Feinstein's Reasons for Running for Air Quality Governance Board

Eds. Note: On Thursday night, the City Selection Committee of the Los Angeles County Division of the California League of Cities will fill a seat on the 12-member county Governance Board for the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), which consists of Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernadino and Orange counties.

The post represents the 25-city Western Region of Los Angeles County, which includes Santa Monica and which stretches from Westlake Village in the northwest to the cities of Palos Verdes Peninsula in the South.

To win a seat, a candidate must win two separate votes taken at the same time -- winning a majority of all 25 cities and a majority of the population of all 25 cities. Mayors or their designees cast their votes for each city.

Because the City of Los Angeles has 73 percent of the population of the district, it has a virtual veto, and has always held the seat.

Santa Monica City Council member Michael Feinstein is running for the seat. In two previous elections (March 2002 and June 2003), Feinstein prevailed in the city vote 14-2 and 9-5, but did not win the seat, because the City of Los Angeles voted for itself.

Following is the letter Council member Feinstein sent to the Western Region cities in June, detailing the perspective he hopes to bring to the SCAQMD Board:

Dear Mayor of Goodville,

I am writing because I seek to represent your city -- and mine -- on the South Coast Air Quality Management District Board, as representative from the Los Angeles County Western Region.

We all have an enormous interest in clean air -- for our personal health, our environment and our economy.

I believe that clean air can be best achieved by combining a commitment to economy, environment, social justice and democracy. This would be a guiding principle for me on the SCAQMD Board.

The SCAQMD has jurisdiction over both stationary, area and some mobile sources of air pollution. I believe in strong environmental standards, in conjunction with economic policies that reward businesses that do the right thing.

On mobile sources, I’d prioritize investment and fleet rule incentives to promote alternative fueled vehicles, including expanding the fueling infrastructure. Since diesel is such a significant part of our mobile source pollution, it is critical that we press for technologies to reduce and ultimately replace diesel emissions.

On stationary sources, addressing acute toxic hot spots across the region would be a priority. Toxic air emissions from refineries, metal platers, auto bodies and other practices can devastate communities. The principle of environmental justice has to inform our decisions right from the beginning.

There are also some specific challenges facing our region before the AQMD that will demand immediate attention.

While significant improvements in air quality have been made over the past two decades, Southern California continues to exceed the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, and often has the worst air quality in the nation. Our region is also in danger of failing to meet several federal pollution reduction standards in 2006 and 2010, as most of the substantial and feasible emission reductions have already been implemented.

Hence, our region is starving for emission reduction strategies, and there is an urgent need for new and innovative solutions. I come from a city with a strong, innovative record on air quality issues -- an effort that I have played a leading role in. Santa Monica has been a municipal leader on sustainability and air quality issues, while maintaining a strong local economy and a AAA bond rating for our city government’s finances.

At the same time that I would share the successful experiences of my city, I would also bring forward an important regional perspective.

As you well know, the nexus between air quality on one hand and transportation and land use on the other is critical. As the region's population growth places further pressure on development and air quality, the importance of sustainable land use patterns will only increase.

I have served on the Southern California Association of Government (SCAG) Energy and Environment Committee since 1997. That committee focuses on the energy and environmental implications of SCAG’s regional transportation planning efforts.

In 2001, I was also appointed to SCAG’s Regional Growth Visioning Committee. That committee has been tasked with establishing a first-ever comprehensive land use plan for the entire six-county SCAG region, combining public transportation, job/housing balance and other
land use strategies.

I have also served as a member of the California League of Cities Housing, Community and Economic Development Committee, as well as being active with ICLEI -- the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives -- an organization which shares successful approaches to sustainability from among more than 400 cities planet wide. As such, I am well positioned to bring important sustainability perspectives from local and regional governance to the SCAQMD Board.

Finally, I would also bring the personal political skills to help make this happen. Twice I have been elected to the Santa Monica City Council and once served a two-year term as Mayor. I bring a strong ideology/philosophy to my work, but I am also known as someone who listens to all sides. I have a reputation for being thorough, energetic and for getting things done in a unifying manner.

If you choose me as your representative, I will work hard to represent your city, our region and whole AQMD area.

Sincerely,

Michael Feinstein
City Councilmember