Boiling Point: Smoglandia Pt 4 – SCIENCE AND GOVERNMENT, BESTIES?

Podcast: Boiling Point
Host: LA Times Studios, Pat Morrison
Episode: Smoglandia Pt 4: SCIENCE AND GOVERNMENT, BESTIES?
Release: November 20, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of the Smoglandia series explores the complicated (and often contentious) relationship between science, government, and industry in Los Angeles’ battle against air pollution. Hosted by Patt Morrison, it interweaves personal stories, history, and expert interviews to recount LA’s journey from smog-choked city to a national leader in clean air policy—a journey paved with resistance, political maneuvering, regulatory innovations, and scientific breakthroughs. The episode zeroes in on how public officials (like LA County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn), scientists, and activists teamed up (and sometimes clashed) to pressure automakers and regulate pollution—often facing powerful opposition from Detroit, Big Oil, and even California’s own politicians.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Personal Memories of Smog and Survival in LA

• Seraphine Seagal’s Story (00:01–04:26)
  • Artist and teacher Seraphine Seagal recalls moving to LA from Louisiana, describing the choking, colored stench of smog in the 1970s.
  • She recounts driving with a gas mask in her convertible to survive the air—an act immortalized in an LA Times photograph that made its way back to her Louisiana hometown.

    "The thing about smog is that it smelled, and it smelled a color to me…yellowish, greenish, murky…almost like a horror movie." —Seraphine Seagal (02:07)

  • The story connects personal experience, environmental health, and the city's culture of car dependency and ingenuity.

2. Early Misconceptions, Polluters, and Quirky Regulations

• Bizarre Efforts and Denial (04:45–08:45)
  • For decades, Angelenos coexisted unhappily with smog. Before the real causes were scientifically pinned down, everyone and everything—from pipe smokers to housewives shaking dust mops—was blamed.
  • Political leaders swung between wild optimism ("smog could be cut by 80% in two years") and cynical resignation.
  • The city’s adaptation included peculiar regulations and a sense that smog was simply the price of progress.

    “We can never go back to the old days where the air was clean and pure and sweet and scented with orange blossoms.” —Mayor Fletcher Bowron (06:35)

3. The Backyard Incinerator Fiasco

• Household Pollution Sources (08:45–11:05)
  • LA’s beloved backyard incinerators—over half a million strong—spewed tons of smoke despite mounting evidence of their harm.
  • Public officials themselves were slow to change (even Supervisor Kenneth Hahn’s wife burned trash at home).
  • Incinerators were eventually banned in 1958, giving rise to curbside trash pickup and landfills.

4. Government Pressure on Industry: The “Pen Pal” Campaign

• Kenneth Hahn vs. Detroit (11:05–23:02)
  • Supervisor Kenneth Hahn’s 15-year letter-writing campaign to Detroit automakers relentlessly demanded smog control technologies.
    • He cited LA’s status as the biggest car market and threatened local regulations.
    • Automakers responded dismissively, claiming that exhaust "does not present an air pollution problem." (12:06)
  • Hahn escalated, seeking legal authority to mandate smog devices and performing local surveys to prove feasibility.
  • Eventually, federal authorities sued the car companies for conspiring to avoid pollution controls, confirming Hahn’s suspicions—though political settlements let the auto industry largely off the hook.

    "I believe after seven years the automobile industry has had plenty of time to meet its responsibility to the people of Los Angeles county, yet it has not done so." —Kenneth Hahn (read in narration, 19:27) "The presidents of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler should be brought to trial right here in Los Angeles." —Kenneth Hahn, recounted by Janice Hahn (21:16)

  • The campaign also exposed the contradictions of LA’s car culture; Hahn himself came from a car-loving family, yet insisted industry change.

5. Regional and State Regulatory Innovations

• Birth of the AQMD and CARB (25:30–28:56)

  • Thick regional smog led to the creation of multi-county air authorities—culminating in the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) in 1977.
  • Unified rulemaking replaced a patchwork of local efforts.
  • Smog alerts, air monitoring, and public outreach became new tools in the fight.
    • Colored maps and daily reports made air quality part of civic life.

    “…It was green if it was good. Yellow was a moderate ozone pollution. Orange was unhelpful for sensitive people…And then red, which we very seldom used, was unhealthful for everybody.” —Fritz Coleman, weather forecaster (25:47)

• California State Power and Its Limits

  • The California Air Resources Board (CARB) was created in 1967, with Ari Haagensmith, the scientist who discovered photochemical smog, at its helm.

  • Despite scientific leadership, politics intervened—Governor Reagan eventually fired Haagensmith and other experts, replacing them with industry allies on the eve of crucial pollution votes.

    "When done properly, a regulatory regime that is motivated by environmental considerations ultimately in the long term is going to make for better business decisions as well as better environmental outcomes." —David Zerler, Caltech Heritage Project (29:33)

  • Federal law and a California waiver allowed the state to set stricter standards than the EPA, anchoring its national leadership for decades.

  • Yet, political winds shifted—sometimes pushing air policy forward, sometimes pulling back.

6. Science, Technology, and Industry Pushback

• Scientific Breakthroughs and Industry Resistance (28:15–33:32)
  • Even as regulatory power grew, scientists like Haagensmith and inventors like Eugene Houdry (developer of the catalytic converter) faced relentless opposition from automakers and oil companies.
  • The first effective smog devices required unleaded gasoline. Only when leaded fuel was phased out in 1973 did catalytic converters become standard (from 1975 on), drastically reducing car emissions.
  • Progress still came in fits and starts, often only after years of regulatory, legal, and political struggle.

7. Enduring Themes: Persistence, Public Health, and Ongoing Challenges

• Victories and Setbacks (21:34–34:00)
  • The persistence of public officials, scientists, and activists eventually forced industry and government action, leading LA out of its smoggiest days.

    “He just never backed down. It was his persistence. I mean, I think after five years I would have quit writing letters.” —Janice Hahn, on her father (22:27)

  • Yet, the fight continues, with new technologies and policies evolving in response to ongoing climate and pollution challenges.
  • The episode concludes by looking ahead to California’s zero-emission vehicle goals and the next generation of regulatory "Queens of Green" (34:00).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On LA's transition:

  “Southern California was trying to craft a unified region from its smaller smoggy cities. But what was the state of California doing to assert its pollution power?” —Pat Morrison (27:07)

• On regulatory influence:

  “Big market meant big influence. Hahn was throwing around veiled threats of regulation in one of the automaker's biggest markets. They needed to come up with a plan, and in this case, business competitors found it more fruitful to stick together.” —Pat Morrison (17:30)

• On policy and science:

  "The automobile industry fought him tooth and nail. The oil companies did the same thing because it became very clear that all their refineries were spewing enormous amounts of smog producing vapors into the air, just like the automobiles did." —(Haagensmith’s wife, via narration, 29:14)

• On science and politics:

  “Whenever science has to get into the boxing ring with politics, it's often politics that lands a decisive punch.” —Pat Morrison (28:56)

Timeline of Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment / Topic | |-----------|-------------------------------------------------| | 00:01 | Seraphine Seagal’s smog memories and gas mask | | 02:07 | Describing smog’s “color” and horror | | 04:45 | Origins of smog blame games in LA | | 08:45 | The backyard incinerator problem | | 11:05 | Kenneth Hahn’s letter campaign begins | | 15:22 | Legal groundwork for requiring smog controls | | 19:27 | Hahn to Ford: "Plenty of time to act" | | 21:16 | Hahn’s anger at the lack of industry prosecution | | 25:30 | Smog alerts and TV weather integration | | 26:46 | Creation of the South Coast AQMD | | 28:15 | Launch of the California Air Resources Board | | 29:33 | Business and environmental regulation | | 32:00 | Political intrigue: Reagan fires CARB experts | | 34:00 | The path to catalytic converters and progress |

Tone and Style Notes

• Patt Morrison’s narration is witty, accessible, and vividly detailed—often mixing serious investigative history with a dash of humor and cultural awareness.
• The episode maintains a brisk, story-driven structure, interspersing interviews, historical readings, and period quotes.
• The tone is skeptical of industry and political doublespeak, celebrating both scientific rigor and civic persistence.

Conclusion

This episode vividly illustrates how LA's battle with smog required decades of scientific inquiry, committed officials, and sometimes bruising political battles—especially when public health was pitted against entrenched business interests. Through memorable personal stories and detailed historical analysis, it shows how progress against pollution came—and continues to come—through relentless persistence, regulatory innovation, and the uneasy but essential partnership between science and government. The episode sets the stage for discussions about California’s ongoing leadership in clean air, zero-emission vehicles, and the broader climate fight, while never letting listeners forget the city’s smoggy, hard-earned lessons.