Ventura County Air Pollution Control District

08/31/2026

We are planning to launch a Clean Air Ambassadors program to teach elementary school students about air quality. The part-time positions are open to college students. For details, visit https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/ventura/jobs/5446020-0/apcd-clean-air-ambassador-extra-help. If you are teacher or administrator who would like to have the Clean Air Ambassadors visit your school, please contact Karin Grennan at [email protected] or 805-303-4002.

08/20/2026

We will have a booth at this popular event on Wednesday. We'd love to talk to you about what we do and the services that are available to you.

Looking for your next career opportunity? Join us at the 2026 County of Ventura Career & Resource Expo + Candidate Connect!

📅 Wednesday, August 26, 2026
🕚 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
📍 County Government Center Courtyard (between the Hall of Administration and the Hall of Justice)

This FREE event is open to everyone! Whether you're exploring a new career, considering public service or simply curious about opportunities with the County of Ventura, we'd love to meet you.

Explore careers in technology, public safety, healthcare, engineering, environmental services and more. Connect with County departments and agencies.

❓ Stop by the new Candidate Connect booth to chat with County recruiters and get your questions answered. Can't make it? You can browse current job openings anytime at governmentjobs.com/careers/ventura

08/17/2026

In 2026, SBCAG and VCTC added five zero-emission electric buses to the Coastal Express fleet! To represent the agencies’ commitment to improving air quality and protecting the environment, the buses feature artwork of marine life found in the ocean along the route, including starfish, purple urchin and Garibaldi. Learn more about the electric buses at goventura.org/electric.

08/10/2026

We loved meeting everyone at the Cabrillo Neighborhood Council National Night Out in Oxnard last week! There was lots of interest in our Commercial Lawn & Garden Equipment Exchange and Old Car Buyback programs, and I enjoyed showing off our new "My Oxnard Air" Black Carbon Monitoring webpage. If you'd like more information on these programs, visit https://www.vcapcd.org/.

08/06/2026

The agenda for the Ventura County Air Pollution Control Board meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 11, includes the following:

• EV CHARGERS: Board members will consider awarding $499,000 to DynaChrg to install five dual-port, direct-current fast electric vehicle chargers for public use at a gas station on Citrus Drive near Wells Road in Ventura. Funding will come from the 126 Corridor EV Chargers Incentive Program, which is designed to reduce air pollution along the highly trafficked highway.

• GARDENING WORKSHOPS: The board will vote on providing the Ojai Valley Green Coalition with a nearly $16,000 Clean Air Fund grant. It would be used to develop gardening and farming workshops with an emphasis on practices that reduce air pollution and greenhouse gases.

• CLEAN AIR DAY: Board members will vote on the adoption of a resolution declaring Oct. 7, 2026, as Clean Air Day in Ventura County. This would align with California Clean Air Day.

The meeting will be held at 1:30 p.m. in the Ventura County Board of Supervisors Hearing Room at 800 S. Victoria Ave. in Ventura and livestreamed. To review the full agenda and related documents, watch the livestream and find out how to provide public comments, visit https://www.vcapcd.org/board-meetings/.

08/04/2026

One step you can take to protect your health during National Wellness Month is to learn how to check air quality in real time. Find the AirNow NowCast Air Quality Index for your location at https://www.airnow.gov or download the app. AirNow uses hourly data from our five monitoring stations throughout Ventura County to provide air quality information for the surrounding regions. It's a great tool for learning whether ozone or wildfire smoke are making the air unhealthy for sensitive groups including children, older adults and those with existing lung and heart conditions or the general population.

08/03/2026

Back to School Month is a good time for a reminder not to idle gas-powered cars in pick-up lines.

• One minute of idling produces more carbon monoxide than the smoke from three packs of ci******es, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
• Pollution from exhaust contributes to lung infections, pneumonia, influenza and asthma. Children are sensitive to lower levels of air pollution than the general public.
• Idling for 10 seconds uses more fuel than restarting the engine of modern cars with fuel injection.
• Most people waste one to two tanks of gas every year by idling.
• Frequent restarting has little impact on the battery and starter, whereas excessive idling can damage important engine components, according to Ford Motor Co.

If you'd like to run a school idling-reduction campaign, check out the EPA's toolkit at https://www.epa.gov/schools/idle-free-schools-toolkit-healthy-school-environment.

07/15/2026

NEW WEBPAGE ADDS MEANING TO BLACK CARBON DATA | A new interactive webpage gives residents an easy-to-understand view of real-time and historical black carbon levels in the air in Oxnard and Port Hueneme along with information that helps explain the source of the soot.

Black carbon is formed from the incomplete burning of organic materials such as oil, diesel, coal and biomass, such as plant material. It is a component of fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, which can enter the lungs and bloodstream and lead to respiratory issues, heart attacks, strokes and other serious health problems.

South Oxnard and Port Hueneme rank in the top 5% of communities in the state for exposure to diesel pollution, according to CalEnviroScreen.

The “My Oxnard Air” Black Carbon Monitoring page on the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District website is a collaborative effort by VCAPCD, the Port of Hueneme, Climate First: Replacing Oil & Gas - CFROG.org and CSU Channel Islands. It interprets high quality data collected by monitors at Art Haycox Elementary, the Port of Hueneme entrance gate and the Oxnard Union High School District and in La Colonia. A Community Advisory Committee made up of South Oxnard and Port Hueneme residents helped select the last two sites based on local priorities and proximity to emission sources and people who are sensitive to pollution.

While the port has provided monitoring data on its website, the new webpage uses a color-coded index developed by VCAPCD and an Interactive Environmental Data Viewer to help residents better understand the information.

Displayed on easy-to-read dials, the index compares black carbon concentrations from each site to typical conditions across all four monitors, noting when they are higher than usual. The index is intended to provide context for changing black carbon levels and is not a measure of health risk or a regulatory standard.

The Interactive Environmental Data Viewer allows the public to compare information from multiple sites over custom time ranges in graphs or tables. People can view black carbon concentrations and the percent that was produced by biomass burning along with temperature, humidity, and wind speed and direction.

A high biomass-burning percentage indicates that wildfires, prescribed burns or agricultural burning are the primary cause of the black carbon. A low percentage points to fossil-fuel combustion such as heavy traffic and industrial pollution. Wind direction can help determine sources.

The port installed two monitoring stations on its own and received a grant from .S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 9 that paid for the other two and the webpage.

The webpage can be found at myoxnardair.org.

07/14/2026

07/13/2026

We'd love to see a local organization host a Clean Air Day event! If you are interested, apply by Friday.

Looking for a powerful way to engage your community and celebrate your shared commitment to clean air?💙

Hosting a California Clean Air Day event is a fun and meaningful way to bring people together!🤝

We’re offering funding of up to $1,000 to help community organizations, schools, cities, small businesses, and more host impactful events that raise awareness and inspire clean air action.📅

To be eligible, your event must take place on or within seven days prior to California Clean Air Day, happening on October 7, 2026. It should aim to educate your community about air quality, promote clean air behaviors, and engage at least 100 participants.💻

Past funded events have included bike-to-school days, tree plantings, clean air fairs, no-idling campaigns, youth art contests, and more! Microgrant funds can be used for event supplies, permits, marketing, educational materials, and other essentials to help bring your vision to life.

Applications are due by Friday, July 17 at 5pm. Don’t miss this opportunity to make a difference—learn more and apply today!

cleanairday.org/all-events/microgrant-program/