Western Regional Lead & Healthy Housing Conference

January 29 – 30, 2025

Held At The Embassy Suites in Downey, CA

Looking for CEUs?

The conference will provide attendees who attend the full two days with between 10 and 12 pre-approved CEUs.

Conference Program

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Opening General Session – Regulatory Issues and Funding Opportunities (Imperial Ballroom)

• Moderator: Larry Brooks, Consultant, Alameda County Healthy Homes Department
• Regulatory Issues:
• California’s Lead Strategic Plan: An overview
• California’s Takeover of EPA’s RRP Rule and Changes to Title 17
• The New EPA Rule on Dust Hazard Standards and Post-abatement Clearance Standards and How the Rule Impacts on Procedures and Costs
• Presenters: Max Weintraub, Chief, California Department of Public Health; Tom Neltner, National Director, Unleaded Kids; Mike Sharp, Senior Safety Officer, Janus Corporation
• Funding Opportunities:
• Part 1 – HUD
• Presenters: Tom Neltner, National Director, Unleaded Kids; Matt Ammon, Director, HUD Office Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes
• Part 2 – Lead Funders Action Network
• Presenter: Cara Matteliano, Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo, NY

12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Lunch Provided

2:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. – Two Concurrent Educational Tracks

Track #1 on Lead Poisoning Prevention and Lead Hazard Identification and Control Issues

• Moderator: Mike Sharp, Senior Safety Officer, Janus Corporation
• Part 1: Local and Targeted Hire Program Requirements (2:00 – 2:45 p.m.)
• Presenter: Maria Torres, Supervisor, Los Angeles Community Development Agency
• Part 2: Lead in Consumer Products: Improving Laws and How Existing Regulations Need to be Changed (2:45 – 3:30 p.m.)
• Presenter: Shakoora Azimi-Gaylon, Senior Director of Toxic Exposures and Pollution Prevention Program, Center for Environmental Health
• Part 3: Update on lead service line replacement (3:30 – 4:15 p.m.)
• Presenter: Tom Neltner, National Director, Unleaded Kids Organization
• Part 4: Non-housing exposure sources (4:30 – 5:30 p.m.)
• Presenters: Katie Gulyas, CLPPP Coordinator, Alameda County Healthy Homes Department; Marilen Biding, TITLE, Alameda County Healthy Homes Department

Track #2 on Healthy and Safe Housing Issues

• Moderator: Larry Brooks, Consultant, Alameda County Healthy Homes Department
• Part 1: Mold and moisture assessment in occupied buildings including wildfire smoke (2:00 – 2:45 p.m.)
• Presenter: Queen Eze, Healthy Breathing Project Manager, Esperanza Community Housing Organization
• Part 2: Collaborating with local code enforcement officials to support lead and healthy housing programs (2:45 – 3:30 p.m.)
• Presenters: Larry Brooks, Consultant, Alameda County Healthy Homes Department and Orlando Givens, Code Enforcement Manager and Training Officer, 4Leaf, Inc.
• Part 3: Racial Equality Impact Analysis: Disparities in Lead Poisoning and Prevention Efforts (3:30 – 4:15 p.m.)
• Presenter: Marybelle Nzegwu Tobias, Principal, Environmental Justice Solutions
• Part 4: Equitable Strategies and Tools for Healthy Housing Workforce Development (4:15– 5:00 p.m.)
• Presenter: Janell Hills-Thomas, Director, Equitable Workforce Strategies

5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. – Networking Reception and Exhibit Viewing

Thursday, January 30, 2025

8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. – Two Concurrent Educational Tracks Continued

Educational Track #1 on Lead Poisoning Prevention and Lead Hazard Control Issues (Imperial Ballroom with approximate times)

• Moderator: Mike Sharp, Senior Safety Officer, Janus Corporation
• Parts 1 and 2: Examining New Lead Rules in CA and how they may affect construction and maintenance work (8:30 – 11:00 a.m.)
• Presenter: Mike Sharp, Senior Safety Officer, Janus Corporation
• Part 3: Engaging in community lead awareness (11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.)
• Presenter: Angela Baranco, US EPA Region 9
• Part 4: Gaps in regulations regarding blood lead screening and universal testing (12:00 – 1:00 p.m.)
• Presenter: Katie Gulyas, CLPPP Coordinator, Alameda County Healthy Homes Department

Educational Track #2 on Healthy and Safe Housing Issues (Regency Ballroom with approximate times)

• Moderator: Larry Brooks, Consultant, Alameda County Healthy Homes Department
• Part 1: Lessons learned by a small county on how to secure and manage a HUD grant program (8:30 – 9:15 a.m.)
• Presenters: Rick Heinrichs, Supervising REHS, HUD Lead Hazard Reduction Program Director, Fresno County; Bee Vang, REHS III, HUD Lead Hazard Reduction Program Manager, Fresno County
• Part 2: Identifying and assessing indoor environmental hazards (9:15 – 10:00 a.m.)
• Presenter: Representative from Benchmark Environmental to be decided
• Part 3: Medi-Cal benefits that cover the cost of home asthma and remediation of asthma triggers (10:00 – 11:00 a.m.)
• Presenters: Jacqualine Vazquez, Program Manager, Breathe Southern California; Anne Kelsey Lamb, Director, Regional Asthma Management & Prevention
• Part 4: Using different kinds of data to evaluate community environmental exposure (11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.)
• Presenters: Kevin Kennedy, Environmental Health Scientist, Healthy Indoors Training and Consulting, LLC; Neal Wilson, TITLE, ORGANIZATION
• Part 5: The use of Lead Paint Litigation Settlement Funds (12:00 – 1:00 p.m.)
• Presenter: Janet Scully, Program Manager, LA County Department of Health

Conference Adjourns at 1:00 p.m.