The downtown view from Griffith Observatory
(Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times)
I recently read Chip Jacobs and William J. Kelly’s book “Smogtown,” an excellent history of L.A.’s long but surprisingly successful battle against air pollution. It’s hard to imagine living in that world now, where poisonous air kills children, your backyard garden, crops and even motorists who crash due to the blinding smog. But the most enlightening part of the book was its recounting of California’s uphill struggle to get the rest of America to care about smog. L.A. was choking, but to the rest of the country it seemed like a local problem. And the solution — regulating industry — seemed downright un-American. Washington turned its back on us. L.A. went to war with Detroit, which for decades successfully fought efforts to reduce auto emissions. But California finally prevailed, and in the process it began an environmental movement that changed the world for the better.
It might be hard this week to take much solace in these lessons if you’re dismayed at the prospect of President Trump and Republicans in Washington turning back the clock on climate change regulations, LGBTQ+ protections and other measures that most Californians embrace. But holding onto hope and faith is essential in times like this. I devour a lot of self-help and self-improvement books, and many preach about the dangers of what happens when you give up.
Few people understand the California story better than Jerry Brown, mocked as “Governor Moonbeam” in the 1970s, hailed as an environmental savior in the 2010s.
“Every decade since the 60s, dystopian journalists write stories on the impending decline of our economy, our culture and our politics,” he said during his second turn as governor.
“I see unspent potential and incredible opportunity.”
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Publish date : 2024-11-06 03:36:00
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