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PROPOSAL:

Public Affairs Report

SYNOPSIS:

This report highlights the August 1998 activities of the Public Affairs Office which includes the following activities: Environ-mental Justice Update, Community Events/Public Meetings, Business Assistance, Intergovernmental Affairs and Media Communications.

COMMITTEE:

Not Applicable.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Receive and file this report.

Barry R. Wallerstein, D.Env.
Acting Executive Officer

The following report reflects the activities of the Public Affairs Office for the month of August. The report format includes five major areas: Environmental Justice Update, Community Events/Public Meetings (including Speakers Bureau/Visiting Dignitaries), Business Assistance (including Economic Development/Business Retention), Intergovernmental Affairs (including Public Records) and Media Communications (including the Public Information Center).

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE UPDATE

COMMUNITY EVENTS/PUBLIC MEETINGS

The following describes community events and public meetings that provided AQMD customers with air quality information during August.

Date	Location	Description of Activity
8/4	San Bernardino	Rialto Unified School District requested information on Rule 701 – Episodes. Forwarded an Outdoor Activity Curtailment Plan for school board use in updating district’s smoggy day policy. Working with Inland Counties to provide similar information to area schools.
8/4	Los Angeles	Coordinated the San Gabriel Valley Town Hall Meeting at the Baldwin Park Community Center. Approximately 40 members of the public attended.
8/7	Los Angeles	Distributed a public notice in the Santa Fe Springs/Norwalk area regarding the AQMD’s intent to reinstate the expired permit for an oil refinery that has been inactive for several years. The notice was printed in both English and Spanish, and distributed to all residences and businesses within a one-mile radius of the refinery.
8/12	Districtwide	Ethnic Community Advisory Group monthly meeting. Formed subcommittee to involve more small businesses in AQMD processes.
8/22	Districtwide	Distributed information on smog and health at Kids Care Fairs in Los Angeles, Lynwood, Santa Fe Springs, and San Bernardino. Approximately 2,000 attendees per site, including Assemblywoman Napolitano and other dignitaries.
8/25 & 26	Los Angeles & San Bernardino	(1) Observed focus group asked to comment on EPA’s proposal language for the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) used to convey smog health warnings to the public. (2) Attended meeting with EPA and regional air quality agencies to discuss proposed revisions to the PSI.

Events/Conferences Sponsored/Hosted	Participated/Attended
4/1	11/6

Public Workshops/Notices	Fee Review Requests/Customer Surveys
10/3	4/20

Speakers Bureau / Visiting Dignitaries / Information Requests

The District hosts distinguished visitors from around the world, as well as members of the general public, who visit our headquarters to tour the facility and meet with staff on a wide range of air quality issues. The following describes the major activities during August.

Date	Location	Description of Activity
8/4 & 5	Headquarters	A five-member delegation of the Wenzhou Environmental Protection Bureau (Taiwan), and a 16-member delegation of high school students from Japan, for a general overview of AQMD programs and a tour of District headquarters.
8/21	Los Angeles	Slide presentation on smog and health to Better Breathers support group at the Sepulveda Veterans Administration Medical Center.

Speaking Requests Received	Presentations (by Public Advisor staff)
1	7

Delegations Hosted	Tours of AQMD Headquarters
3	3

BUSINESS ASSISTANCE

AQMD assists its regulated customers by notifying them of proposed regulations so they can participate in their development by providing one-to-one assistance, and by actively participating in efforts to attract and retain employers in the basin. Staff also works with other agencies and states to identify efficient, cost-effective ways to reduce air pollution and shares that information broadly.

Date	Location	Description of Activity
8/4	Orange	Pharmaceutical manufacturer: Provided regulatory assistance and application package for dust collector.
8/4-28	Districtwide	Continued Phase 2 of the courtesy call program for notifying companies whose permits have expired but can still be re-instated.
8/4-28	Districtwide	Provided air quality clearance letters for companies in the cities of: Burbank, Canoga Park, Chatsworth, Chino, Encino, Fontana, Fountain Valley, Glendora, Huntington Beach, Industry, Irvine, Los Angeles, Newhall, Ontario, Placentia, Riverside, Rowland Heights, San Bernardino, Santa Monica, South Gate, Torrance, Whittier, and Yorba Linda.
8/6	Los Angeles	Metal fabricator: Provided assistance in Spanish with application forms for spray booth and oven, and compliance information on Rule 1107 – Metal Parts Coating.
8/6	Los Angeles	Dry cleaner: Provided interpretation of Rule 1421 – Control of Perchloroethylene, regarding relocation of cleaners, and helped with application forms.
8/6	Orange	Tire and wheel shop: Helped company determine permit requirements, assisted with Rule 1171, and helped with forms and fees for paint stripping tank.
8/7	Los Angeles	Fast food restaurant: Assisted with application forms and an expedited air quality clearance letter so they could get their city permits the same day.
8/11	Los Angeles	Printer: Installing new press that will be using inks in quantities greater than limits of Rule 219-Exemptions. Staff provided application and fee info.
8/12	Orange	Compressor manufacturer: Helped company with permitting requirements for a wastewater treatment system and provided application/fee calculation assistance.
8/12	San Bernardino	Auto body shop: New owner called to ask for a copy of spray booth permit. Staff researched issue and advised owner that facility was issued Notice to Comply in 1992 but never obtained a permit. Owner says $579.52 fee is excessive (as opposed to $107.10 for change of ownership). Staff assisting with resolution.
8/13	Orange	Contractor: Helped contractor identify a Rule 219 exemption for gasoline-powered IC engine used to conduct two five-minute acoustic tests.
8/18	Los Angeles	Performed site inspection and confirmed company is not exempt from permit requirements. Provided application for welding equipment.
8/18	Los Angeles	On-site inspection determined permit was required for a replacement boiler. Provided necessary permitting information.
8/20	Los Angeles	Wood coating operation: Instructed company on recordkeeping compliance reporting.
8/20	Districtwide	Staff met with members of the Farm Bureau and various state, federal, and local soil conservation agencies to discuss outreach efforts related to the AQMD’s rule for controlling dust from agricultural operations.
8/25	Los Angeles	Working with toxics staff and an electroplating company in Compton to develop the public notice required under the Toxic Hot Spots law (AB2588).
8/25	Los Angeles	Vitamin manufacturer: Company filling out annual fee emissions report forms and needed assistance. Staff visited offices, reviewed report, and advised on corrections.
8/26	Los Angeles	Service station: Company received notice from AQMD to change gasoline dispensing equipment, but was already planning to install all new equipment in the near future. Staff met with owner and assisted in filling out variance forms for the Hearing Board.
8/26	Riverside	Metal coating operation: Company relocating and expanding. Staff advised on obtaining spray booth permit for new facility.
8/26	Districtwide	Hosted a meeting of the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association (CAPCOA) Public Outreach Committee members and the U. S. EPA to discuss proposed revisions to the Pollutant Standards Index.
8/27	Districtwide	BACT/LAER public consultation meeting. Issues: Applicability to relocations, non-major sources, and applicability date. New issue: Notification.
8/27	Orange	Sportswear screen printer: Company needed assistance in filling out annual emissions forms. Staff visited facility and showed them how to organize data to simplify the process.

INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS ACTIVITY

Intergovernmental Affairs works interactively with local government, state and federal officials in response to their air quality concerns and local issues. Major activities include informing, educating and helping cities and counties address various air quality issues that are encountered in their communities. Additionally, staff administers the AB 2766 Subvention and MSRC Discretionary Fund Programs.

Date	Location	Description of Activity
8/4-18	Los Angeles	Assisted staff from the cities of Glendora, Cerritos, Arcadia and Los Angeles with AB 2766 Annual Subvention Fund Expenditure Report
8/5	Districtwide	Met with panelists to evaluate the proposals submitted in response to the RFP for the AB 2766 Subvention Fund Technical Assistance
8/6	Districtwide	Interviewed qualified finalists for the award of contract in response to the RFP for the AB 2766 Subvention Fund Technical Assistance
8/4-21	Districtwide	Called AB 2766 Coordinators to remind them to fax the AB 2766 Subvention Fund Annual Report for FY 96-97 to the District
8/12	San Bernardino	Attended the Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG) Administrative Committee Meeting. Discussed AB 1368, alternative fuels vehicle programs, and MSRC matters with SANBAG staff and elected officials from Chino Hills, Fontana, and Upland.
8/12	Riverside	Attended the Riverside County Transportation Committee (RCTC) Board Meeting. Discussed AB 1368, alternative fuels vehicle programs with the RCTC executive director, the Western Riverside Council of Governments (WRCOG) executive director, and elected officials from Lake Elsinore, San Jacinto, Banning, and Murrietta.
8/13	San Bernardino	Attended and provided staff support at the Crestline Town Meeting regarding air quality held at the Lake Gregory Elementary School. Approximately 100 residents of the mountain communities attended the meeting to hear AQMD staff discuss the health affects of air pollution in the area.
8/13	Orange	Provided samples of interesting AB 2766 Subvention Fund Projects for cities in South Orange County and a list of contacts to Norma Glover’s Board Assistant
8/13	Sacramento	Coordinated "Clean Air" forum meetings with Air Resources Board staff
8/18	San Bernardino	Attended the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors Meeting.
8/18	Los Angeles	Provided staff support at community meeting at Resurrection Church in Boyle Heights regarding public nuisance complaints lodged against rendering plants
8/19	Los Angeles	Met with member of the Board of Trustees, Whittier Union High School District, to discuss Powerine and other local government issues
8/20	Orange	Attended the Orange County Council of Governments (OCCOG) General Assembly Meeting.
8/20	Los Angeles	Participated in ARB’s Cleaning the Air with Motor Vehicle Fees Forum @ ARB’s office in El Monte
8/21	San Bernardino, Riverside	Attended the IEEP Inland Empire Air Quality Summit at the Ontario Hilton Hotel. Discussed air quality matters with numerous elected officials and business leaders in attendance.
8/21	Los Angeles	Spoke with staff from the City of Bellflower about the AB 2766 Subvention Fund Program
8/21	Los Angeles	Participated in a conference call with staff from the City of Huntington Park to discuss Aggregate Recycling
8/21	Los Angeles	Met with Director of Public Affairs for Consolidated Waste Disposal to discuss Seagull Sanitation
8/24	San Bernardino	Participated in ARB’s Cleaning the Air with Motor Vehicle Fees Forum @ San Bernardino County Government Center in San Bernardino. Assisted representatives from the following local jurisdictions: Palm Desert, Riverside, Rancho Mirage, Temecula, San Bernardino County, Highland, and Grand Terrace
8/24-25	San Bernardino	Attended and participated in the ARB Forum on AB 2766 Fees in San Bernardino and Brea.
8/25	San Bernardino	Attended and participated in the Colton Town Hall Meeting regarding Union Pacific. Discussed air quality matters with the mayor, mayor pro-tem, council member, and city manager.
8/25	Los Angeles	Participated in meeting with representatives from District staff and Electro Machine and Engineering, Inc., concerning AB 2588 health risk assessment public notification process
8/25	Orange	Participated in ARB’s Cleaning the Air with Motor Vehicle Fees Forum @ City of Brea Civic and Cultural Center in Brea. Assisted representatives from the following local jurisdictions: Pico Rivera, Newport Beach, Anaheim, Pomona, Fullerton, La Habra, Moreno Valley, Santa Ana, and La Mirada
8/26	Orange	Met with Council Member Art Brown, City of Buena Park, to provide a briefing regarding the Local Government and Small Business Advisory Group at the request of Governing Board Vice Chair Norma Glover.
8/26	Los Angeles	Participated in ARB’s Cleaning the Air with Motor Vehicle Fees Forum @ Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Assisted representatives from the following local jurisdictions: Los Angeles, South Gate, Los Angeles County, Glendale, Culver City, Inglewood, San Marino, Calabasas, and Pasadena
8/27	Districtwide	Attended and participated in the SCAG Sub-Regional Coordinators Group Meeting. At the request of several of the coordinators, provided a report regarding the status and progress of the Year 2000 AQMP update process.
8/27	San Bernardino	Attended and participated in the Inland Empire Division – LCC Restructuring Task Force Meeting
8/31	Riverside	Attended and participated in Western Riverside Council of Governments (WRCOG) Executive Committee Meeting

Public Records

The Public Records Unit is responsible for reporting on requests that are received and those which are completed. There are also requests that are carried over from month to month.

Requests Carried Over	No. of Requests Received	No. of Requests Closed
504	284	258

MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

The Communications Unit is responsible for informing and educating the public through the media and through the District’s Public Information Center

Date	Media	Description of Activity
8/4	Newspaper	Provided information on Colton hearing to Riverside Press-Enterprise.
8/4	Newspaper	Researched MSRC inquiry from Redlands Daily Facts
8/4	TV, Newspaper	Provided data on air quality to KTTV Channel 11, L.A. Daily News, and L.A. Times San Fernando Valley edition.
8/4	Newspaper	Provided information to the Journal of Commerce on LAXT.
8/4	Television	Provided assistance to Orange County News Channel on air conditioners.
8/4	Newspaper	Researched and assisted Orange County Register with story on mobile turbine engines.
8/4	Newsletter	Provided information on scrapping to Mobile Source Report.
8/4	Newspaper	Provided information to Daily Bulletin on gas station violation.
8/5	Magazine	Provided information to the Engineering News Record on LAXT.
8/5	Radio	Provided air quality data to Inland Empire New Radio
8/6	Newspaper	Provided information on smog to the Riverside Press-Enterprise and met with their environmental reporter.
8/7	All Media	Joint press conference held with Port of Los Angeles to introduce a re-powered tugboat with cleaner diesel engine. Numerous TV, radio stations, newspapers, and trade publications covered the press conference.
8/10	TV	Series of commercials promoting AQMD’s smoking vehicle program began running on KCBS-TV.
8/10	Newspapers	Provided information on car scrapping programs to the L.A. Daily News and a response to Riverside Press Enterprise for story on CBE lawsuit.
8/11	Radio	Interview with Inland Empire radio on dust rules.
8/11	News Service	Provided air quality data to Copley News Service.
8/11	Newspaper	Provided information to Riverside Press-Enterprise on dairy emissions and Union Pacific Hearing.
8/12	Newspaper	Provided information to Riverside Press-Enterprise on spray booths and EPA Notice of Violation.
8/12	Newspaper	Provided information on Board meeting to the Los Angeles Times.
8/12	Newspaper	Provided air quality data to the L.A. Daily News.
8/12	Newspaper	Provided information to Whittier Daily News on Powerine Oil.
8/12	Newsletter	Provided response on CBE lawsuit and BNA Publications.
8/12	Radio	Interviewed by KFWB radio regarding asbestos involved in demolition of OJ Simpson estate.
8/12	Newspaper	Provided information to Long Beach Press-Telegram on odors in Carson area.
8/12	Newspaper	Provided information to Westside Weekly on Rule 2202.
8/12	Radio	Interviewed by German Radio Network on smog in Los Angeles Basin.
8/12	Newspaper	Provided information to LA Times on LAXT hearing schedule.
8/13	Newspaper	Provided information to San Gabriel Valley Tribune on particulate fallout complaints in Irwindale.
8/13	Newspaper	Provided information on LAXT Hearing Board case to Random Lengths News.
8/13	Public Meeting	Participated in public town hall meeting in Crestline regarding air quality in the San Bernardino Mountains, covered by the Crestline Courier and Cable Channel 6.
8/13	Trade Publications	Provided information on tugboat re-powering project to Hart Energy Publications.
8/13	Newsletter	Provided information to BNA Publications on Board meeting.
8/14	Newspapers, Radio & Newsletters	Provided information on Board meeting to Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Orange County Register, Inside Cal/EPA, Inland Empire News and others.
8/17	Newspaper	Provided information to Riverside Press Enterprise on Board Meeting actions.
8/18	Newspaper	Provided information for Orange County Register on electric vehicles.
8/18	Newsletter	Provided information to Mobile Source Report on AB 2194 and marine vessel emissions.
8/19	Newspaper	Provided information to Orange County Business Journal on toxic emissions.
8/19	Wire Service	Provided information to Reuters on Arco explosion.
8/19	Television	Provided information to Channel 7 on particulate investigation in Irwindale.
8/19	Newsletter	Arranged interview with SSC staff with Rubber and Plastics Magazine on amendments to Rules 222 and 219.
8/20	Newsletter	Provided information to Octane Week on car scrapping.
8/20	Radio	Interview with ASTD staff and KNX Radio on Costa Mesa hot spot monitoring.
8/20	Newspaper	Interview with Inland Valley Daily Bulletin and Desert Sun on smog season.
8/20	Newspaper	Arranged interview with District Prosecutor and Daily Bulletin re: Kushwood.
8/21	Newspaper	Provided information to Orange County Business Journal on AB 2194, toxic monitoring in Costa Mesa.
8/21	Newspaper	Provided information to San Bernardino Sun on Rule 1171.
8/21	Newsletter	Interview with AQMD RECLAIM staff and McGraw-Hill publications on RECLAIM trading.
8/25-27	Newspaper	Provided information to Riverside Press-Enterprise on Clean Fuels Program and AB 2194; interview with Public Affairs staff.
8/25	Magazine	Provided information on architectural coatings case decision to the Paint and Coatings Journal
8/25	Newspaper	Provided information on status of LAXT Hearing Board case to the Daily Breeze.
8/25	Newspaper	Provided information to Modesto Bee on Darling Intl.
8/25	Magazine	Provided information on health effects to Inland Empire Magazine.
8/25	Newspaper	Provided information to San Gabriel Valley Tribune on Davis Wire.
8/26	Newspaper	Provided information to Riverside Press-Enterprise on union Pacific Hearing Board case.
8/26	Newspaper	Provided information on mountain air quality to opinion piece writer for the Riverside press-Enterprise
8/26	Newspaper	Provided information on Rule 1158 amendments to the Daily Breeze.
8/26	Newspaper	Provided information on AQMD regulations to the Whittier Daily News.
8/27	Newspaper	Provided information to Inland Valley Daily Bulletin on air quality forecast.
8/27	Newspaper, Television	Provided information on diesel emissions to Inland Valley Daily Bulletin and KCOP Channel 13.
8/27	Newspaper	Provided information to the LA Times on LAXT Hearing Board case.
8/27	Television	Provided information to KCBS-TV, Channel 2, on mountain air quality.
8/27	Radio	Provided air quality data to the Desert Radio Group.

Public Information Center Statistics

The Public Information Center handles the District’s daily visitors and handles general information phone calls. This monthly report will provide a total tally of visitor transactions and phone calls.

Visitor Transactions	Total Phone Calls
551	15,364

Information Packages Mailed	Live Calls by PIC Staff
222*	415*

*Reflects statistics for only three weeks.

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