11/14/2025
A true loss for Wilmington’s environmental justice movement. Rest in power Jesse. 🙏🏼😔🤎
Jesse Marquez, one of Wilmington’s strongest voices against port pollution, has died at 74. His family says he passed on Nov. 3 from complications after being hit by a car earlier this year.
Marquez spent decades fighting for cleaner air in Wilmington and the harbor communities — neighborhoods surrounded by refineries, freeways, diesel trucks, and port traffic. Because of years of work from him and other organizers, diesel emissions at the Port of L.A. have dropped nearly 90% since 2005.
Raised in Wilmington, Marquez often said his mission began at 17 after witnessing a refinery explosion that seriously injured his grandmother. He later founded the Coalition for a Safe Environment, pushing for cleaner trucks, stricter air-quality rules, and protections for families living near industrial sites.
He helped shape the Clean Air Action Plan, the Clean Truck Program, and secured millions for health and air-quality projects. His work helped block refinery expansions, oil tank farms, and other polluting projects.
