Assembly Passes Lieu Bill To Make The South Coast Air Quality Management District Board More Representative

Sacramento, CA – Assemblymember Ted Lieu (D-Torrance), today, announced the passage of AB 2015 on the California State Assembly floor with a vote of 41-32. AB 2015 will increase the number of seats on the South Coast Air Quality Management District Board (SCAQMD) from twelve to thirteen.

“AB 2015 will allow our communities to play a greater role in improving one of our most precious natural resources, namely, clean air,” said Assemblymember Lieu. “By allotting additional representation to local cities, we can more accurately and effectively meet the needs of all of Southern California’s residents.”

The SCAQMD Board has jurisdiction over the following four counties: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino. The SCAQMD seeks to ensure that all communities are progressing toward meeting clean air standards and protecting public health.

Due to a quirk in the current law, some smaller cities do not get adequate representation on the Board. AB 2015 will make the AQMD much more inclusive.

AB 2015 creates a fourth seat in LA County, reserved for the City of LA. This gives the nation's second-largest city a permanent seat and frees up the Western LA County seat for the independent cities in the Westside and South Bay.

“AB 2015 will give many smaller cities the opportunity for direct representation on the AQMD to better represent significant air quality issues and polluters in the Western Sector and LA County,” said Lieu.

AB 2015 will be voted on in the California Senate in the following months.