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Smog and Sunshine

The Surprising Story of How Los Angeles Cleaned Up Its Air
by Ann Carlson (Author)
Hardcover eBook
Price: $26.95 / £23.00
Publication Date: Apr 2026
Edition: 1st Edition
Title Details:
Rights: World
Pages: 312
ISBN: 9780520387393
Trim Size: 6 x 9
Illustrations: 25 b/w images
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About the Book

A stirring account of one of our greatest environmental success stories: cleaning up Southern California's air.

Los Angeles and smog have been synonymous for decades. From the 1940s through the 1980s, children breathed air so heavy with lead that their blood was poisoned with it. In 1970 officials declared smog alerts on 235 days. But the last smog alert happened in 2003, and lead has virtually disappeared from the air. This is the story of how Los Angeles cleaned up its air.

In Smog and Sunshine, environmental law expert and LA native Ann Carlson recounts the dramatic policy fights and the determined scientists, lawyers, and community members who worked alongside public officials to face off against major polluters and save their city. In a time of unprecedented climate change and skepticism about government and science, this book is an inspiring reminder of what concerned residents, individual leaders, and all levels of government can achieve by working together.

About the Author

Ann Carlson is Shirley Shapiro Professor of Environmental Law at the UCLA School of Law and former Acting Administrator and Chief Counsel of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Table of Contents

Contents
 
Acknowledgments
 
Introduction
1. Setting the Stage
2. Just How Bad Was LA Smog Before the Clean Air Act?
3. The Los Angeles Times and the Tucker Report
4. It's the Cars, Stupid!
5. Denial, Delay, and Deception
6. Air Pollution Goes National
7. The Catalytic Converter
8. California Gets a Little Help from Its Friends
9. Everything Pollutes
10. Environmental Injustice
11. Diesel Cars and Trucks
12. Don't Mess with Our Cars
13. What Cleaning Up Southern California's Air Can Teach Us About Climate Change
14. Where Do We Go from Here?
 
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index

Reviews

"An urgent argument for the good that government can do to combat climate change."

— Kirkus Reviews

"Smog and Sunshine is both a full-throated call for action as the effects of climate change persist and a showcase of the power that comes from organized voices and science-backed governmental policy. Carlson’s writing engages from a scientific and legal perspective, making this a valuable and lucid resource for academic and public library collections."

— Booklist

“Shows how L.A.'s decades-long battle to clean its air can serve as a blueprint for fighting climate change.”
 

— Golden State

“Highly accessible and informative. In 14 quickly paced and short chapters, Carlson provides a detailed history of LA’s struggle with air pollution in the last 100 years. A book that will resonate and engage readers . . . through graduate students in policy and planning, journalists, and environmental policy practitioners.”

— Journal of the American Planning Association

“A winding, complex but, ultimately, optimistic tale of Angelenos’ fight to breathe easier. Carlson’s book also documents the many environmental justice advocates, community stewards, scientists, lawyers and government officials who all helped Los Angeles air get to where it is today.”

— Inside Climate News

“Chronicles this remarkable environmental turnaround . . . revealing the complex web of causes behind the region’s notorious air quality and the sustained campaign to address them. [Carlson's] personal connection to the issue . . . —adds urgency to the scientific and policy victories that followed.”

— EnviroLink

"Recounts how researchers discovered that fossil fuels burned by Los Angeles' booming car culture were the main cause of smog, and the decades long fight to clean up vehicle emissions amid opposition from the automotive and oil industries."
 

— Politico

"From 1976 to 1980, the 'average' kid in Los Angeles had average blood levels of 15 micrograms, which was considered “normal.” At the time,  lead levels in LA’s ambient air were 50 times higher than they are today. The elimination of leaded gasoline steadily reversed the deadly trend not only in So Cal, but globally. It can be done."

— Counter Punch
"Ann Carlson gives us a remarkable view into the work of advocates, academics, regulators, and everyday people who refused to turn a blind eye to the toll dirty air was taking in Los Angeles and across Southern California. Now, with the broader fight for clean air and climate change upon us, it's time to learn from the past and fight for our children's future."—Gina McCarthy, the first White House National Climate Advisor and former US EPA Administrator

"In this vivid and compelling account, Carlson shows how leadership by citizens and public officials, scientific advances, and law worked together to vanquish the smog that suffocated Los Angeles and other urban centers for decades. In an era of rampant and indiscriminate dismantling of government programs, this story is a timely reminder of the immense health-enhancing, life-saving benefits of science-based regulation. This book could only have been written by someone with Carlson's matchless law and policy expertise, her expressiveness, and her deep love for her native city. We are lucky she chose to write it."—Jonathan Cannon, author of Environment in the Balance: The Green Movement and the Supreme Court

"In this long overdue account, Carlson tells the remarkable story of Southern California's decades-long battle to rid the basin of its terrible smog. Carlson shows, through a compelling narrative, that we need government and public servants to lead, ordinary people to fight, scientists to research, companies to innovate, and courts to enforce the law if we're to achieve environmental protection. That message could not be more timely as we confront a rapidly warming climate."—Henry Waxman, former US Representative from California

"Carlson tells the surprising story of how Los Angeles won its long fight for clean air. Facing relentless opposition from oil and auto interests and using the regulatory power of the Clean Air Act to force changes in technology, people from all walks of life refused to give up on the belief that clear skies and public health are not just compatible with but essential to the region's economic success. Smog and Sunshine relies on deep research and personal experience to remind us that enormous environmental challenges can be overcome with persistence and the willingness of leaders to adapt their tactics to evolving science and politics. A brisk and bracing read."—Mary D. Nichols, former Chair of the California Air Resources Board