When the California Coastal Commission removed its Executive Director in February, the voting members denied accusations from environmental and conservation groups that the move was an effort to diminish coastal protection. When the South Coast Air Quality Management District voted to remove its longtime director, it didn’t even bother. Members of the district’s board made clear their intention to roll back air quality regulations. Like the California Coastal Commission, the SCAQMD has made major gains in its area, rolling back smog in the greater Los Angeles Basin to levels not seen in decades. One of the SCAQMD’s first actions after the removal of its executive director was to approve a smog reduction plan endorsed by oil companies and other major polluters.