Introduction:
The South Coast AQMD Governing Board plays a critical role in shaping policies and programs that protect public health and improve air quality across the region.
In this issue, we sit down with Governing Board Member Senator (Ret.) Vanessa Delgado, who represents the California State Senate Rules Committee, for a conversation about her background, priorities, and what inspires her commitment to improving air quality across the South Coast Air Basin.
Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
What inspired you to pursue public service (or your career path)?
Senator Vanessa Delgado: Public service is always something that I wanted to do. I think mostly because my grandmother, my Abuelita, was kind of the person that modeled that for me when I was growing up. She lived in Boyle Heights and had come from Zacatecas in the 80s, as a Bracero family. And, she was the home you stopped on, on the way from your journey…she would give people a change of clothes, food, let them take a shower…I've always just admired that spirit of giving and being of service.
What did your appointment to the Board mean to you personally—not just as a Board member, but as the first female and Latina Chair?
Senator Delgado: In the beginning, it was a huge learning curve. I admire our staff--the smartest, most giving group of public officials I’ve ever met, and I love it.
…To be the first Latina or Latino Chair is a lot of pressure because I want to make sure that there are a lot more that come after me. So, I want to do everything I can to be as transparent as I can…I loved it.
I think we actually make change and improve lives.
What experiences, personal or professional, have shaped your perspective on air quality?
Senator Delgado: …I was around when we had smoke days when I was in junior high and elementary school. I was aware of air quality impacts on communities, but I think being a member of the Board and visiting underserved areas really did open my eyes about the folks that have the most needs…also have the greatest air impacts on their lives. And it’s really quite shocking, how it’s about where you live and what your zip code is, where you work.
And that’s why I want to keep going and want to do what we can to keep our agency sustainable …I know we have a lot to do because I don’t want it to be that you have to deal with health impacts just because of where you live.
Is there a moment in your life that made air quality or environmental issues feel especially personal to you?
Senator Delgado: When I first got on the Board, I was really interested in understanding why it always smelled like dead animals on the Eastside. It was usually in the afternoons in the summer, and it was an awful smell. To their credit, our staff had been working on the issue, which was related to the rendering facilities in Vernon and Los Angeles, and the confluence of all those manufacturing facilities.
When I think about how I felt growing up that way, we all just thought, Our community smells like that. And we live with that, and that's normal…I'm so proud of the rules that we passed…it's a stark reminder that there are some real impacts that people face with air quality. To think that people grow up with a dead carcass smell and that it's normal, that's just not normal. I know, we've got to fix that.
What impact does air quality have on your life or community?
Senator Delgado: I've learned so much more about air impacts that are regional, and that's what impacts me more now, and it's probably because I'm trying to understand how to change big policy issues. For example, going to the Port and seeing the origination of all the goods movement as it relates to factories being built in the Inland Empire, and driving through the 710, and the Wilmington area, and all the gateway cities, and SELAC communities. To me it's about making broader change. How can we bring zero-emission equipment so that all those communities can be impacted?
What are the biggest air quality challenges facing your community right now?
Senator Delgado: When I was finishing my role as the Chair, the Port had received a $400 million -plus grant to improve their operations. Then we received the INVEST CLEAN grant of almost $500 million. Combined, it sounds like quite a bit--almost a billion dollars of resources… but I would love for that to truly translate into--as we move through the region and put the infrastructure in--that we’re helping the communities that are most impacted by the worst air quality.
Driving around the Eastside, there are so many times that I can't find a fast charger and I'm out of miles. We're not ready to transition to zero emissions even for our day-to-day lives here in this area. I'm very conscious of that, but it is going to take a lot of money. A billion dollars is a great start
What do you hope future generations will say about the work being done today?
Senator Delgado: … If somebody ever said, she got things done. That’s the highest-level compliment anybody would give me. So, if people in the future say, oh, that's right, they got all those things done. Then that's worthwhile.
If you weren't in your current role, what career might you have pursued?
Senator Delgado: I think I would have liked to be an artist, to be a painter. In another life, I think that would have been fun.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Senator Delgado: In my younger days I was very shy, and I still feel shy…but I wish that…I was fearless.
My grandma had 10 kids, and then there's, like, a couple dozen of us grandkids. There was the sense that the kids should go outside and be out of the way. I had a wonderful childhood. But sometimes I think, had I thought about the things I wanted to achieve sooner, what could I be?
But I would probably encourage my younger self to maybe, just enjoy life a little bit more. And not worry so much about my checklists.
What does “clean air” mean to you?
Senator Delgado: Clean air to me is equity…It's something that we all deserve. We have a right to clean air...clean air is for everyone, doesn't matter your zip code.