BOARD MEETING DATE: January 6, 2006
AGENDA NO. 7

Recognize Revenue and Approve Expenditures for Conference on Asthma

SYNPOSIS:

The Board has directed staff to further address issues concerning air quality and children’s health, including asthma. A conference regarding asthma is being organized for February 2006. This action is to recognize revenues from conference sponsors, exhibitors, and attendees to cover conference expenditures, and appropriate $115,000 from the Undesignated Fund Balance (Fund 01) to the Public Affairs budget to cover conference expenditures. Sponsorship commitments have already been received from a number of parties, which will greatly offset the cost of the conference.

COMMITTEE:

Administrative, December 9, 2005, Recommended for Approval

RECOMMENDED ACTIONS:

1. Recognize revenues generated by the Asthma Conference into the Undesignated Fund Balance (Fund 01). The Undesignated Fund Balance (Fund 01) will be augmented and replenished with revenues raised from conference sponsorships, exhibitor fees, and registration fees.
2. Appropriate $115,000 from the Undesignated Fund Balance (Fund 01) to the Public Affairs Office budget to cover planned expenditures for the Asthma Conference as provided in Table 1 of this letter.

Barry R. Wallerstein, D.Env.
Executive Officer

Background

Recent findings from scientific studies indicate that air pollution remains one of the most underappreciated contributors to asthma exacerbations. The Board directed staff to better highlight and address the relationship of air pollution and asthma. A conference is being organized for February 2006 that will highlight scientific findings that poor outdoor air quality is a preventable asthma trigger and to develop future policy initiatives to reduce air pollution and/or facilitate the diagnosis, treatment and management of asthma.

An excellent group of speakers has agreed to participate, including: Dr. Bruce Hensel, M.D., Medical, Health & Science Editor/Reporter, NBC4 (morning moderator); Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, of the City of Los Angeles (opening keynote speaker); various asthma/health experts, such as Rick Kreutzer, M.D., California Department of Health Services; Beate Ritz, M.D., USC; Henry Gong, M.D., USC, CARB Board Member; Martha Arguella, M.D., Physicians for Social Responsibility; Craig Jones, M.D., USC Asthma Vans; Elisa Nicholas, M.D., Long Beach Children’s Clinic; John Balmes, M.D., UCSF, CHEST; Jonathan Fielding, M.D., LA County Department of Health; John Peters, USC/UCLA Professor of Occupational and Environmental Health and Epidemiology, among others.

Sponsorship commitments have already been received from: Kaiser Permanente, Merck, Separcor, and the California Endowment.

Proposal

Staff requests that the Board approve allocating up to $115,000 from the Undesignated Fund Balance (Fund 01) to organize and conduct an Asthma Conference in February of 2006. Staff has prepared a proposed budget for the conference as shown in the following table.

Table 1 -- Proposed Asthma Conference Budget Expenditures
(Assuming 300 Attendees)

¹ Biltmore Hotel, Los Angeles.
² Expenses may be adjusted downward, depending on number of attendees.

Revenues received will be used to replenish the Undesignated Fund Balance (Fund 01). Sponsorship commitments totaling approximately $25,000 have already been received, with significant other sponsorships being negotiated. Staff expects to cover the costs listed in Table 1 through a combination of sponsorships, exhibitor fees and registration fees. Therefore, staff requests the Board to recognize revenues received from the Asthma Conference into the Undesignated Fund Balance (Fund 01).

Benefits to AQMD

The Asthma Conference will increase local, state and national awareness of the human costs of delayed pollution cleanup efforts, especially to school-age children with asthma, bring together all involved stakeholders, and will drive and raise the visibility of clean air choices available to policymakers. In addition, enhanced policies related to asthma diagnosis, treatment and management will be suggested for future action.

Resource Impacts

Expenses for the Asthma Conference (not to exceed a total of $115,000) will be drawn from the Undesignated Fund Balance (Fund 01). The Undesignated Fund Balance (Fund 01) will be replenished with revenues received from sponsorships, registration fees and exhibitor fees from the Asthma Conference.

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