In addition to the contributions he made to improve the lives of all Americans, the congressman was a passionate advocate for his beloved Baltimore, where he was born and raised.
My baby brother suffered from acute asthma his entire childhood, and witnessing his pain was tough on me, but even more so for my parents. It was disheartening to watch him suffer and miss school when he had trouble breathing. My parents, Mexican immigrants with limited education, worked multiple low-wage jobs to make ends meet. They often had to skip work to take care of him, which also hurt our ability to purchase appropriate treatments for him. For low-income families like mine, having health issues presents hard decisions about priorities and survival. This is not a unique story. Asthma is
This year marks the 20th anniversary of one of the most successful clean air programs in the state’s history. Since 1998, the Carl Moyer Memorial Air Quality Standards Attainment Program has provided $467 million to clean up dirty diesel engines across the Southland, including environmental justice communities.
The first few meetings I attended during my internship at SCAQMD truly opened my eyes to the hardships that families face because of poor air quality, especially those living in environmental justice communities. I had no personal experiences with asthma or other air pollution-related illnesses, but I heard continuously about babies who had to wear masks to breathe, about children who had to sit on the sidelines and watch while others played games and about people who were suffering.
Mayor Eric Garcetti announced this week he has signed an agreement to sell off the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s share in a coal-fired energy plant in Arizona, a move that brings the city closer to ending its dependence on coal energy. The signed agreement involves the sale of the LADWP’s 21 percent share in the Navajo Generating Station. “This is an important step toward cleaner air, addressing climate change and creating a clean energy future for Los Angeles,” Garcetti said. The LADWP spent three years negotiating the sale of the shares, with the resulting agreement calling for