are going to have to deal with, especially as young people,” Lieber said. “This is not going away, and inaction is only going to make the problem worse.”
According to McFarland, the experience of working with local government through Sunrise Oxy was empowering and preparing for the presentation felt familiar.
“I realized that I can just go and talk to my local neighborhood council and start to work with them,” McFarland said. “It was honestly kind of like doing a school presentation. I just wanted to present the information in a straightforward and as relevant way as possible.”
Luci Johnston (senior), who was presenting at the meeting, said the process sharpened their ability to communicate complex policy to a wide audience.
“I think I’ve learned more about how to articulate myself in a room with potentially conflicting opinions,” Johnston said. “And sometimes people were confused or needed more information, and we had to be able to say it in a way that was understandable to a wide array of audiences.”
Dennis Hemen, the chair of the sustainability committee, said Sunrise Oxy stood out in its preparation.
“They had their statement prepared, they answered questions very well,” Hemen said. “We agree with the basis of the bill.”
Hemen said neighborhood councils depend on residents and local advocates to bring issues to light.
“We want you to come to the meetings, [and] we want to hear from you, so it’s not just us talking,” Hemen said.
According to Sunrise Oxy members at a Feb. 25 club meeting, the unanimous vote was meaningful, but success extended beyond the outcome. McFarland said the partnership between the club and ERNC was a measure of progress.
“Being able to be in collaboration and communication about these issues that are so important to us as students, as community members, I think that is the first measure of success,” McFarland said.
Jasmine Smith-Hughes (sophomore) said working with local government reflects Sunrise Oxy’s broader approach to climate justice, which connects campus action to community needs.
“Climate crisis is already here, and we’re seeing how it’s affecting communities outside of our own,” Smith-Hughes said. “And I think as an institution and as students within an institution, we have a unique positionality.”
McFarland said she hopes their engagement helps bridge the gap between students, who are often in Eagle Rock for four years, and long-term residents.
Zoe Bush (senior) said sustained relationships are essential for the club’s future.
“I hope that creating connections with off-campus and on-campus groups promotes the longevity of Sunrise Oxy,” Bush said.
Although the Polluter Pays Climate Superfund Act did not pass in 2025, Lieber said the effort does not end there, and that students hope to see similar legislation move forward in 2026. Lieber said the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council’s letter of support contributes to broader statewide pressure for future action.
“Hopefully, we can be one small step in the right direction,” Lieber said.
McFarland said she hopes more students recognize their own agency.
“I hope people understand that this is a possibility and a responsibility that all of us have, whether it’s around climate or other issues, to advocate for ourselves and for the people that we love and to push for the change that we want to see.”
Contact Zumyna Kabir at kabir@oxy.edu
