Legislature Declines To Add New Members To S. Calif. Air Quality Board

"The state Legislature has rejected a controversial measure that would have shifted the political balance of Southern California’s air-quality board by adding three state-appointed “environmental justice” members to represent low-income communities suffering from pollution.

The legislation to expand the South Coast Air Quality Management District board from 13 to 16 members fell 11 votes short of passage in the Assembly late Wednesday, with Republicans and members of a business-aligned bloc of Democrats in opposition.

The measure by State Senate leader Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) had sought to shake up the smog-fighting agency after Republicans gained a majority of seats earlier this year, vowing to ease the burden of its regulations on polluting industries."

Tony Barboza and Liam Dillon report for the Los Angeles Times September 1, 2016.