The Los Angeles City Council Wednesday instructed staff to explore a program that could address local air quality challenges and empower residents to take an active role in reducing pollution.
In a 13-0 vote, the City Council approved a motion introduced on Feb. 7 by members Tim McOsker and Katy Yaroslavsky. Council members requested the Department of Transportation, Port of Los Angeles and the Wilmington Neighborhood Council to report on the feasibility of enacting such a program.
Council members John Lee and Monica Rodriguez were absent during the vote.
According to the American Lung Association’s State of the Air 2024 report, L.A. ranked as the sixth most polluted metropolitan area in the United States when measured by annual particle pollution. A large source of these harmful pollutants come from idle emissions from motor vehicles powered by gas or diesel.
Exposure to these pollutants can increase rates of infant mortality, hospital admissions for heart disease and result in severe asthma attacks, according to experts. The air quality study noted low-income communities and people of color are disproportionately impacted.
In the motion, McOsker, who represents the 15th District, encompassing the Harbor Area, expressed concern for residents in Wilmington. The community is adjacent to the Port of Los Angeles, a site with high concentration of pollutants due to trade activity.
While the port is advancing plans to electrify its operations and reduce pollutants, the council members point to the city of New York’s Citizen Idling Complaint Program, which went into effect in 2017, as another tool to address environmental and health harms.
The program enables residents to report idling commercial vehicles and receive 25% of any resulting fines.
L.A.’s program may be implemented in a specific geographic area such as Wilmington or they may consider enacting it citywide. The report is expected to guide that decision.
“Given the region’s high levels of particle pollution and the significant health and environmental hazards faced by communities like Wilmington, such a program could make large positive impacts in the health outcomes of city residents,” the motion reads.