Our Prescription: Cleaning Up The Air in South Los Angeles
Air pollution in South Los Angeles emanates from various sources. These pollution sources regularly emit harmful gases and particles, often above health standards. Combined with other socio-economic and environmental determinants of health, this significantly impacts the well-being of South LA's community members. In 2017, Governor Brown Jr. signed Assembly Bill (AB) 617, giving way for a new initiative to address the legacy and current landscape of localized air pollution in communities like South LA.
What's With the Air in South Los Angeles
South LA is a predominantly Black and Brown, low-income community with a rich history and culture. It is enriched by its residents' diverse stories and backgrounds but profoundly affected by decades of discriminatory practices and persistent environmental health and justice issues.
Air pollution in South LA results from both stationary and mobile sources. Due to the high concentration of these sources, the area has significant health disparities and concerns. Over 3,000 permitted facilities, ranging from gas stations to dry cleaners to oil wells and manufacturing facilities, contribute to emissions. Due to the numerous facilities, common pollutants such as volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and ammonia contaminate the air.
Living in such close proximity to these facilities and contaminants has resulted in residents breathing some of California's most polluted air, contributing to health issues such as asthma, heart problems, and brain development issues. As a result, South LA community members face significantly higher health disparities than the rest of the city. For example, researchers have found that the stroke death rate in South LA is the highest in the county—40 per 100,000 residents compared to the county's average of 33 per 100,000 residents. On average, a South Central LA resident will live five years less, and a Watts resident will live nearly eight years less than the average LA City resident. Unfortunately, of these permitted facilities, only 36 have reported emissions to the Southern California Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) in the past five years. This creates a substantial gap in the information used to calculate air pollution in the area.
“Researchers have found that the stroke death rate in South LA is the highest in the county—40 per 100,000 residents compared to the county’s average of 33 per 100,000 residents. On average, a South Central LA resident will live five years less, and a Watts resident will live nearly eight years less than the average LA City resident.”
What's Being Done About Air Pollution in South LA?
Signing State Bill AB 617 into law required the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to establish the Community Air Protection Program (CAPP) to help reduce exposure in communities most impacted by air pollution. It focuses on redirecting resources to improve air quality at the local level and creating a direct and streamlined process for regulatory agencies to work with environmental justice communities to develop solutions. Every year, communities can be selected by the state to become an AB 617 community and create an air quality improvement plan.
Following the establishment of AB 617, PSR-LA led the creation of the South Central Los Angeles Project to Understand the Sources and Health Impacts of Local Air Pollution (SCLA-PUSH). In 2019, SCLA-PUSH emerged, driven by a collective commitment to environmental justice. Through the SCLA-PUSH project, we have better understood residents' knowledge, experiences, and concerns about air pollution and worked together to improve South LA's air quality. Through community power, South LA laid the foundation for meaningful change. By February 2021, South LA's tireless efforts led to its official selection as an AB 617 community, culminating in the launch of the Community Steering Committee in April of the same year.
The South LA Community Emission Reduction Plan
Thanks to the community visioning and planning process, SCLA-PUSH project members and residents collaborated to produce a roadmap for transforming South Central LA's air quality. This plan focuses primarily on creative technology solutions and innovation rooted in a Just Transition framework. Based on data collected by the SCLA-PUSH Air Quality Ambassador program and extensive research, the framework emphasizes revamping the technologies of three types of industries: auto body shops, dry cleaners, and metal manufacturing facilities. A set of tools was also developed to assess the viability of Best Available Control Technologies in reducing air pollution from these targeted industries.
SCAQMD's approval of the Community Emissions Reduction Plan (CERP) in 2022 represented a significant milestone, outlining the Community Steering Committee's (CSC) priorities for South LA.
The South LA CERP outlines goals and actions by our CSC, SCAQMD, and CARB to reduce air pollution in the community. This plan includes measures to reduce pollution and exposure and will be implemented in partnership with community members over the next several years.
In general, the CERP recommends the following actions:
Educate the community and businesses about reducing exposure to air pollution and emissions.
Develop regulations/rules to capture new sources of air pollution, such as more self-reporting requirements.
Enforce new rules to ensure compliance and that new industrial practices reduce emissions.
Provide incentives to accelerate the adoption of cleaner technologies.
Conduct community air monitoring to track emissions.
In our current implementation phase, we align community-identified projects with CERP priorities. These projects aim to tackle mobile sources of pollutants, bridge air monitoring data gaps, facilitate a just transition to safer technologies, and address oil and gas issues through decisive rulemaking.
As SCLA-PUSH continues to write the next chapter in the story of environmental justice in South LA, we seek ongoing support and engagement to maintain the co-leadership model of the South LA Community Steering Committee. The CERP implementation must embrace the work done by SCLA-PUSH and amplify the roles of community-based organizations to elevate community voices.
If you want to support your community and help achieve a brighter, cleaner future for South LA, become an Air Quality Ambassador and a member of the Community Steering Committee. Fill out an application to become a South LA AB 617 Community Steering Committee member (only those residing in South LA). We need you because your voice, community leadership, and experiences matter for this!
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Do you live in South LA? Become a South LA AB617 Community Steering Committee member. Register here!
