In communities across California, residents are grappling with poor air quality, often without a clear understanding of the pollutants in their environment. In Vallejo, a neighborhood near a cement mixing plant struggles with constant dust on the inside of homes, including kitchen cabinets, counters and tables. Other communities contend with traffic and aircraft emissions, industrial pollution and seasonal wildfire smoke.

At the historic gambling hall named Dai Loy – which translates to "big welcome" – UC Davis landscape architecture students received just that, as they explored the rich history of Locke, a quaint town in the Delta. The landmark was one of the stops on a field trip that immersed students in the community's past, inspiring ideas for future improvements in the region that could benefit the town.

When desert winds stir up dust from the Salton Sea’s exposed lakebed, nearby communities suffer from increased air pollution. The deterioration coincides with reduced flows into California’s largest lake, a new research paper in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics finds. 

Switching to low carbon fuels for transportation, cooking, heating, power generation and other needs would help fight climate change but also reduce racial and ethnic disparities in exposure to air pollution, according to researchers at University of California, Davis.

New forms of environmental justice organizing — from grassroots movements to government-led policy initiatives — are building healthier and more equitable communities within the Sacramento region, suggests a new study by the University of California, Davis.