Valley Vision Engages 200+ Residents to Design Community Air Monitoring Plans
The Sacramento metropolitan area, while having made enormous progress in recent decades, suffers from unacceptable levels of air pollution. As a result, diverse coalitions including community organizations, neighborhood associations, local governments, air districts, and education partners have been using cutting-edge technologies to monitor air quality in their neighborhoods. Despite progress, vulnerable communities still suffer from inequitable environmental conditions. It is crucial that federal and state leaders continue supporting community air protection programs and investing in the health and well-being of pollution-burdened communities.
Valley Vision has been a leader in improving regional air quality for more than 20 years. As manager of the longstanding Cleaner Air Partnership (CAP), the premier public-private coalition focused on improving air quality in California’s Capital Region, Valley Vision and our CAP partners bring air quality regulators, industry, and the nonprofit sector work together on air quality issues of common concern, for the benefit of all. Since 2017 and the passage of AB 617, and the subsequent establishment of CARB’s Community Air Protection Program, we have partnered to do air quality monitoring of our own, paired with advocacy and securing critical funding for community clean air projects.
As an evolution of our longstanding air quality and environmental work, Valley Vision is participating in the Statewide Mobile Monitoring Initiative (SMMI). As part of this project, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is partnering with Aclima – a public benefit corporation – and 64 frontline communities across California to measure air pollution at the neighborhood level. The initiative is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide effort that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment – particularly in disadvantaged communities.
Community Air Monitoring Plans: Residents in the Driver Seat
The $27 million initiative brought together diverse community members and advocates, community organizations, local agencies, and air districts to co-develop community air monitoring plans (CAMPs) for 64 pollution-burdened communities throughout the State of California. Over forty community organizations and community serving non-profits led engagement in these communities raising awareness about the project milestones, gathering input from residents about their experiences with air pollution, and working with them to define community monitoring boundaries, which informed Aclima where to deploy their sensor-equipped vehicles that will be measuring pollution block-by-block this year.
Valley Vision led community engagement in four communities in the Sacramento area – South Natomas, Oak Park/Fruitridge, Meadowview and Florin. Our friends at the Sacramento Environmental Justice Coalition (Sac EJC) led engagement in the Old North Sacramento/Norwood and Del Paso Heights neighborhoods of North Sacramento. Residents from different backgrounds with diverse needs came together to voice their air pollution concerns, and made key decisions that have helped shape community air monitoring plans. Read more about the community sessions below:
- Residents Guide Air Pollution Monitoring in South Sacramento
- Residents Guide Air Pollution Monitoring in South Natomas
Celebrating Wins and the Next Phase
On June 3rd, 2025, CARB, Aclima, and community leaders gathered together in front of the CalEPA building to celebrate major milestones, including the collaborative process used in this project, and to launch the next phase of the initiative. Read more about the press conference here.
The next phase of the initiative will kick-off this summer through winter of next year, where Aclima will deploy their fleet of vehicles equipped with sensors – block-by-block – to collect pollution data in overburdened communities disproportionately impacted by air pollution. The results gathered through collective efforts will help inform and drive local, community-centered solutions to improve air quality and public health.
Valley Vision is proud to partner with CARB, Aclima, and community groups to advance this important work, and we are committed to further connecting the forthcoming data with resources for communities to address these issues. We want to particularly thank the Gardenland-Northgate Neighborhood Association, the Meadowview Neighborhood Association, and the Oak Park Neighborhood Association for their thoughtful participation in the community forums earlier this Spring. Keep an eye out for Aclima’s vehicles and mobile labs coming to North Sacramento and South Sacramento neighborhoods starting this Summer!
Stay updated by visiting https://aclima.earth/ca-smmi.
