Riverside Business Leader Appointed by Deukmejian to Air Quality Board

Gov. George Deukmejian on Tuesday appointed a Riverside business development leader, Stephen Albright, to the governing board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

Albright, 37, succeeds Jack R. Witz, who resigned several months ago.

Albright is president of Keep Riverside Ahead, a privately funded economic development organization and has previously served on the AQMD’s advisory council. Before coming to California, the governor of Colorado appointed Albright to that state’s air quality control commission. He has also worked as an assistant planner and staff analyst for the Fresno County Planning Commission.

His appointment comes at a time when the AQMD, which implements and enforces air pollution controls in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, is poised to adopt an ambitious five-year air-quality plan.

That plan calls for strict new controls on air pollution from both mobile and stationary sources as well as stepped up efforts at car pooling, greater use of vehicles that run on cleaner burning fuel and other measures intended to bring the South Coast Air Basin into compliance with the federal Clean Air Act within 20 years.

Albright on Tuesday called the plan “very ambitious” and said that he had “some concerns” about its contents. “I’m not absolutely convinced that all the things in there are attainable,” he said. “But, overall, it’s a tremendous effort and something most people can get behind.”

Albright will be one of 11 board members. The others are appointed by local cities and counties, the state Senate Rules Committee and the Speaker of the state Assembly.