Bill to create regional air-quality incident response centers advances with bipartisan support

Assemblymember Solace presented AB 2349, a bill to establish a statewide network of air-quality incident response centers that would coordinate local air districts, CARB and other agencies for rapid deployment of monitoring equipment, training and public information during air incidents.

Wayne Nastri, executive officer of South Coast AQMD, testified in sponsorship support, saying the program would "enable the rapid deployment of monitoring equipment where it is most needed" and improve regional coordination. Dr. Jason Lehi, deputy executive officer (monitoring and analysis), described technical benefits for plume modeling and rapid public information during incidents.

Committee members noted the bills timeliness, citing recent warehouse and chemical fires and saying the program would help pre-coordinate contacts, equipment and data flows so responses are faster and more transparent. The committee moved AB 2349 to the Appropriations Committee with recorded support.

What happens next: AB 2349 was passed to Appropriations; authors and sponsors said the next phase will focus on funding, operational roles between CARB and local air districts, and training commitments.