Republican-led AQMD board fires longtime executive

[Source: Southern California Public Radio/89.3KPCC] The board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District, now dominated by pro-business members, voted 7-6 Friday to remove Barry Wallerstein, its longtime top executive. The action suggests the AQMD may be taking a more conservative approach to battling the L.A. Basin’s air pollution, which is among the worst in Read More…

AQMD board ousts executive officer

[Source: Los Angeles Business Journal] The governing board of the Southern California Air Quality Municipal District voted 7-6 to fire Barry Wallerstein, its executive officer since 1997, amid concerns from its new Republican majority that the agency needs to be more business friendly. The board appointed Chief Financial Officer Michael B. O’Kelly as the agency’s Read More…

Oil gears up for another climate fight

[Source: CALmatters] A Harvard economist known globally for his work on climate change policy sat in the Sacramento office of the oil industry’s lobbying firm recently, making the case that California is fighting global warming the wrong way. The state has a good cap and trade system, Robert Stavins said, but some of its other Read More…