Spanish-speaking residents of the region can now phone in complaints about sources of excessive air pollution and seek general information on air quality programs using the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s toll-free Spanish-language phone line.
The toll-free line, 1-800-876-3666, is answered by Spanish-speaking operators from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. At other times, callers can leave messages which will generate automatic pages to AQMD inspectors who are on call 24-hours a day, 365 days a year in the event of an air pollution incident, such as a toxic release from a factory or refinery.
Callers can dial the new toll-free line to report bothersome odors, smoke and dust from facilities large and small. They also can report smoking cars, trucks, buses and even trains. In addition, callers can get answers to a number of general questions about the region’s air pollution programs and request through the mail a number of helpful Spanish-language brochures at no charge.
"Our new Spanish-language line will help us better serve all the area’s residents," said Lupe Valdez, AQMD’s deputy executive officer for public affairs and transportation. " By making it easy for the region’s enormous Spanish-speaking population to phone in complaints, we will be better able to enforce air pollution control regulations for all the region’s residents."
Those phoning in complaints should be prepared to provide:
The operator takes down the information and forwards it to an AQMD inspector for resolution. The operator may ask for the caller’s name, address and phone number, though this is voluntary and kept confidential. However, it can be helpful because often AQMD needs to later contact callers to gather written complaints or seek additional information to successfully investigate and prosecute violations of air quality standards.
To report a smoking vehicle, be prepared to provide:
AQMD checks this information against Department of Motor Vehicles records to find the name and address of the vehicle’s owner and then sends a letter recommending vehicle maintenance or repair to help reduce pollution. The letter also asks the owner to return a postage-paid form telling AQMD what has been done to reduce smoke.
"Our inspection, enforcement and smoking vehicle programs are crucial to reducing unhealthful air pollution," said Valdez. " But they can only work with the help of all our residents."
AQMD is the government air pollution control agency for the urban portions of Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
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