Let’s Step Up Campaign to Clear the Air : Local Governments Leading Way in Pollution Fight; Residents Should Do Their Part

If it feels as though you have been able to breathe a little easier lately, there’s a welcome reason for that. Air quality in the region this past year has been decidedly healthier. Since 1988 in Lancaster and Burbank, for example, the number of days in which ozone concentrations exceeded federal health standards declined by more than 66%. The number of harmful ozone level days in Reseda and Santa Clarita fell by more than half over the same period. The number of first-stage smog episodes also fell.

Air quality officials attribute the improvement to favorable weather, the dismal economic climate and pollution control. The bad news should be obvious: our region is still the worst in the nation, and there is still much that can be done to improve matters. Some local governments are helping to point the way.

Calabasas officials are shopping for electric cars for their planned Volunteer Patrol, a step that at least four other Southern California localities have taken in turning to clean-air vehicles for everything from parking enforcement to building inspections.

The Calabasas cars would be paid for with funds given to the city by the Southern California Air Quality Management District to fight air pollution.

The Antelope Valley Schools Transportation Agency is replacing nearly a fourth of its buses with those that run on cleaner, alternative fuels such as methanol and compressed natural gas.

In terms of what the average citizen can do, we note that 85% of the motorists in the west San Fernando Valley drive to work alone, according to a recent UCLA study. Ride-sharing is something that many of us can do to cut down on air pollution. You might consider a rake instead of that exhaust-belching leaf blower, and manual clippers instead of those gas-powered trimmers.