STUDENTS PROBE PACOIMA'S PROBLEMS TEENS' REPORT CITES TOXIC STREET RUNOFF, LACK OF HEALTH CARE, INSURANCE.

Byline: BRENT HOPKINS Staff Writer

PACOIMA -- The crusaders ask probing questions, demand change and wear blue jeans and sneakers.

For the past month, 42 students from the Pacoima Beautiful Youth Environmentalists College Institute spread out through this densely populated Northeast Valley neighborhood.

They examined the intersection of industry and homes, questioned its lack of health care, spread the word to residents about the bacteria and pollution in the community.

None of its members is over 18 -- they're all still in high school -- but they developed a report as sharp and critical as anything the mainstream environmental movement ever produces.

The study, presented Friday to a packed community center, found streets filled with toxic water, served mainly by fast-food joints and liquor stores. The researchers encountered evasive corporate representatives and dismissive companies.

But they didn't shut up and go away. They dug up whatever details they could, plying the neighborhood and going undercover. Likening themselves to revolutionaries struggling for civil rights, they banged on doors and spoke their minds.

``I was shocked at how bad the environment can be,'' said Eddie Mendez, 17. ``It made me want to help out. -- If we've got youth like us willing to give up our summers, maybe it will make a difference to people later on.''

Pacoima Beautiful, the nonprofit environmental group that sponsors the monthlong project, selected the students from nearby Discovery Charter Academy. For their 120 hours of service, they receive school credit and fulfill graduation requirements. The group double-checks the students' research and uses it in advocacy reports and presentations to local government agencies.

The findings, slickly presented in a bilingual, multimedia display, aren't unusual: People don't like toxic materials in their streets and everyone wants better health care. But the circumstances are: Most students this age pay no mind to community improvement or the environment. This group talks about coliform bacteria and health insurance at a level most adults rarely grasp.

They found fecal bacteria in wastewater discharged by businesses along Branford Street and brought their findings to local residents.

While not as polished as a professional, Westside environmental group, the presenters came across just as passionate and earnest.

They didn't speak about their findings in a theoretical sense; they talked about the streets they grew up on with a sense of outrage.

``There's a really large amount of feces in the water and that's scary,'' said Aspen Wilson, 17. ``People live here. Kids play in these streets and they could get really sick.''

In the lengthy presentation, the students criticized the shortage of parks compared with neighboring Granada Hills and San Fernando. They complained about the number of liquor stores and their proximity to schools. They took issue with the distance to nearby hospitals, which they felt limit access to health care.

``After they get exposed to this, they educate their parents and the community,'' said Lucia Torres, Pacoima Beautiful's youth program coordinator. ``A lot of them become very passionate about cleaning things up.''

After crunching the data, students contacted the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services to see about sweeping the streets more frequently.

They prepared a report for City Councilman Alex Padilla, who represents the area, asking for greater city investment in environmental programs. And they left instructions, telling future students what needs to be addressed and how to do it.

``Justice and peace is what we need in Pacoima,'' they wrote. ``We need a movement in which all the people, students and families stand up to fight for a better community.''

brent.hopkins(at)dailynews.com

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