www.Parctel.com: Burbank’s keeping it clean — and we’re all breathing just a little bit easier for it.
That’s not just our opinion. It was the conclusion of the American Lung Assn., which this week put the city at the top of an elite group of Southern California municipalities that control their second-hand smoke better than any others.
Burbank deserves a hearty congratulations for being one of only three cities in Los Angeles and Orange counties to earn the association’s A rating.
And it took some guts to get here, considering that the grade was a result of the controversial smoking ordinance passed last year.
It was not a politically popular thing with many residents to pass a city law limiting smoking in downtown, parks, outdoor dining areas and public walkways. Opponents of a ban saw their rights being infringed upon and felt the city was overstepping its bounds.
Proponents, on the other hand, felt it is their right to live free from the dangers of second-hand smoke.
With all the back and forth, Burbank could have gone with the status quo and not sought change. But instead, the council pushed forward. And the result, along with cleaner air, was the association’s award, making Burbank an elite city in Orange and Los Angeles counties, joining Baldwin Park and Calabasas as the only other cities to get an A.
That’s three cities out of 88 in L.A. and 34 in Orange County to be acknowledged as the association’s clean-air pioneers.
This is good news for a city that only two years ago was lamenting the not-so-good news of an Environmental Protection Agency study that ranked Burbank sixth on a list of the top-10 most polluted cities, all of which were in Southern California.
Perhaps the bad news about Burbank’s high levels of dust and soot was a wake-up call. City leaders now seem at least a little more aware of trying to keep the air cleaner.
Bob Hope Airport has launched several efforts to reduce pollution caused by the airport, including an electric charging system to get airlines to convert from diesel to electric equipment used for hauling baggage and towing planes into parking positions.
In October, the city received a clean-air award from the South Coast Air Quality Management District in Downtown Los Angeles for a hydrogen fueling station. So the city’s efforts are paying off — and not just in awards and A’s for effort.
There’s no more second-hand smoke in Downtown Burbank, the Chandler Bikeway and outdoor dining areas, for one thing. That may not seem like much, but it’s a start.
It’s true that Burbank is not a clean-air utopia, and as critics have maintained, the city continues to struggle with smog. Creating clean air, whether it’s getting rid of smog or second-hand smoke, will not happen overnight.
But Burbank is taking healthy steps forward.
Nice to see positive news from the Burbank Leader.
Source: Burbank Leader
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