According to LA Weekly and Ventura County Star as many as 50,000 vehicles in California were allowed to emit 40x the allowable smog that is especially harmful to children and elderly before the government acted.

“While the California Air Resources Board launched an investigation sometime last year, it failed to tell the public about the issue, and it didn’t immediately try to stop VW from selling diesel polluters in a state that has traditionally had the nation’s worst smog issues.

“Assemblyman Tom Lackey is a Palmdale Republican who has been critical of the Air Resources Board in the past. He wants to know why the ARB didn’t inform Californians of the VW pollution problem sooner.

“‘I think they should dispel any mystery as to why they didn’t take this serious at least in informing the public or taking affirmative action against Volkswagen,’ he said.”