Reagan's Push for California's Waiver Has a Lesson for Trump
California Republicans once fought against pollution. When they stopped, tons of voters deserted the party.

Donald Trump just declared war on California’s longstanding ability to set its own clean air standards, which often exceed those set by Washington. But the obscure, little-appreciated history of this particular provision doubles as a warning to Republicans: The forces that drive states’ rights coalitions can prove painfully unpredictable.

Los Angeles is something of a geographical freak of nature: It lies at the bottom of an enormous inverted bowl surrounded on three sides by mountains. The fourth side faces the Pacific Ocean. Unlike most coastal cities, Los Angeles gets little wind, and cooler air close to the ground gets trapped in the bottom of the “bowl.”