Why S.F. neighborhoods are up in arms over new environmental rankings that could cost them money

California updated its environmental ranking tool, CalEnviroScreen, which added indicators like diabetes prevalence and lead levels to map environmentally burdened communities. Bay Area community advocates criticize the final version for diluting rankings, potentially causing neighborhoods in San Francisco, such as Chinatown and Tenderloin, to lose access to state funds mandated by Assembly Bill 1550. Despite official explanations regarding data corrections, critics argue the new model reflects a failure of environmental science.