Biography : John Matak

John Mataka is a community leader with the Grayson Neighborhood Council in the California's San Joaquin Valley. John was co-founder of the Central California Environmental Justice Network, and has been a organizer and advocate for social and environmental justice for the low-income Latino communities in Stanislaus County.

The Grayson Neighborhood Council (GNC) is a grassroots community organization formed in 1985 by residents of the primarily low-income Spanish-speaking town of Grayson, located on the west side of Stanislaus County. The GNC educates and empowers the community on issues of immigrant rights, education, environmental health and recreational needs for youth. The GNC has expanded its efforts to share its experience with other San Joaquin Valley communities.

The Central California Environmental Justice Network is a valley-wide grassroots network of organizations and individuals formed in 2001. CCEJN's mission is to preserve natural resources and to find better ways to minimize the production of waste. Because Central California is rural and mostly poor, we continue to receive a disproportionate amount of hazardous and toxic waste. We will work with industries that are negatively impacting the health and safety of Central California's environment and residents with their waste to tru to find alternatives and solutions to this problem.