Resounding Victory for Clean Air Advocates: Fresno City Council votes to support SB 999

Fresno City Council votes to support SB 999 (Machado)
Resounding Victory for Clean Air Advocates

5/3/05: After heated debate, the Fresno City Council voted 4-2 to support SB 999 (Machado), the “Healthy Children, Healthy Communities, and Healthy Economy in the San Joaquin Valley Act of 2005”. City Council President Mike Dages deserves credit for taking the lead on this critical Council Resolution of Support for SB 999. This victory for clean air advocates comes on the heels of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors tabling consideration of this Senate Bill for two weeks after lengthy public comment and discussion.

The San Joaquin Valley is one of the most polluted regions in America, by many measures beating out Los Angeles as the air basin with the worst air quality. The effects this has on our children, communities and economic health is staggering. 16% of our children suffer from asthma, three times the national average. There are more than 1,200 premature deaths each year in the Valley due to particulate matter pollution. Over $350 million dollars a year are spent in the Valley on cardio pulmonary illness due to poor air quality.

The Central Valley Air Quality (CVAQ) Coalition, which is composed of local and statewide health, public interest, and environmental organizations, supports SB 999 as a critical part of the solution to this public health crisis. A larger Valley Air Board, with broader experience and geographic reach, will allow the Valley to reach clean air goals. This bill would provide more fair and consistent representation to the San Joaquin Valley's largest cities. Adding positions for public members with specific heath, medical, scientific, and environmental justice experience, will bring new perspectives to the Valley Air Board. This approach has been very successful with both the California Air Resources Board and LA’s South Coast Air Quality Management District.

SB 999 Organizational Support: (partial list)
California League of Conservation Voters, California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, Californians for Pesticide Reform, Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment, El Comite Para El Bienestar de Earlimart, Fresno Metro Ministry, Grayson Neighborhood Council, Latino Issues Forum, League of Women Voters/Fresno, League of Women Voters/California, Medical Advocates for Healthy Air, Merced/Mariposa County Asthma Coalition, Relational Culture Institute, Sierra Club California, Steven and Michele Kirsch Foundation, and Union of Concerned Scientists.

SB 999 Individuals: (partial list)
The Honorable Henry Perea, Supervisor, District Three, County of Fresno

SB 999 Fact Sheet:
http://fresnometmin.org/SB_999_Fact_Sheet_Final_Draft_05.pdf

Visit Central Valley Air Quality Coalition’s website at http://calcleanair.org

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