Where We Started
Steve Kirsch grew up breathing the smog of Southern California, when the Los Angeles area held the distinction of having the worst air in the nation. As a result, our first grantmaking and public policy focus was cleaning up the air in California. We concentrated our energies on consumer and government support for zero-emission vehicles as a forward-thinking answer to the state's air quality woes.
Milestones
Decades after air pollution ruled the day in Los Angeles, the “worst air in the nation” moniker shifted to California's San Joaquin Valley. Early in 2003, we recognized this unnoticed crisis and shifted both policy and funding resources to address this issue. We helped build a clean air coalition - called CVAQ (Central Valley Air Quality) - comprised of the region's environmental and public health grass roots organizations along with statewide advocates. CVAQ has become recognized as an effective advocate for clean air.
Our Current Efforts
Early in 2004, we brought several foundations together to bring attention to, and seek additional funding to address, the Valley's pollution and public health crisis. We actively supported a series of Valley bills that became law, including SB 700 (Florez) and SB 709 (Florez), which will improve the region's air quality once enacted. We continued to work with CVAQ to strengthen its voice and efforts to be an effective, on the ground, advocate for the Valley's residents.
As air quality worsens, asthma rates rise, and the number of motor vehicles on California roads increases, the Foundation continues to fund organizations working for clean air. We also collaborate with other organizations, particularly CVAQ, at the federal and state level for legislative and regulatory initiatives in the Valley and throughout California on this critical issue.
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I try to live what I consider a ‘poetic existence.’ That means I take responsibility for the air I breathe and the space I take up.”
• Maya Angelou, Writer
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Kevin Hamilton, Asthma Education and Management Community Medical Centers, with Nick Jaramillo, asthma patient.
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