Overview
The Southeast Los Angeles Community is comprised of South Gate, Florence-Firestone (eastern portion), Walnut Park, Huntington Park (western portion), Cudahy, and Bell Gardens (southern portion) and is located in the SCAQMD. Sources impacting the community include major freeways such as interstates 710 and 105, the Alameda Corridor, industrial facilities that routinely process chemicals, warehouses, manufacturers, auto body shops, and three Superfund sites.
The Southeast Los Angeles Community has a high cumulative exposure burden, a significant number of sensitive receptors, and census tracts that have been designated as disadvantaged communities. Parts of the community have recently been a focus of air quality studies with the deployment of purple air sensors by SCAQMD in partnership with Community Environmental Health Assessment Team (CEHAT) and by Coalition for Clean Air, which focuses on the air quality surrounding the Alameda Corridor. Additionally, SCAQMD’s Multiple Air Toxics Exposure Study IV (MATES IV) and the ongoing MATES V will provide data to understand and mitigate the high cumulative exposure burdens from the community’s multiple toxic air pollution sources. On September 6, 2019, SCAQMD Board approved the South East Los Angeles Community to be nominated to the CARB Governing Board as one of the 2019 communities.
Community Boundary
Southeast Los Angeles’s AB 617 community boundary files
Community Air Monitoring
In 2019, the Community was nominated by the District and selected by CARB as a monitoring community.
The Community Air Monitoring Plan identifies areas of interest for AB 617 monitoring such as stationary and mobile sources, monitoring site locations, sampling schedules, and types of equipment and strategies. The plan was designed to obtain detailed air pollution levels throughout the Community, determine areas in the community of highest risk, quantify sources of air pollution within the community, and position the Community to develop emissions reduction strategies and monitor the effectiveness of those strategies.
CARB and the District have historically implemented air monitoring which includes regulatory monitoring in Los Angeles County. The AB 617 community air monitoring plan is specifically designed with the community steering committee input to measure and collect localized and elevated air pollution levels data. The District considered health statistics, air quality concerns from residents in multiple communities, as well as screening tools that combine environmental, health, and socio-economic information to calculate community-wide risk factors in the planning and implementation of community air monitoring. Community-level expertise through steering committee meetings and input from a broad range of stakeholders supported the District’s development of this plan.
The collection of comprehensive air quality data is essential to develop emissions reduction plans and strategies. The monitoring data will be provided to CARB once available and can be downloadable on AQView where monitoring data from other AB 617 community air monitoring plans are also included.
Community Emissions Reduction Program
South Coast AQMD convened a community steering committee to develop the Southeast Los Angeles Community Emissions Reduction Plan (Plan). The Plan focuses on reducing emissions and exposure to diesel particulate matter, oxides of nitrogen, and toxic air contaminants from sources such as: truck traffic and freeways; rendering facilities; metal processing facilities; railyards and locomotives; general industrial facilities. Also included in the plan are actions to reduce exposure to air pollution by increasing green space in the community. On May 20, 2021, the CARB Board considered staff’s review of the Plan in the Southeast Los Angeles Community Emissions Reduction Program Staff Report and subsequently approved the Community Emissions Reduction Program in Resolution 21-12.
Community Engagement
Community engagement is a key part of the AB 617 program. Air districts are responsible for convening a community steering committee using an open and transparent nomination process. Community steering committees create new, and foster existing, local partnerships which drive the AB 617 program. In this advisory role, community steering committees oversee the development and implementation of the program such as in community identification, community air monitoring, and community emissions reduction programs. The steering committee aims to identify metrics, track progress, solicit, and share information with the Southeast Los Angeles community. The current Community Steering Committee was selected representing a diverse range of community viewpoints. This broad range of stakeholders also forms a collaborative AB 617 Technical Advisory Group, which provides input to South Coast AQMD staff on technical details related to source attribution, air monitoring and other technical analysis needed to develop air monitoring plans and Community Emissions Reduction Plans for AB 617 implementation.
The current Community Steering Committee charter describes the Southeast Los Angeles Community Steering Committee membership process, how meetings are conducted, and how information is made available to its members and the public.
