Smog and Sunshine

The Surprising Story of How Los Angeles Cleaned Up Its Air

Ann Carlson

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Year: 2026
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9780520387409
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Urban Planning & Landscaping
• Index: Politics & International Relations

A stirring account of one of our greatest environmental success stories: cleaning up Southern California's air.

Los Angeles and smog have been synonymous for decades. From the 1940s through the 1980s, children breathed air so heavy with lead that their blood was poisoned with it. In 1970 officials declared smog alerts on 235 days. But the last smog alert happened in 2003, and lead has virtually disappeared from the air. This is the story of how Los Angeles cleaned up its air.

In Smog and Sunshine, environmental law expert and LA native Ann Carlson recounts the dramatic policy fights and the determined scientists, lawyers, and community members who worked alongside public officials to face off against major polluters and save their city. In a time of unprecedented climate change and skepticism about government and science, this book is an inspiring reminder of what concerned residents, individual leaders, and all levels of government can achieve by working together.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• 1. Setting the Stage
• 2. Just How Bad Was LA Smog Before the Clean Air Act?
• 3. The Los Angeles Times and the Tucker Report
• 4. It’s the Cars, Stupid!
• 5. Denial, Delay, and Deception
• 6. Air Pollution Goes National
• 7. The Catalytic Converter
• 8. California Gets a Little Help from Its Friends
• 9. Everything Pollutes
• 10. Environmental Injustice
• 11. Diesel Cars and Trucks
• 12. Don’t Mess with Our Cars
• 13. What Cleaning Up Southern California’s Air Can Teach Us About Climate Change
• 14. Where Do We Go from Here?
• Notes
• Selected Bibliography
• Index
• Photographs follow page