Did you know? South LA has some of the worst air pollution in the city. Polluted air leads to asthma, heart disease, and other serious health problems, especially for Black and Brown communities who live near drilling sites. Big polluters profit while our neighborhoods suffer. We’re organizing to phase out oil drilling, enforce stronger environmental protections, and make South LA a healthier place to live. Oil drilling and toxic industries have been harming our health for decades, but we’re fighting back through our Air Quality Committee.
The Air Quality Committee at SCOPE is a collective of community leaders and organizers working to fight back against the environmental injustices affecting South LA. Through education, grassroots organizing, and policy advocacy, the committee raises awareness about how oil drilling and pollution harm our air, health, and economy. By bringing residents together, they are building power to demand stronger environmental protections and real solutions that put people over corporate profits.
Pollution in South LA has led to rising rates of asthma, heart disease, and other serious health conditions, disproportionately impacting Black and Brown communities. The committee is mobilizing community members in 2024-2025 to co-create policy solutions, fight for laws that protect our air—including AB 1137, ACA 16, and AB 617 CSC—and uplift community voices through storytelling and advocacy. By working together, we can phase out oil drilling, enforce environmental protections, and create a South LA where everyone can breathe freely.
Fighting for Clean Air: Voices from South LA
For decades, South LA residents have been forced to breathe polluted air from oil drilling, freeway traffic, and industrial toxins. This isn’t just an inconvenience—it’s a public health crisis that has led to rising asthma rates, chronic respiratory conditions, and environmental injustices that disproportionately harm Black and Brown communities.
But community leaders are fighting back.
We sat down with Iretha Warmsley and Guadelupe Rivas, Co-Chairs of SCOPE’s Air Quality Committee, to talk about what clean air means, the moment they realized South LA’s air wasn’t safe, and why they remain committed to fighting for environmental justice.
How would you define or describe clean air?
Iretha:
“Clean air is air that is free from pollutants—air that won’t harm you when you breathe it in. I know the air is clean when I can wake up and actually see from my street to the mountains, when I can breathe without carrying an inhaler, when the air isn’t making people sick.”
Guadelupe:
“Right now, the air we breathe is full of contamination—trucks, factories, and carbon monoxide are everywhere, damaging our bodies, especially our lungs and heart. Clean air means knowing that what we’re breathing isn’t poisoning us. It means making sure children and elders, the most vulnerable, can breathe without getting sick.”
When did you realize the air in South LA wasn’t clean?
Iretha:
“I knew something was wrong when I saw how many people in my family had asthma—my brother, my husband. My brother, rest in peace, was always struggling to breathe. I noticed how the air always looked foggy and smelled off. So many people in my neighborhood had nosebleeds, asthma, and respiratory issues, and I started wondering—why are so many babies being born with asthma? It didn’t make sense. That’s when I knew the air we were breathing was harming us.”
Guadelupe:
“I realized it when my daughter was born with asthma. I didn’t understand why—no one in my family had it before. And now my granddaughter goes to the same school my daughter did, and I see the same pattern. My neighbors complain about it too—parents bringing medicine from other countries, trying to find a solution, but the air hasn’t changed. We are still breathing the same pollution.”
What makes you want clean air for South LA?
Iretha:
“Because we deserve it. South LA has been ignored for too long. Other communities get protected, but here, we’re forced to breathe in pollution like we don’t matter. We are not a landfill, not a train yard—we are human beings, and we have the right to breathe clean air.”
Guadelupe:
“I want to see a South LA where kids aren’t growing up in hospitals with asthma, where elders can breathe without struggling, and where we have clean parks with fresh air. I want people to feel proud of the work we are doing to change things.”
“Clean air is air that is free from pollutants—air that won’t harm you when you breathe it in. It means not having to worry about asthma, lung problems, or headaches just from stepping outside your home.”
Iretha warmsley, scope’s air quality committee co-chair
Who should be held responsible for the unclean air in South LA?
Iretha:
“The industries that put profit over people—oil companies, corporations, and policymakers who allow this to continue. They are poisoning our communities while they sit in clean, comfortable neighborhoods. We need to hold them accountable.”
Guadelupe:
“Big polluters and decision-makers. We’ve been speaking up for years, but too many people in power still refuse to take action. That has to change.”
What is your personal mission in being a part of the fight for clean air in South LA?
Iretha:
“My mission is to make sure South LA gets the quality of life we deserve. That means stopping oil drilling in our neighborhoods, holding polluters accountable, and making sure our community isn’t treated like a dumping ground. We are not disposable. As long as I have breath, I will keep fighting to put people over profit.”
Guadelupe:
“To protect South LA. I want to see a future where people aren’t sick just from breathing the air. Where our parks are filled with fresh air, not surrounded by pollution. This work is about making sure our community has a future.”
How can people get involved in the fight for cleaner air in South LA?
Iretha:
“We can’t do this alone. If you want to see change, you have to join the fight. Too often, people think, ‘This doesn’t affect me,’ but it does. Pollution doesn’t always look obvious—it’s in the air we breathe every single day. People in our community have died because of this pollution, and others are still suffering. We have to stand together because that’s the only way we’ll win.”
Guadelupe:
“Talk to your neighbors. Learn about the policies affecting us. Join organizations like SCOPE that are actively fighting for environmental justice. Every small action helps—whether it’s signing petitions, attending meetings, or just spreading awareness. This is our community, and we have to protect it.”
“This is about justice. If we don’t fight for clean air now, our kids and grandkids will continue to suffer. I want to leave behind a South LA that is healthy, not just for us but for future generations.”
guadelupe rivas, scope’s air quality committee co-chair
The Fight Continues
Iretha and Guadelupe are just two of the many women leading the fight for environmental justice in South LA. Their work through SCOPE’s Air Quality Committee is part of a larger movement to end oil drilling, strengthen environmental protections, and create a South LA where everyone can breathe freely.
Want to get involved? Join SCOPE and be part of the movement for clean air and environmental justice. Because clean air is not a privilege—it’s a right.
