BOARD MEETING DATE: August 6, 2004
AGENDA NO. 17

Public Affairs Report

SYNOPSIS:

This report highlights the June 2004 outreach activities of Public Affairs which include: Environmental Justice Update, Community Events/Public Meetings, Business Assistance, and Local Governmental Activity.

COMMITTEE:

Not Applicable

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Receive and file.

Barry R. Wallerstein, D.Env.
Executive Officer

Background

This report summarizes the activities of Public Affairs for June 2004. The report includes four major areas: Environmental Justice Update; Community Events/Public Meetings (including the Speakers Bureau; Visitor Services; Communications Center; and Public Information Center); Business Assistance; and Local Governmental Activity.

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE UPDATE

Below is a summary of the Environmental Justice-related activities which occurred in June:

Community Meetings
 

On June 2, staff held a Town Hall meeting in Ontario to discuss dairy-related air quality issues and provided local residents with information on a proposed rule to address emissions from agricultural waste. More than 35 people attended the meeting which addressed local air quality issues; and what is being done to improve the air quality and protect public health. The meeting was also attended by Board Member Dennis Yates and AQMD's executive staff.

	On June 14, staff attended a community meeting on air quality issues in the Sun Valley area hosted by LA Metro. The meeting was attended by area parents, teachers and local elected officials and served to address community environmental concerns and actions planned to monitor and reduce emissions from area landfills.
	On June 29, staff held a Town Hall meeting in Baldwin Hills to provide the local community with an air quality update. The meeting was attended by Governing Board Chairman William Burke, Board Member Jan Perry and 52 area residents representing community, business and civic organizations.

COMMUNITY EVENTS/PUBLIC MEETINGS

Each year, thousands of AQMD residents engage in valuable information exchanges through events and meetings that AQMD sponsors, alone and in partnership with others. Information attendees receive includes: tips on reducing their exposure to smog and its health effects; ways to participate in AQMD rule and policy development; and assistance in resolving air quality-related problems. Highlights of events/activities undertaken during the month of June include:
 

*These two events were held to recognize AQMD Clean Air Congress members, a committed group of Southlanders who have joined in the fight for clean air. The events drew hundreds of attendees who learned about the latest clean air technologies and participated in fun-filled activities for children. The Diamond Bar event offered attendees a look at the first commercially-available hydrogen vehicle, test drives of super ultra low-emission vehicles (SULEV) and free asthma screenings in the Asthma & Allergy Foundation’s Breathmobile. The Arleta event, hosted with Gigante Supermarkets, also highlighted SULEV vehicles, health and air quality information, interactive air quality experiments and a clean air coloring contest for children. In addition to the two Clean Air Congress events, staff prepared a newsletter "Clean Air Congress Voice" that was mailed to 4,300 members and another 4,000 distributed to event attendees.

Speakers Bureau/Visitor Services

AQMD receives requests for staff to speak on a variety of air quality-related issues. The requests come from a variety of organizations such as trade associations, chambers of commerce, community-based groups, schools, hospitals and health-based organizations. AQMD also hosts visitors from around the world who meet with staff on a wide range of air quality issues. The following describes the types of activities that were coordinated by this office in June:
 

	On June 4, staff hosted a group of 9 representatives of the Korean Ministry of the Environment, who received presentations on AQMP development, rule development, RECLAIM, and BACT.
	On June 8, staff hosted a group of 30 Advanced Placement Science students from Bell Gardens High School who heard a presentation on air pollution and received a detailed tour of the laboratory and the various scientific techniques that are used to analyze air pollution samples.
	On June 17, staff provided an air quality overview to the members of the Kiwanis Club of Whittier/Rio Hondo.
	On June 23, staff hosted a group of 17 members of the San Dimas Civic Academy who heard a presentation on air pollution and received a detailed tour of the laboratory.

Communication Center Statistics

The Communication Center handles all AQMD main line, 1-800-CUT-SMOG^® line and Spanish line calls. Below is a summary of calls received in June:
 

	Main Line Calls	6,426
	1-800-CUT-SMOG® Line	4,694
	After Hours Calls*	2,355
	Spanish Line Calls	33
	Total Phone Calls	13,508
	*Saturday, Sunday, holidays and after 9:00 p.m.   Tuesday through Friday.

Public Information Center Statistics

The Public Information Center handles phone calls and walk-in requests for general information. Below is a summary for June:

Requests for Information

	Visitor Transactions	324
	Information Packages Mailed	29

Calls

	Calls Received by PIC Staff	115
	Calls to Automated System	6,076
	Total Phone Calls	6,191

BUSINESS ASSISTANCE

AQMD provides assistance to businesses to achieve and maintain compliance with applicable air pollution rules and regulations. Key components of this program include providing notification of upcoming rule development, ensuring businesses the opportunity to participate in the rulemaking process; conducting "no-fault" inspections; determining potential permitting requirements; assisting with the completion of permit applications and variance request forms; explaining rule and recordkeeping requirements; offering financial assistance through the California Capital Access Program and the Non-Perc Dry Cleaner Grant Program; and working with other agencies to identify efficient, cost-effective methods for reducing air pollution. Business assistance activities for the month of June included:

Conducted 26 free on-site consultations
Provided guidance in filing 12 requests for variance
Provided permit application assistance to 189 companies
Issued 31 clearance letters

Types of businesses assisted:

Drycleaners	Construction management companies
Furniture refinishers	Building management companies
Autobody repair shops	Screen printers
Cabinetmakers	Water treatment plants
Restaurants

In addition, on June 17 in Irvine, and on June 24 in San Bernardino, Small Business Update Breakfast Meetings were held. Board Member Cynthia Verdugo-Peralta attended the Irvine meeting and Board Member Dennis Yates attended the San Bernardino meeting. These meetings were hosted by AQMD and local business organizations. Presentations and discussion focused on ways the AQMD is partnering with small businesses and local communities to assist small businesses. There were a total of five breakfasts that were held in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties over the past several months, which were well attended by the public.

LOCAL GOVERNMENTAL ACTIVITY (Four-County Area)

Staff provides outreach at Board of Supervisors and City Council meetings. Staff also works with local government, state and federal officials to respond to their air quality concerns and issues. Specific presentations were provided to the identified parties during the month of June:

Field visits were conducted with staff from the following offices:

	Assembly Member Jenny Oropeza
	Assembly Member George Nakano
	Assembly Member Mark Ridley-Thomas
	Assembly Member Herb Wesson
	Los Angeles Council Member Jack Weiss

Field visits and/or communications were conducted with staff from the following cities:
Banning, Big Bear, Carson, Claremont, Colton, Diamond Bar, Gardena, Hawthorne, Moreno Valley, Inglewood, Perris, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands, Redondo Beach, Santa Clarita, Temecula and Torrance.

Staff provided presentations at the following meetings:
Claremont City Legislative Committee
Diamond Bar Legislative Committee
South Bay Council of Governments Board
Walnut City Council

Chamber of Commerce contacts:

Black Chamber of Commerce of Orange County

Irvine

Rancho Cucamonga

Riverside

Staff represented AQMD at the following meetings:

American Lung Association Cultural Diversity

American Lung Association of Orange County Board

Big Bear City Council

Carson Environmental Commission

Colton City Council

CalEPA Environmental Justice meeting in Sacramento

Redlands City Council

South Bay Council of Governments Board

Western Riverside Council of Governments General Assembly

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