Let the Chairman Do His Job : Air quality official needs support of local politicians

The new chairman of the South Coast Air Quality Management District, Henry Wedaa, should be concentrating on the many problems Southern California has in attempting to comply with state and federal mandates to clean up air pollution. Instead, he’s having to defend himself from an attack within Orange County to remove him from the board. These efforts should cease, allowing the chairman to do the job he was unanimously elected by the board to do.

The mayors in Orange County, who choose the county’s representative to the AQMD, haven’t given Wedaa the votes he needs to stay on the board, though he will serve until someone else does get sufficient votes. The board sets and enforces air quality standards for Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

Costa Mesa Councilman Peter Buffa--backed by a cadre of conservative Republican Orange County politicos--is leading the attack on Wedaa, a longtime Yorba Linda city councilman and an AQMD member for five years. Wedaa, a moderate Republican, is accused of not being sensitive enough to the problems that small business owners have in complying with AQMD rules. Buffa wants to replace Wedaa on the AQMD.

Buffa’s problem isn’t so much with Wedaa, however, as with the AQMD itself. He and his supporters believe removing Wedaa will send a strong message to the AQMD to ease up on enforcement.

Wedaa has stepped on a few toes through the years, but he also has helped sensitize the AQMD to its sometimes brusque manner in enforcing regulations. Most recently, he was instrumental in formation of a commission to examine the impact of agency regulations on job losses. He also has encouraged the AQMD to work more closely with local business groups. As chairman for the next two years, Wedaa must help the AQMD do a better job of communicating that cleaning up dirty air is not only required by law but is in everyone’s best interest.

The stalemate over Wedaa’s AQMD membership, if not broken in his favor, could rob the region of a hard-working and knowledgeable chairman. It also could deprive residents of a powerful advocate for local air quality issues.