CommentsGUEST COMMENTARY-Over a year ago, in an attempt to reduce emissions caused by the idling of diesel trucks and buses on the streets and freeways of Los Angeles,
Councilmembers Joe Buscaino (in whose district residents suffer not only from the toxic fumes from the Port of Los Angeles but also from the overflow of trucks idling on the adjacent suburban streets) and Paul Koretz introduced CF 19-0454 as a request for a streamlined complaint process and further enforcement.
That culminated quickly in a direction issued from the Department of Transportation to post more “No Idling” signs. Which is akin to putting a Band-Aid on a mortal wound.
At the same time, Councilmembers Paul Koretz and Marqueece Harris-Dawson introduced CF 19-0604 to reduce emissions caused by the idling of vehicles across the many thousands of miles of freeways, streets, alleys, and driveways in Los Angeles.
This still has not been finalized.
But under the guidance of the Neighborhood Council Sustainability Alliance, the Neighborhood Councils are weighing in – it’s about the health of every Angeleno which is of critical concern now when air pollution is a contributing factor in susceptibility to COVID-19 and an increased risk of death from the virus.
This Council File needs to be expedited.
It should also be revised to address reasons WHY people idle.
One big problem this summer is that many areas of the City don’t have air conditioning (or can’t afford to run it) and have been using their cars -- idling on the street or driveways -- to cool down. Or just to get away from family members during the quarantine. This has also been a direct result of the closure of libraries and senior centers and -- my favorite -- movie theaters during the pandemic.
Unfortunately, vehicles with less efficient engines tend to be in neighborhoods with lower incomes, reduced parking, and the above AC issue, further contributing to the equity disparities around the City.
Come on, guys, there have to be better options.
Furthermore, in addition to residents turning vehicles into personal air conditioners, a selection of businesses not only idle trucks in our streets and driveways but actually run their engines on high, polluting sidewalk areas and too often poisoning neighboring homes with their fumes as they clean customers’ carpets, inject insulation, and chip the wood of downed trees.
Then there are traffic jams and rush hours, the desire to not run down vehicle batteries when unloading using lift-gates or just listening to the radio, and a general lack of parking -- all further aggravated by the excess and more toxic exhaust from older and poorly tuned motors.
I don’t have the answers for this but somewhere out there are people who, when presented with a problem, find answers.
Respectfully, the Councilmembers should immediately amend CF 19-0604 to provide the minimal funding necessary to proactively find solutions to the underlying issues. This could be more effective and less costly than an expensive marketing campaign.
Then, they should expeditiously move on to putting enforcement into place, strong enforcement with teeth. Which would have the dual effect of reducing emissions and increasing the City’s income.
A separate motion or motions should be introduced to address the fact that a history of redlining in the City has ensured that too many lower income Angelenos live in areas overwhelmed by vehicular pollution -- such as in the port and refinery areas in the Harbor area of the City, and in the freeway mish-mash through Boyle Heights and adjacent communities.
This has undoubtedly contributed to the increased infection and deaths in those neighborhoods from COVID-19. But, above all, to be effectively addressed, the underlying issues need to be identified and understood in the context of these neighborhoods.
No one deserves to breathe exhaust fumes, and their reduction should be an immediate City priority.
(Liz Amsden is an activist from Northeast Los Angeles with opinions on much of what goes on in our lives. She also writes on behalf of the Budget Advocates’ mission regarding the City’s budget and services. In her real life she works on budgets, for film and television, where fiction can rarely be as strange as the truth of living in today’s world.) Photo: Rick Bowmer/AP. Edited for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.
