DEAR WEHO: Chevron Car Wash Conundrum is an environmental threat

Why is the City of West Hollywood not concerned enough about the air quality and the potential poisoning that may impact West Hollywood?

In March 2020 the planning commission waived the CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) requirements and waived any traffic study and voted to approve a new automatic car wash at the Chevron station located at LaCienega and Holloway Drive. I decided to appeal the planning commission’s decision.

At the invitation of the owner’s representative, I visited the owner’s other Chevron automatic car wash at La Brea Avenue and Beverly Boulevard. This is where I saw over 15 cars having to wait in line for over 50 minutes. Cars waiting in line blocked driveways, blocked gas pumps, and blocked parking spaces.

My appeal was denied by three council members, John Duran, John D’Amico, and Lindsey Horvath as they voted yes to approve the car wash. Councilmember, John Heilman recused himself as he lives nearby and Councilmember Lauren Meister voted no. Meister was the lone no-vote to allow the project to proceed, citing her concern about negative environmental impacts. Mayor John Erickson voted yes to approve this car wash when he was on the planning commission.

The staff report stated: “Specifically, the appellant-Cleary opposes the approval of the project based on the assertions that the project does not adequately address traffic mitigation measures; adds unnecessary additional beer and wine sales to the vicinity; did not follow proper public noticing and Planning Commission approval procedures; does not comply with environmental regulations; and that onsite parking is insufficient to support the proposed operation.”

The Chevron station owner Ben Pouldar told the council that the forthcoming car wash would be automated and able to process approximately 20 cars per hour with each car going through in around three minutes.

West Hollywood residents and business owners must prepare themselves for the volume of cars idling endlessly at this location. That will be 20 cars every hour waiting in line idling 12 hours every day – seven days a week. That will be 240 cars a day idling – which is 1,680 cars a week idling. That is 6,720 cars idling a month and will be 80,640 cars idling a year at this Chevron property.

The environmental impact of the long lines that will form must be a growing concern for residents and environmental advocates alike. Cars idling for extended periods, sometimes over an hour, release harmful pollutants into the air, contributing to smog, respiratory problems, and climate change.

Car exhaust contains nitrogen oxides (NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2). Idling vehicles needlessly emit these dangerous pollutants into our air where they affect our environment and our health.

An hour of automobile idling burns approximately one-fifth of a gallon of gas and releases nearly 4 pounds of CO2 into the air. Excessive amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere can contribute to global warming. Particulate matter (PM) can aggravate asthma, cause coughing and difficulty in breathing, decrease lung function, exacerbate cardiovascular problems, and lead to chronic bronchitis. Carbon monoxide (CO) slows delivery of oxygen to the body’s organs and tissues. Exposure to CO aggravates heart disease and can cause headaches and visual impairment.

These health effects are more damaging in those with preexisting heart disease, asthma, or other lung problems. Children are also more susceptible, due to their faster breathing rate and the fact that their respiratory system is still developing. Idling pollutants also disproportionately affect the elderly, who have limited physiological reserves to compensate for the adverse effects of the pollutants.

In this same neighborhood children are attending St. Victor’s preschool and Pacific Hills grade school on Holloway Drive five days a week. There are also over one thousand residents living on two sides of this Chevron site: Empire West condos and the apartment building – The Terraces LaCienega.

Health effects of idling are related to engine exhaust, and include acute effects such as eye, throat, and bronchial irritation; nausea; cough, phlegm congestion; allergic or asthma-like respiratory response; increased risk for cardiac events; cancer, and chronic effects, such as bronchitis, decreased lung function, damage to reproductive function (low birth weight and damage to sperm chromatin and DNA).

For more info, residents can contact city hall and city officials at:
City Council: [email protected]
City Manager – David Wilson: [email protected]
City Attorney – Lauren Langer: [email protected]
Traffic – Richard Garland: [email protected]
Public Safety – Danny Rivas: [email protected]