Population: 152,982
Cardiovascular cases: 31,019
Rank in most ozone-polluted cities: 5
This small metro area should boast azure skies but, too often, the polluted air from Fresno, its neighbor to the North, drifts in, said Jaime Holt, chief communications officer for the San Joaquin Valley Air Quality District.
It doesn't help that many of the local residents are also driving older cars that often produce much higher levels of the components that create smog.
One solution to that problem is a recently instituted smog check program called "Tune in, Tune up" run by the Air Quality District.
The state agency sets up in a big empty parking lot and gives free smog tests. "The cars that can't pass get a $500 voucher for a major tune up," said Holt.
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