California, home of the freeway and the car-based lifestyle, has long struggled with air pollution — and been a pioneer in cleaning up the air, for example in vehicle emission standards. But in recent years, a new threat to air quality has emerged as summer and fall bring some of the worst wildfires in state history, spreading smoke and haze over hundreds of miles. “I didn’t anticipate it, and I don’t see an end to it,” said professor Anthony Wexler, director of the UC Davis Air Quality Research Center, who has studied air quality issues for over 30 years. UCCalifornia, home of the freeway and the car-based lifestyle, has long struggled with air pollution — and been a pioneer in cleaning up the air, for example in vehicle emission standards. But in recent years, a new threat to air quality has emerged as summer and fall bring some of the worst wildfires in state ► The FINANCIAL World