Air quality affects everybody, and the state of the air in the southern San Joaquin Valley holds dire consequences for everyone who lives here.
How bad is it? Levels of microscopic particles in the air, levels of ozone, methane and other gases and the constant spewing of noxious compounds into the atmosphere make this among the most unhealthy places to live in the nation.
“Tulare County Voices at 210” will kick off the new year of its forums with an examination of the air quality in our communities.
“Air Quality in Our Communities,” will be at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 210 W. Center Avenue, Visalia. Admission is free, and doors open at 6:30 p.m. The program will be livestreamed and available for viewing on First Presbyterian Church’s YouTube channel.
This forum intends to assemble a panel of experts in air quality including representatives from the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, the medical community, the city of Visalia, the agriculture community, and a grass-roots organizer for remedies to the region’s poor quality.
This forum will include information on our air quality to answer the public’s questions, such as:
- How bad is our air?
- What makes Valley air so unhealthy?
- What specific features of our air contribute to poor air quality?
- What activities and industries create those conditions?
- How can those things be addressed?
- What is being done now?
Dr. Alexander Sherriffs will be on the panel to answer audience questions on how the particulate matter affects our health both individually and as a community. He’s a medical doctor and a long time member of the San Joaquin Air Pollution Control District and was also on the state level district board also.
Audience members will have ample opportunity to ask questions of civic and industry leaders.
This will be a great opportunity to learn what is already being done at several levels, and what residents can do to help.
Be sure to mark this event in those new 2025 calendars to participate in an expert, thoughtful and stimulating conversation on what we can do to improve our air on Tuesday, Jan. 14.
Join us at “Tulare County Voices at 210” and join the community conversation.
This sounds like a great conversation, but it’s puzzling that these discussions still happen and very little action results from talks. Wouldn’t it be great if the City of Visalia would *finally* take some action and ban the gas-powered leaf blowers and other lawn equipment that pollute the air and cause noise pollution day in and day out in our neighborhoods?
On a recently drizzly day, a neighbor’s landscaper was using a blower. For what? Did he find one dry leaf that he could blow across the street so that the gardener there can blow it somewhere else the next day? If it weren’t so maddening, it might be comical.
The noise pollution interrupts my workday … and has awakened me when I’ve had a rare opportunity to sleep until 7am. I can often smell the two-stroke gasoline engine fumes seeping through windows. Air dry clothes on the backyard? Not a chance on most days.
The air also pollution interrupts being able to regularly exercise outside or just enjoy sitting outside. Recently, teacher friends have told me about days when they kept kids in the classroom during recess because of bad air quality days. It’s absolutely bonkers that gas-powered equipment is still allowed in this area. Seriously, does the city favor gardening services over the health and livelihood of its citizens? All signs currently point to “Yes!”
How about this? Stop driving! All you want to do is ban what you object to. Nimby at it’s worst! We are either a free nation or we are not! Do you really want the government to have that much power?