Campaign Vowed to Eliminate Smog Despite Pressures

Declaring that the time has come to rid the skies of smog, environmental activists and grass-roots campaign organizers called Saturday for a vigorous campaign to counterbalance what they charged is unrelenting industry opposition that threatens to undermine clean air gains and erode political support for future controls.

Clean air activists are concerned, despite plans announced by the South Coast Air Quality Management District to meet federal clean air standards within 20 years, that the AQMD governing board will yield to pressure from industry and water down new controls.

“We can’t afford to have that happen again,” said Tom Houston, outgoing president of the Los Angeles’ Environmental Quality Board. “We’re trying to give them a backbone to follow through on a lot of promises that are being made right now.”

But, despite the fact that the conference of activists Saturday was billed as an “Air Pollution Summit,” the day-long session at City Hall produced no immediate agreement on several controversial air pollution control proposals--such as charging commuters a fee for driving downtown during peak hours.

Nor were several key participants prepared to endorse proposals to place an air quality initiative on either the Los Angeles or statewide ballots if governmental agencies failed to act on their proposals, some of which are more far-reaching than those envisioned by the smog board, AQMD.

Nonetheless, the gathering was viewed by the 60 participants as the first stirrings among environmental activists toward a unified position to counteract industry opposition to tougher clean air regulations as proposed by the South Coast Air Quality Management District. In addition, many participants said that while they applaud the new resolve of the AQMD to tackle tough air pollution questions, much more needs to be done.

“If ever there was a need for a partnership or a coalition it is this issue that demands coalition, that demands unity,” Mayor Tom Bradley told the group. “If you leave here with a commitment that this is a beginning and that you’re going to pursue it until there is a solution . . . then I think you will have accomplished a great deal.”

The conference was jointly organized by the Coalition for Clean Air; Campaign California, a political campaign group organized by Assemblyman Tom Hayden (D-Santa Monica), and the Los Angeles Environmental Quality Board, which is appointed by the mayor and advises the City Council.

Organizers of the conference said they hope to reach agreement on tougher clean air regulations in both Los Angeles and the state, and to push for their enactment by the state Legislature, Los Angeles City Council, AQMD and county boards of supervisors. Backers assert that if the proposals are enacted, air pollution can be cut by 40% in the South Coast Air Basin within five to eight years.

“What the AQMD is proposing is not enough,” said Mark Abramowitz, vice president of the Coalition for Clean Air. “It doesn’t deal with growth and transportation issues adequately. If it did, we could attain clean air standards in 12 years or less.”

Some, including Hayden and Houston, have strongly suggested that if governmental agencies fail to act within two years either a citywide or statewide clean air initiative should be placed on the ballot. Houston said organizers will begin work immediately in anticipation of the need for an initiative measure. Plans are already being laid for a $400,000 campaign to place the measure on the ballot, with the aid of contributions from recording artist Don Henley and others.

“We simply must find ways to stiffen the resolve of public officials,” said Houston.

Tougher Smog Checks

Among air pollution controls discussed are tougher vehicle smog check emission standards, laws requiring cleaner cars, land use controls that require jobs to be located closer to affordable housing, waste recycling, subsidized public transportation, a tougher ride-sharing program and bans on diesel vehicles and leaded gasoline.

Other proposals included collecting tolls or fees from commuters who drive downtown during peak hours, much like peak-hour congestion charges now in force in Singapore. Such a fee could “immediately” reduce downtown congestion by 40%. “This should be attractive to the city, which has a big stake in its own accessibility,” said Ward Elliott of the Coalition for Clean Air. There was general agreement that the air quality impacts should weigh heavily in decisions by cities and counties to approve new housing and businesses. But, there was uncertainity as to specifics.

Another proposal would direct officials of the Metropolitan Water District, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and others to “vigorously oppose” efforts to bring new water supplies to the region as a deterrent to growth.

It was clear that there no immediate agreement would be reached on all the proposals. As Hayden ran down a list of ideas and inquired if there was agreement, C. Freeman Allen, a national director of the Sierra Club, urged caution.

“You’re talking about extremely complicated issues. We have spent very little time on them and you’re asking if there’s a consensus,” Allen said. “I view this as an opportunity to put ideas on the floor.”

Club Stand Suggested

Later, during a break in proceedings, Allen said, “The next step as far as the Sierra Club is concerned is to decide what to do. Nobody has come up to us and said, ‘Please be a member of this.’ I don’t know how this group came together.”

And Mary Nichols, a longtime clean air advocate and chairwoman of the state Air Resources Board during the Jerry Brown Administration, said initiatives are “a very crude way to legislate.”

While she said she could applaud any effort to strengthen air quality laws, including an initiative, there needs to be a certainity that an initiative would “actually result in some improvement.” She remarked that Proposition 65, the anti-toxics initiative passed in 1986, has not resulted in any actual improvement to the health of Californians.

Abramowitz added that he is unsure of whether the Coalition for Clean Air could participate in an initiative campaign, but that the possibility is under active discussion.

Hayden said that he is “in an initiative mode.” He said that “a strong case” could be made for an initiative, but added, “We’re not there yet.”

Among others participating in the conference were Citizens for a Better Environment, the League of Women Voters, the American Lung Assn. of California, and several representatives of universities as well as observers from the AQMD and Southern California Assn. of Governments.