“In winter, the air in San Lorenzo Valley is smoky from wood stoves. It’s been that way for decades. In 2014, for the first time, I obtained documentation to show air quality failed the federal standard for 37 days, the third year in a row averaging 32 days (a month) of violations. Not everyone understands the impact of smoky air on health, so I made sure to include that information. The front page attention galvanized county officials to successfully press federal regulators to retain an incentive program to change out smoky wood stoves, which had been in danger of being eliminated. County officials voted to fund more free dump days so as to give people an alternative to burning trash outdoors. Winter isn’t over yet, but there have been fewer “bad air day” alerts and fewer angry neighbors saying they can’t breathe.”
