Eastern Coachella Valley Residents Can Apply for Free Air Purifiers

EASTERN COACHELLA VALLEY – Supervisor V. Manuel Perez, who represents Riverside County on the South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) Governing Board, is proud to announce the availability of free air purifiers for residents in the eastern Coachella Valley.

Residents within the eastern Coachella Valley can apply to receive free portable air filtration units, sometimes called air purifiers, and three years of replacement filters as part of the AB 617 Residential Air Filtration Program. The program aims to reduce residential exposure to particulate matter (PM), such as dust, by providing California Air Resources Board-certified air purifiers. These air purifiers can improve air quality in homes by reducing indoor PM levels.

The program application is available online at the following South Coast AQMD webpage: www.aqmd.gov/raf.

To assist residents in applying, the South Coast AQMD is holding outreach events in the eastern Coachella Valley for the program. South Coast AQMD staff will be available at the event to help residents with the application. One of the outreach events will be held:

Saturday, March 30, from 10 a.m.to Noon
Mecca Community Center at 65-250 Coahuilla Street
Mecca, CA 92254

This is an effort to reduce air quality impacts in the area, funded and led by the South Coast AQMD in collaboration with local community members on the Assembly Bill 617 (AB 617) Eastern Coachella Valley Community Steering Committee.

“This is a great use of air quality improvement funds to help our community members enhance the quality of life and promote environmental justice,” said Supervisor Perez. “This is free, good for health, and I hope residents will take advantage of this program and apply.”

Funding comes from the Community Air Protection AB 134 Fund, which is funding appropriated by the California State Legislature to address localized air pollution in communities across the state. The AB 617 Eastern Coachella Valley Community Steering Committee prioritized using $1 million for the air filtration units for the eastern Coachella Valley. Last year, the South Coast AQMD approved $4.57 million from this fund to go towards paving of dirt roads in Polanco parks, mobile home parks and public roadways in the eastern Coachella Valley.

Program applicants must live within the AB 617 Eastern Coachella Valley boundary. The application requires applicants to provide minimal information such as their physical home address within the AB 617 boundary and proof of residency at that address. The AB 617 boundary includes the City of Coachella, parts of Indio and La Quinta, the community of Carver Tract and the communities of Mecca, North Shore, Oasis and Thermal.

To view a map of the boundaries, visit:
https://www.arcgis.com/apps/mapviewer/index.html?layers=00058b87042443d2adfd6d22fe5aca0c

The air filtration units will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

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Supervisor V. Manuel Perez represents the Fourth Supervisorial District on the Riverside County Board of Supervisors. The largest district in the county by geography, the 4th District covers eastern Riverside County, from Whitewater, stretching across the entire Coachella Valley south to the Salton Sea, up Highway 74 to Idyllwild and the mountain communities, and heading east of the Coachella Valley to Blythe and the Colorado River.

Supervisor Perez’s office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.