Ending Air Pollution and Abating Climate Change

Measures R and M are profoundly advancing the modernization of LA County’s transportation system, but we have not addressed the larger problem of modernizing those transportation systems serving all of Southern California—Metrolink’s regional commuter rail system and our regional goods movement system. The transportation sector is the single biggest cause of both air pollution and climate change in California, producing almost 40% of all GHG emissions and about 80% of all the NOx emissions that are the biggest cause of air pollution.

The bad news is that without improvements to both the goods movement and Metrolink systems we aren't doing enough to clean our air or combat climate change. In fact, emissions from vehicles increased in 2016 because people are driving more. The good news is that the South Coast Air Quality Management District has adopted an Air Quality Management Plan for reducing emissions, and advanced clean technologies to power passenger vehicles and light-, medium-, and heavy duty trucks are now or soon will be readily available to help achieve the AQMP's goals.

All we need is funding for the accelerated deployment of clean trucks and electrification and other improvements to Metrolink. That's where our Strawman 2020 comes in: We propose putting a measure on the November 2020 ballot in the 4-county South Coast Air Quality Management District (LA, Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties, minus the desert areas) to raise $1.4 billion per year over 30 years. Click the link below to see how we'd do this and how we think the money should be spent.

Ancillary benefits of this investment would include reduced traffic congestion and increased system efficiency, which would spur regional economic growth—adding up to a really big win! Our work here includes convening a regional coalition to help accomplish this mission and reaching a Grand Bargain on what kind of a measure could pay for these improvements.

If we can clean the air and halt climate change here, in the world's 12th largest economy and one of the world's largest car markets, the achievement is big enough that we would become a model for the world.

Vision 2020: The big picture book that explains our plan!
Vision 2020 Strawman: Here's what we could fund!
What SoCal experts say about clean air, clean trucks, and abating climate change
Move LA's Denny Zane reflects on the possibilities from a 2017 perspective,
and imagines our accomplishments looking back from 2040