CALABASAS : Air Quality Top Concern in Survey

The top environmental priority for Calabasas residents is the quality of the air they breathe, according to a survey conducted by a city advisory group.

“It was a surprise because in all of the L.A. basin, this region is among the best spots you can live in for air quality,” said City Councilwoman Lesley Devine. “We have been approaching air quality as a traffic-related problem, but it may be time to coordinate our efforts.”

Although air pollution is usually viewed as a regional problem, some local solutions--including tree planting in parking lots and along the Ventura Freeway, the purchase of electric or natural gas vehicles for the city and public awareness campaigns--may be within reach, Devine said.

A survey mailed by the Environmental Standards Committee to about 7,000 Calabasas households in May and tallied last week ranked air quality, water quality, wildlife protection and recycling, respectively, as the top environmental concerns for residents of the semi-rural town. Only about 1% of the surveys were returned, which Devine blamed, in part, on their placement in a mailer about city recreation services.

Preserving oak trees and other native life, water conservation and trash reduction were ranked last as priorities.

Devine said the survey was meant to help steer the committee as it moves beyond recommending city policies regarding oak trees, curbside recycling, scenic corridors and native plant use.

“There was a lot of specific work when the city first formed,” Devine said. “Right now, we’re at a crossroads, wondering where we should go next. Having input from the public would help us prioritize that.”