AB 233 Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:

The Honorable Arnold Schwarzenegger
Governor, State of California
State Capitol Building
SacramentoC, A 95814
Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:
On behalf of BREATHE California of Los Angeles County (BREATHE LA), an independent,
non-profit organization dedicated to serving the lung health needs of Los Angeles County, I
strongfy urge you to sign Assembly Bill233, "The Healthy Heart and Lungs Act."
As you know, AB 233 will make California's air cleanerb y addressingth e need for enhanced
enforcement of diesel emission regulations which protect public health and reduce toxic
exposure.T his important legislation w ill strengthenthen enforcemento f existingd iesele mission
regulationsa nd will requiret he California Air ResourcesB oard (CARB) to developa strategic
enforcement plan of diesel emission regulations which includes increased education efforts,
outreache ffortst o enforcinga genciesa, nd in-housee nforcemenot fficers.
In 1998,t he California Air ResourcesB oard determinedt hat dieselp articulatem atter,f ound in
diesel exhaust,w as responsiblef or 7IYo of California's toxic airbornec ancerr isk. In addition
to particulate matter, diesel exhaust also was found to contain over forty other cancer causing
substancesA. ccording to CARB, particulatem atter from diesel exhaustc ausesa n estimated
3,000 Californianst o die prematurelye veryy ear and causesth ousandsm ore to experienceo ther
serious health problems including asthma attacks, chronic bronchitis, chronic pulmonary disease
and hospitalv isits for respiratorya nd cardiovasculairl lnesses.A dditionally, recents tudiesh ave
shownt hat particulatep ollution substantiallyin creasesth e risk of heart diseasei n older women
and just this year, a University of Southern California study discovered that children living
within 500 yardso f a freewayh ad pronouncedd eficits in lung capacity.
Given the tremendous health risks posed by diesel particulate matter, it is imperative that AB
233 is signed into law. On behalf of the over 35,000 residents of Los Angeles County
representedth rough BREATHE LA's core programs,I greatly encouragey our support of this
bill. BREATHE LA welcomes the opportunity to assist you in any way possible in your efforts
to improve air quality in California. Please feel free to contact our Environmental Policy
Manager, Nicole Shahenian at 323-935-8050 ext. 230 or via e-mail at
NShahenian@breathela.oirfg n eedf urther informationo n this or any other cleana ir initiative.
I look forward to working with you in the near future on initiative's that will continue to protect
the breath of life for all of California!
Sincerely,

Enrique-Chiock
Presiden&t CEO