The Brief

Researchers at the University of Southern California have released an interactive map to show Angelenos how pollution from diesel truck traffic affects neighborhoods and streets across the region.

The map allows users to look at the number of diesel trucks that travel regularly though their communities, heading to or from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. It provides both ZIP code and street-level data.

Users can compare truck traffic in their neighborhood to other areas across L.A. County and track how it varies month to month. Most of the highest pollution areas are those closest to the ports.

“Diesel fuel can cause cancer in communities that are highly exposed to pollution, as well as higher rates of asthma, emergency department visits and heart disease,” said Jill Johnston of the USC Center for Children’s Environmental Health. “If you're near a busy freeway or roadway and you see trucks passing every day, that suggests really heightened risk for exposure.”

USC researchers say they hope the map can help L.A. residents make more informed decisions about their health.

Diesel exhaust accounts for more than two-thirds of cancer risk from air pollution in the Los Angeles basin, according to analysis by the South Coast Air Quality Management District — the region’s air quality regulator.

And despite some recent regulation and improved emissions standards for trucks going in and out of L.A.’s ports, 90% are powered by diesel fuel, according to the Port of Los Angeles.

Still, L.A. trucking professionals say their industry is getting cleaner — and argue that data collected by projects like USC’s don’t tell the full story.

“I think it's important to remember that these trucks have gotten significantly cleaner from where we started,” said Matt Schrap, CEO of the Harbor Trucking Association, a group that represents trucking companies serving West Coast ports.

Understanding your exposure risk

USC’s mapping tool breaks down truck traffic by both ZIP code and street, covering 15 months of data from January 2023 through March 2024. Users can:

• Check their ZIP code's ranking among 177 county zones for port truck traffic.
• View specific street-level data across 2,600 road segments.
• Track monthly variations in truck traffic.
• Identify if they live within three blocks of heavily trafficked routes.
• Compare their neighborhood's exposure to other areas across the county.

According to the map, the 10 ZIP codes with highest exposure are concentrated near the ports and along the 110, 710, and 605 freeways, which are trucking routes to rail yards and warehouses. Areas like Long Beach, San Pedro, and Wilmington are among those facing the greatest impact.

Diesel trucks from the ports, which transport 40% of all U.S. imports, generate harmful pollutants that pose serious health risks to residents living near the ports and along major trucking routes, according to environmental experts.

“This project was really driven by community concerns that have long-documented the ports of L.A. and Long Beach as major sources of truck traffic,” Johnston said. “It shows the disproportionate impact on low-income and communities of color.”

She said the map also reflects a concerning trend in recent years: diesel trucks traveling not just on freeways, but down residential streets. For example, in the Wilmington neighborhood, just north of the L.A. and Long Beach ports, one residential street recorded more than 17,000 trucks in a single week — approximately one every 38 seconds.

To generate the map, researchers used data from a sample of trucks equipped with GPS monitors. Environmental advocates say they hope tools like this can be used to push local officials to respond to specific community public health concerns.

“I think this report is helpful to understand who's most harmed,” said Adrian Martinez, deputy managing attorney at Earthjustice, and environmental advocacy group. “People living next to these large magnets for diesel pollution are breathing some of the most toxic air in the country.”

But trucking industry professionals argue that maps like this could be misleading, because different kinds of diesel trucks vary significantly as to how much pollution they disperse, and the data doesn’t account for exactly what type of vehicles are involved.

“There's no information on its drive train, its fuel type, its age, whether or not it's meeting a certain emission standard, whether or not it's utilizing renewable fuel,” Schrap said.

The USC Center for Children’s Environmental Health also tracked all truck traffic on one busy residential street, Drumm Avenue in the Wilmington neighborhood of Los Angeles. Using an infrared camera, it was possible to record every truck during a weeklong period in October 2023.

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USC Center for Children’s Environmental Health

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Why diesel is dangerous

Experts say diesel exhaust poses particularly severe health risks, including cancer, asthma, stroke and heart disease, especially for those living near high-traffic corridors.

Diesel engine exhaust is a complex mixture of thousands of gases and fine particles that contains more than 40 toxic air contaminants, according to the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard.

“These are really, really tiny dust-like particles that can not only enter into your lungs, but they can also enter into your bloodstream and into your brain and so these can have cardiovascular effects, respiratory effects, as well as impact cognitive functioning,” Johnston said.

The affects are especially concerning for vulnerable populations. Children face disproportionate risks, breathing in three times more air per pound of body weight than adults, Johnston said. Studies show pregnant women in these areas experience higher rates of infant death, low birth weight, and premature births.

Diesel fumes also contain other pollutants like nitrogen oxide, which contribute to urban smog. The Los Angeles area consistently ranks No. 1 in the country in ozone pollution in the American Lung Association’s annual State of the Air reports.

Will Barrett, the association’s national senior director for clean air advocacy, said smog can trigger a host of health emergencies and premature deaths.

In 2012, fumes from heavy duty cargo trucks caused an estimated 15,000 asthma attacks, 480 premature deaths and more than $5 billion in health-related costs in Southern California, according to researchers at UC Irvine.

Diesel particulate matter was responsible for 72% of the overall cancer risk from toxic air pollutants measured by the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which looked at a one-year period spanning 2018 and 2019. The agency also noted carcinogenic emissions have been gradually decreasing in recent years because of stricter regulations and cleaner technologies.

But they also stress that there’s more to be done.

California regulators recently abandoned a plan to phase out and eventually ban diesel trucks. But there are other ongoing state efforts that seek to provide incentives for the trucking industry to switch from diesel engines to electric and hydrogen-powered fleets.

On the federal level, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency initiated a $3 billion Clean Ports Program aimed at transitioning to zero-emission operations and reducing pollution in port-adjacent neighborhoods. And on the local level, the cities of Los Angeles and Long Beach have launched clean truck programs to increase zero and low-emission vehicles in their fleets.

A chart recording all the entries and exits of trucks in the Port of Los Angeles by month from January 2023 to September 2024.

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USC Center for Children's Environmental Health

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Port of Los Angeles & Port of Long Beach

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Protecting your household

USC’s experts recommend L.A. residents concerned about diesel pollution start by reviewing the maps. If your home is within three blocks of a street with heavy truck traffic or if you live in high-traffic ZIP code, they recommend taking precautions, particularly if you have children or if you have a respiratory or heart disease.

For residents concerned about diesel exposure, USC recommends several protective measures:

• Install HEPA air filters indoors and maintain them regularly. (Learn more about them and see whether you qualify for an incentive program here.)
• Monitor daily air quality indexes and limit outdoor activities on high-pollution days.
• Regularly wet-clean and dust homes to remove settled pollutants, especially if there are young children at home who play on the ground.
• Maintain a diet high in antioxidants to help counter pollution effects.
• Choose exercise locations away from busy roads.
• If you regularly walk to work, school or public transit, rethink your routes to avoid busy streets.
• Reach out to local officials with concerns. (City councilmembers, county commissioners, air quality regulators, and members of the Board of Harbor Commissioners in Los Angeles and Long Beach.)

Need help making your own indoor air filter? USC has a guide:

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USC Environmental Health Centers

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USC Environmental Health Centers

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The Los Angeles Metro Board unanimously voted Thursday to proceed with developing a 14-mile-long subway under the Santa Monica Mountains. It’s one of the first significant steps in what city and county leaders are describing as the region's most consequential transit project and perhaps one of the most important in the country.

Metro staff said in a report to its board that it has secured funding through county tax measures for about 14% of the $24.2 billion it’s preliminarily estimated to cost to build the route, which will involve extensive tunneling. They added the cost estimate would be updated as further refinements are made, but having this amount of funding secured is “not uncommon” for projects early on in development.

Still, leaders underscored that while the need for a rail link between the Valley and Westside couldn’t be overstated, staff for the countywide transportation agency should remain mindful of financial constraints and push for cost reductions through the next several years before shovels hit the ground.

“Ambition matters, dreaming big matters, but honesty matters too,” L.A. City Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, who also is a member of the Metro Board, said during Thursday’s meeting. “We can't afford to approve transformative projects without being clear about the path to funding and delivery.”

The price tag certainly is “eye-popping” and Metro’s “largest project to date,” as Ray Sosa, the chief planning officer for the agency, recently wrote in an op-ed about the project.

With today’s vote progressing the project, the Metro Board enthusiastically endorsed the investment, for now, in theory.

The project and selected route 

The Sepulveda Transit Corridor, as the project is known, was conceived to relieve Angelenos of the sometimes 90-minute drive between the Valley and Westside via the 405 Freeway, provide a crucial artery to connect with other regional rail and bus routes and link residential areas to job centers.

In June 2025, Metro released its draft environmental review of five different subway and monorail options. Of the more than 8,000 public comments Metro received, fewer than 70 expressed opposition to the project as a whole, according to agency staff.

Metro staff in January published its recommendation to move forward with further study of a modified version of one of the subway options.

That’s what the transportation agency’s board approved Thursday.

The route is projected to see as many as 124,000 rides per day and reduce the total amount people would otherwise travel by car by nearly 800,000 miles a day.

An end-to-end trip on the proposed route between Valley and the Westside is slated to take 20 minutes, with trains arriving every 2.5 minutes at peak times.

The 405 Freeway during rush hour March 10, 2022, in Los Angeles.

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Patrick T. Fallon

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Station locations for the proposed train would connect to the Metro D, E and East San Fernando Valley rail lines, the Metrolink stop in Van Nuys and also the G bus rapid-transit line. Crucially, the route also will stop at UCLA, which over the years had become a non-negotiable necessity among students and other advocates of the train.

“Higher education deserves to be easily accessible for everyone,” Mariela Diaz, a UCLA commuter student who described herself as low income, said at the meeting Thursday. “Future UCLA students deserve to have their first on-campus station.”

As it’s currently planned, there wouldn’t be a stop providing direct access to the Getty Center, for which the museum had been publicly campaigning.

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, who has a seat on the Metro Board, asked Thursday that agency staff report back on “transportation alternatives to address fast and last-minute connections to the Getty Center.”

The proposed route would run from Van Nuys to the Westside.

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L.A. Metro

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Report details economic benefits 

A report from the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation details how construction would generate as much as $40 billion in economic output and spur more than $16 billion in labor income countywide.

You can read the full report, commissioned by L.A. City Councilmember Nithya Raman’s office, here. 

Leaders urge continued engagement and not to compromise on vision 

Today’s vote directed Metro staff to focus on the proposed route for forthcoming technical and environmental analyses and clearances, as well as to further refine design and cost estimates.

There also will be continued community engagement.

Yaroslavsky amended the item the board approved Thursday to include language asking Metro staff to, among other tasks, report back on a community engagement plan focused on the communities that might be impacted by tunneling or construction and to maintain a publicly accessible outreach calendar.

Metro’s final environmental documents, which will be the culmination of the continued engagement and study, will be subject to future approval from the board.

Los Angeles City Councilmember and Metro Board member Katy Yaroslavsky advocated for continued community engagement as the countywide transportation agency pursues the Sepulveda Transit Corridor project.

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Brian Feinzimer

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When construction starts, the focus will first be on the middle segment of the train running from the G-line stop in Van Nuys to the future D-line stop in Westwood.

The additional segments on the north and south sides of the route would be built afterward.

Councilmember Imelda Padilla, who also is on the Metro Board, urged that the full route be built as envisioned.

“Phasing is a given, but the true value of this line will not be realized until it is fully built out,” Padilla said.

The Port of Los Angeles reported another standout year in 2025, handling 10.2 million container units and being the busiest port in the country for the 26th year in a row, despite industry challenges.

“2025 was a year like no other, from accelerated dips in volume to record highs,” Gene Seroka, executive director at the Port of Los Angeles, said. “It truly was a roller coaster.”

The highlights came at the annual State of the Port in San Pedro on Thursday. It was also the first State of the Port since the Trump administration adopted its tariff and trade policies.

Seroka laid out a vision for the upcoming year that included expanding the port and reaffirming its environmental commitments

“We are moving more cargo than ever before with the lowest pollution footprint on record for every container shipped,” Seroka said.

The Port of L.A. is in an agreement with the South Coast Air Quality Management District and the Port of Long Beach to achieve zero-emission operations at both ports. The ports also adopted the Clean Air Action Plan in 2006, which has since cut overall emissions of diesel particulate matter by 90% and nitrogen oxides by 73%, according to the Port of L.A.

The past 12 months marked a volatile year for the port amid changing tariffs, according to Seroka.

“The global trade map is being redrawn," he said. "Shifting trade policies are creating uncertainty and volatility, and the maritime supply chain is at the center of it all. But here's what hasn't changed: Cargo remains the lifeblood of the US economy.”

In July, Port of L.A. officials reported import traffic jumping to 32% in June compared to the month prior. The yo-yoing volume came as many customers tried to get in as much as they could in response to the tariffs.

Seroka said to meet the demands of tomorrow, the Port of L.A. needs to build bigger, smarter and more sustainably.

Pier 500 and the Maritime Support Facility are part of the port’s plan to boost capacity and improve efficiency.

Another essential part of building smarter, Seroka added, is the Vincent Thomas Bridge.

“The bridge needs redecking to make it safer for the 50,000 vehicles that cross it daily, but here's the bigger issue,” Seroka said. “We also need to raise it or replace it to unlock our full capacity north of the bridge.”

Plans to raise the bridge during the redecking project, however, were nixed last November by the state’s transportation agency, according to the L.A. Times.

Seroka said the port was working with the governor's office and California Transportation officials to establish a formal partnership exploring all options, which could include building a new crossing.

Among other future projects, the port is looking to break ground on the Avalon Pedestrian Bridge next month to connect visitors to the new Wilmington Waterfront Promenade.

Before it passed last year, a major new California housing law that allows more apartments near public transit stops faced stiff opposition from Los Angeles politicians.

L.A. elected leaders are continuing to fight it, arguing the law jeopardizes efforts to expand local transportation infrastructure.

The latest round of resistance comes from the L.A. Metro Board of Directors, which voted Thursday to formally oppose local implementation of the law, SB 79. The only members who declined to join in opposition were L.A. County Supervisors Janice Hahn and Lindsey Horvath.

The transit agency recently published a staff report that recommended the board stand against a bill that seeks to clarify certain points on how SB 79 will be implemented.

The Metro staff report went beyond asking for technical tweaks to the legislation. One of its suggestions called for “exempting Los Angeles County from SB 79.” Another recommendation suggested “limiting the bill’s applicability to the Bay Area as a pilot project.”

‘Absolutely ridiculous’ say housing proponents

Advocates for more housing development said that seeking to override the law, which takes effect July 1, would be counterproductive for L.A.’s troubled transit agency. They said resisting new housing will reduce the number of riders living within walking distance of a Metro stop.

Azeen Khanmalek — executive director of Abundant Housing L.A., a co-sponsor of SB 79 — called the report’s recommendations “absolutely ridiculous.”

“We can't just continue this recalcitrant opposition in perpetuity,” Khanmalek said. “We really hope Metro is on board and wants more riders near their transit stations.”

But Metro’s Board of Directors is made up of elected leaders who have, in some cases, already made their positions on SB 79 clear.

Before Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the law in October, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass asked him to veto it.

Two other board members, L.A. City Councilmembers Katy Yaroslavsky and Imelda Padilla, voted with a slim majority of the council last year to oppose SB 79.

Metro says law will boost transit opposition

About three-quarters of all residential land in incorporated L.A. County is zoned for single-family homes. But under SB 79, some of those neighborhoods could now be eligible for dense apartment buildings, as long as they lie within a half-mile of a major transit stop.

The Metro staff report said SB 79 could harm the transit agency’s expansion goals by galvanizing housing opponents against new light rail stations and dedicated bus lanes.

“SB 79 has become a catalyst for local opposition to Metro’s transit projects,” the report said. “By linking increased housing density to both existing and future transit investments, the law has intensified resistance from some cities and community groups that now view new transit projects as a trigger for state-mandated upzoning.”

Asking for tweaks, or total exemption?

The report also called on state lawmakers to clarify the term “light rail transit,” which could affect how SB 79 will apply to neighborhoods around Metro’s A, C, E and K rail lines.

At an earlier Metro meeting, Board Vice Chair Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker supported calls to carve L.A. County out of the law.

“We’ve found that the effort to have one-size-fits all planning didn’t work,” she said. “It is ingenious to suggest that any modifications be tested in the Bay Area first.”

Hahn said she supported asking for more moderate amendments to the SB 79 clean-up bill, SB 677, but she did not think lawmakers would take seriously calls for a countywide exemption.

“It doesn’t feel like we’re willing to dialogue,” Hahn said. “I would just like to see some amendments that feel a little bit more realistic.”

Every Sunday, crispy waffles, breakfast “stanwiches” and a wagyu pastrami brisket on rye await you at Stanley's, a to-go window on Fountain Avenue in Hollywood.

Michelin-starred chef Michael Tang has worked in renowned kitchens like Leopardo in Los Angeles and Quince and Saison in the Bay Area. But now he’s bringing fine-dining technique to nostalgic diner fare at his new pop-up, creating food that's, as he puts it, "approachable instead of esoteric."

The self-funded operation, which is named after his father, is all about embracing constraints: a to-go format, less expensive equipment, and tighter margins. For Tang, those limitations became creative fuel.

"I'm figuring out my voice and developing a style," he said.

The food: technique meets nostalgia

Tang has been obsessed with creating the perfect waffle for two years, aiming for something "fully crispy outside, moist inside, not overly dense." The result is a hybrid that borrows from Belgian Liège-style waffles, studded with pearl sugar that caramelizes on the hot iron, while using an American-style batter rather than dough, resulting in a lighter texture.

When I tried it recently, it was sweet and eggy, with the caramelized sugar creating pockets of crunch along crispy edges. It costs $5, yet comes with French Bordier maple butter. "Why serve something that doesn't taste special?" he said.

Meanwhile, for his $13 pastrami sandwich, he makes the pastrami himself, taking on a challenge others avoid. "The fridge space is insane for pastrami production," he said — one reason most restaurants outsource to specialty purveyors.

Stanley's pastrami sandwich: eight-day Tajima Wagyu brisket on Bub and Grandma's sourdough.

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His eight-day process starts with Tajima Wagyu brisket, brined to season the meat evenly without over-curing. After brining, he applies a custom spice blend, then smokes it over California red oak and almond wood.

The effort shows. Served on Bub and Grandma's sourdough, Tang offers fatty or lean slices — I asked for both. I'm picky about pastrami in Los Angeles (it's hard to nail unless you're Langer's), but Stanley's version delivers: meaty, flavorful, with a proper fat ratio that doesn't turn greasy.

Tang also offers a vegan pastrami made from celery root, which takes four days instead of eight because vegetables are more porous. The choice wasn't random: celery root, apple, and horseradish, topped with a miso mustard that adds brightness, pairing well with the pastrami spices. I sampled it alongside the Wagyu version — it was delicious and substantial enough to satisfy anyone, vegan or not.

The sleeper hit

But the revelation came from an item Tang recommended I try: the Shumai Slam, also $13. The shrimp-and-pork croquette on a Martin's potato roll didn't initially catch my eye — until I noticed the steamed egg.

The Shumai Slam didn't initially catch my eye until Tang insisted I try it.

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Gab Chabrán

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LAist

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As the name suggests, the shrimp-and-pork filling is an ode to Cantonese dim sum, with familiar notes of Shaoxing rice wine, soy sauce and sesame oil. That alone would be impressive, but the steamed egg elevates it entirely.

Tang steams eggs in a hotel pan until they look almost like cheese slices, then lays them across the sandwich. The result is velvety smooth and intensely eggy, elevating the entire sandwich beyond its humble components. I haven't stopped thinking about it and now I want steamed eggs on all my breakfast sandwiches.

Sourcing with purpose

Stanley's breakfast beverages.

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The housemade sodas, sourced through farmers' markets, use "seconds" — bruised peaches and imperfect fruit still good for juicing. The coffee soda, made from a local roaster, tastes more like an espresso tonic: robust, cool, refreshing. I'd order it again, despite not being a regular cold brew drinker.

On good days, Tang and business partner Ivana Ruslie pay themselves minimum wage if they hit about 55 customers per pop-up. The rest of the week, they hustle through consulting work, private dinners, and R&D projects.

It's the new chef playbook: multiple income streams instead of single paychecks, community over prestige, sustainability over stars. Tang's redefining success on his own terms — though he admits he wouldn't say no to an angel investor with brick-and-mortar dreams.