Original 10 Environmental Justice Initiatives

1. Launch a series of monthly "town hall" meetings in evenings and on weekends to give the public better access to South Coast AQMD officials and "improve citizen involvement" in air quality policies.

2. Embark upon the first comprehensive study of toxic hot spots in a decade.  In addition, create two "special micro-scale monitoring" devices to measure neighborhood toxic levels.

3. Create "community response teams" to respond to chronic community concerns that, while not immediately life-threatening, may have long-term impacts.

4. Step up review of environmental impact reports on projects that may impair air quality, and increase support for local governments making land-use decisions.

5. Create a task force with representatives of business, environmental and community groups as well as board members to seek consensus on solutions to environmental justice concerns and make recommendations to the Governing Board. An Environmental Justice Task Force was formed.

6. Participate in the City of Los Angeles’ Environmental Justice Forum.

7. Create incentives to clean-up or remove diesel engines in the basin. Diesel exhaust is associated with a variety of toxic and cancer health effects and is a major smog contributor.

8. Spend up to $150,000 to buy better equipment to help inspectors responding to citizen complaints

9. Propose new guidelines to ensure that the 4,400 portable engines operating in South Coast AQMD’s jurisdiction don’t create localized adverse air quality impacts, especially next to schools and hospitals

10. Review South Coast AQMD’s two toxic air contaminant rules to determine if more chemicals should be covered, whether the rules’ health risk thresholds triggering safeguards need to be changed or any other approaches to reduce toxic risks need to be considered.