South Central LA Air Quality Assessment Report and a Big WIN for Our Communities Health and Air Quality

This year, South Central LA communities have been hit hardest by multiple social and health factors including the COVID-19 pandemic, air pollution burden, and other cumulative stressors that have added vulnerability to our already overburdened communities. 

“South Central LA communities continue to experience the health impacts of legacy air pollution and decades of environmental racism. Our communities cannot wait any longer for real and tangible solutions that tackle the root causes of the pollution burden. That is why our SCLA-PUSH project is bringing together a collective of progressive residents, organizations, and advocates to start paving a path toward healthier and thriving communities through solutions that are rooted in the Environmental Justice Movement and a Just Transition” –  Paula Torrado Plazas, PSR-LA Air and Toxics Policy Analysts, SCLA-PUSH Project Manager.

On Friday, October 2nd, the SCLA-PUSH project mobilized Air Quality Ambassadors, community advocates, organizations, allies, and elected officials to provide testimony to the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) supporting the selection of South Central LA for an AB617 Air Improvement Plan. The SCAMD voted 12 – 0 approving the selection of our community for an AB617 air improvement plan. The LA Times states, “The South Coast Air Quality Management District’s Governing Board has voted to add South Los Angeles to a list of areas considered disproportionately affected by pollution and in need of assistance.”

This is a HUGE win for South Central LA and our communities to start cleaning up the air. 

Having witnessed, researched, and mobilized around the challenge of air pollution for over two years, particularly within the broader framework of environmental justice and health equity, the members of the SCLA-PUSH project assembled in January 2019 to address the legacy of air pollution in South Central Los Angeles, with the long-term goal of improving the quality of life and health of residents. Thus, we’re excited to share our NEW REPORT: SCLA-PUSH Report on The First Phase of Air Quality Assessment In South Central Los Angeles 2019-2020, a new report PSR-LA is releasing together with our partners at SCOPE, Rising Communities (formerly Community Health Councils), Esperanza Community Housing, USC, and Occidental College.

Our SCLA-PUSH report details the accomplishments and successes achieved by the SCLA-PUSH project since its inception in 2019.We outline our community outreach and capacity building efforts, air quality data collection and analysis, engagement around air quality regulation at the regional and state level, and emission reduction technology case studies to be used toward a community-centered regenerative plan. This report also paints our vision for the future of South Central LA that can be accomplished by demanding direct facility emissions reductions, a Just Transition of key industries-of-concern, holding agencies accountable to communities of color and low-income communities, and collectively advancing a vision for a greener and healthier environment.

Download the full report at psr-la.org

We are energized by the next phase of this project and the victories we have won for the revitalization of South Central LA. 

Will you help us share our SCLA-PUSH report to ensure South Central Los Angeles communities, stakeholders, agencies and elected officials at the state and local level learn more about our community project, our accomplishments, and what we have envisioned for the future of our communities?

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Paula Torrado Plazas
Air and Toxics Policy Analyst, PSR-LA 
SCLA-PUSH Project Manager