For Immediate Release, September 5, 2025
Contact: Haley Ehlers, haley@cfrog.org, (805)263-7408
[Ventura County, California] – Funded through the California Climate Investments program and awarded by the California Air Resources Board, this $500,000 Community Air Grant will support Climate First: Replacing Oil & Gas (CFROG)’s My People, My Air (Mi Gente, Mi Aire) project. This project aims to partner with local residents to design and deploy an expanded community-based air quality monitoring network in West Ventura and Oxnard. The goal of this community participatory research is to galvanize communities to push collectively for local fossil fuel pollution reduction solutions.
Dr. Sean Anderson, a professor of Environmental Science and Resource Management at California State University Channel Islands and partner in the My People, My Air project, notes “To understand if a given amount of pollution might make us sick, we must first document the types and amounts of potential toxins in our local area. This is challenging due to technical constraints and recent regulatory curtailment by the federal government. This has been particularly true in and around communities historically exposed to the highest pollution levels. This project will provide valuable, community-specific data that allows us to better understand the local air quality landscape in our region and, in turn, better inform decision-making processes that protect community health. Seeing the world as it really is allows us to responsibly move forward with fact-based interventions when and if they are needed. This is how responsible public health works. This is how we all get better.”
My People, My Air will deploy six air quality monitors in West Ventura, Oxnard, and a control monitor at the CSUCI campus. Their exact locations will be determined by Community Advisory Committees made up of local impacted residents. CFROG will be partnering with Blue Tomorrow, a local environmental consulting firm with strong experience in developing community-based monitoring projects. Monitoring activities will also be coupled with community outreach and workforce development efforts, aimed at deepening community engagement in community science and research-informed decision making.
This project will provide essential data to fill community-specific gaps in Ventura County’s regulatory monitoring network. Currently, the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District (VCAPCD) hosts an array of five regulatory-grade monitors across the county, leaving many communities without comprehensive air quality data. The VCAPCD is a vital partner in this project, providing technical support and expertise. Sam Michie, Air Monitoring Division Manager with VCAPCD remarked, “The Ventura County Air Pollution Control District is pleased to continue its partnership with CFROG on the My People, My Air initiative—an exemplary model of collaborative, community-centered air quality monitoring. This project represents a strategic alignment of advocacy, public education, and technological assessments, aimed at empowering residents and fostering long-term improvements in community health.”
CFROG has been working to increase air quality data collection and access for communities in Ventura County since 2019, with an emphasis on pollutants harmful to our climate and public health. We have distributed over 40 PurpleAir monitors to homes and schools and deployed a more comprehensive monitoring network with sensors at Patagonia locations in West Ventura and Clinicas del Camino Real health clinics in Oxnard. We look forward to expanding this community-based scientific research and deepening community ownership of it.
CFROG’s Executive Director, Haley Ehlers, emphasized “It is vital that we center the community’s lived-experiences in our air quality monitoring efforts to ensure that we are providing the most relevant resources for community education and action. By providing a venue for community members to lead and direct monitoring and advocacy efforts, CFROG is ensuring that this project is both by and for the community.”
If you live, work, or go to school in West Ventura or Oxnard and are interested in getting involved with My People, My Air, please contact info@cfrog.org.
My People, My Air (Mi Gente, Mi Aire) is supported by the “California Climate Investments” (CCI) program, a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Invest, formerly known as Cap-and-Trade, dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment—particularly in disadvantaged communities.
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