FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BINATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE LEADERS ADVANCE COMMUNITY-BASED ELECTRIC VEHICLE INFRASTRUCTURE ACROSS THE CALIFORNIAS
Delegation from Baja California Tours Community Electric Vehicle Charging Network in Imperial Valley
IMPERIAL VALLEY, CA – Comité Cívico del Valle (CCV), in collaboration with the Binational Environmental Justice Coalition and the Center for Renewable Energy and Environmental Quality (CERCA), convened a binational delegation this week to advance a shared vision for community-centered electric vehicle infrastructure across the Californias. To view photos and access the Baja Coalition EV Tour media feed, click the links: Photos | Media Feed.
A Spanish-language version of this press release is available here.
Representatives from the energy sector through the Baja California State Energy Commission, academia from the Institute of Engineering at the Autonomous University of Baja California, and environmental leadership from Baja California toured CCV’s growing network of community-based electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in Calexico, Brawley, Calipatria, and El Centro. The visit marks a significant step in strengthening cross-border collaboration around clean transportation, climate resilience, and local economic development.
“For us, this is environmental justice in action,” said Luis Olmedo, Executive Director of CCV. “Too often, clean energy investments exclude rural, frontline, and Indigenous communities. We are demonstrating that community-based infrastructure can work, can be technically advanced, and can generate real economic and public health benefits. And we are proud to share this model with our partners in Baja California.”
The tour showcased Level 2 chargers and high-powered Level 3 fast chargers (180 kW), designed not only to support the growing electric vehicle market but also to ensure that rural communities in California, Baja California, and Baja California Sur (known as the Californias route) are not left behind in the transition to clean and renewable energy.
During the visit, CCV engineers and program leaders provided a detailed overview of the technical specifications, electrical infrastructure, hardware and software systems, and installation processes that support the charging network. Delegates reviewed substation requirements, various site configurations, maintenance adaptations for extreme desert conditions, and operational logistics.
Armando Moreno, Industrial Engineer at CCV, highlighted the importance of cross-border knowledge exchange. “As a border region, we have the opportunity to share ideas and technical expertise,” Moreno noted. “Our engineering partners in Baja California are evaluating how this technology can be installed in Mexicali and even in La Paz. Collaboration strengthens both sides.”
Jacqueline Valenzuela, Executive Director of CERCA and co-founder of the Binational Environmental Justice Coalition, emphasized the model’s replicability. “This is more than infrastructure. It is a community-based electromobility model,” Valenzuela stated. “We are learning from a successful small-scale community approach that can be replicated across the Baja California peninsula. The energy transition must include local people, local economies, and local leadership.”
Leaders emphasized that this partnership is grounded in environmental justice for rural communities. Many communities along the Baja California peninsula lack reliable access to the electrical grid, making large-scale infrastructure expansion unrealistic in the short term. Instead, coalition leaders are exploring scalable, renewable energy-powered, community-driven models that generate multiple local benefits, including job creation, small business growth, tourism access, and access to clean transportation.
“We cannot talk about the energy transition if we do not talk about justice,” said Jacqueline Valenzuela, Executive Director of CERCA. “The Baja California peninsula and the Imperial Valley share the same air, the same coastline, and the same climate risks. Our collaboration ensures that the transition to clean energy is not extractive, but inclusive, designed with communities at the center and prosperity as part of the solution.”
Jesús Armando Aguilar Jiménez, Renewable Energy Engineer and researcher at the Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC), underscored the economic development implications of expanding electric vehicle infrastructure.
“If we do not begin building infrastructure now, we risk losing tourism and economic opportunities,” Aguilar noted. “Strategically located and well-maintained charging stations can improve quality of life in isolated communities and support sustainable regional development.”
The tour also highlighted practical operational lessons, including adaptations for extreme heat and dust conditions common in desert climates. Maintenance schedules and equipment modifications have been adjusted to ensure reliability in high-temperature environments, knowledge that will inform future infrastructure planning in Baja California.
The delegation concluded the tour with a strategic discussion at CCV’s offices focused on next steps, technical collaboration, and the expansion of a binational clean transportation corridor centered on community benefit.
In addition to infrastructure development, CCV continues to support residents in accessing electric vehicles through the Driving Clean Assistance Program (DCAP), which offers up to $7,500 to eligible residents toward the purchase of an electric vehicle.
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About the Binational Coalition for Environmental Justice (CBJA/CERCA)
The Binational Environmental Justice Coalition – which includes partners such as the Center for Renewable Energy and Environmental Quality (CERCA) – brings together community leaders on both sides of the United States–Mexico border to advance environmental equity and shared sustainability goals. Emerging from the deep historical interdependence between the Imperial Valley and the Mexicali region, as well as the civic commitment of California residents established in Baja California Sur, the coalition works to create mechanisms for equitable access to environmental quality, renewable energy, and climate resilience. Through collaborative research, community organizing, and cross-border technical exchange, the coalition seeks to ensure that environmental progress benefits all communities, especially those historically marginalized by pollution and economic exclusion. Learn more at https://cbja.org.mx/.
About CERCA
After ten years of citizen-led efforts to raise awareness about the importance of good health and environmental quality in Baja California Sur, positive results have been achieved. We operate under a governing board and an operational team dedicated to fulfilling our objectives. The board ensures that decisions align with CERCA’s goals, promotes transparency, and maintains program continuity. It also identifies opportunities to strengthen our actions and provides recommendations. Our organization is led by a team committed to advancing health, environmental quality, energy transition, and community development, enabling us to successfully improve quality of life for residents of Baja California Sur. Learn more at https://cerca.org.mx/.
About Comité Cívico del Valle (CCV)
Comité Cívico del Valle is a community-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1987 on the conviction that informed people build healthy communities. For more than three decades, CCV has worked in partnership with residents, researchers, policymakers, and community groups to improve public health, expand environmental justice, and strengthen civic engagement in California’s Imperial Valley. CCV works to increase access to health services and environmental resources through education, community capacity building, and advocacy, focusing on underserved populations facing disproportionate environmental impacts and public health challenges. Learn more at https://ccvhealth.org/.