“We are not California.” “We are America, this is Arizona.” Quotes from Allen Skillicorn. As a native-born Californian, I take great umbrage at the “don’t California my Arizona” mentality, especially from someone who hasn’t lived in Arizona long enough to gather dust.

I grew up in L.A. during the ‘60s when the smog problem was so bad we were not allowed to go outside for recess. It took many years to get regulations right to remedy the great smog problem. Certainly, we here in Arizona should look at how they did it. Last year we had 136 days of unhealthy air for sensitive groups and 53 days where the air quality was dangerous for everyone to breathe. Not good if you want to promote healthy outdoor activities to attract visitors to our town.

It seems to me the language used in the Environmental Plan was simple; things we citizens can do every day as we work toward making our air more breathable for everyone. The proposed changes, that were quickly voted on and passed by the gang of four, were petty and purely partisan, and a slap to the citizen committee that wrote the plan.

One may love their combustible engines but must also consider the quality of life issues for your neighbors, your constituents. Isn’t that the job of our Town Council, making positive quality of life decisions for the good of our community?

And before I am told to “go back to California,” my grandparents settled in Flagstaff, Ariz., in 1910. I have the dust, now I’d like to breathe.