Take a Breath of Fresh Advice

Did anyone else notice how gorgeous last Sunday was? As my electric vehicle rounded the ramp from the 710 Freeway to the 105 Freeway, I could see downtown -- clear as day! And our city was surrounded by mountains. I’d forgotten how close they are. Textures, colors and skyline were visible as never before, or so it seemed. I always love Los Angeles -- born and raised here -- and I’m passionate about this city, its diversity, opportunities, geography and everything else. I was so touched to see L.A. in all of its beautiful splendor.

Then reality struck. The blue Volvo diesel in front of me emitted a continuous black stream of toxins. The ports and the airports are undoubtedly still doing their thing. And, I realized, the rains hadn’t removed the pollution, just sent it into the hydrological cycle. People, wake up! We have to do something to clean our air. Complacency ain’t gonna do it. We’re so immersed in pollution, we forget what it’s supposed to be like and how beautiful it can be. Don’t just read this, get involved. Don’t let them expand things (airport, shipping, manufacturing) without being responsible to the environment.

Demand cleaner air. And for God’s sake -- get out of those SUVs!

Andrea L. Bell

Long Beach