Executive Director’s Monthly Report, August 2024

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2024 Southern California Demographics Workshop Registration Open, Keynote Announced

Registration is now open for the 2024 Southern California Demographic Workshop, “Navigating the New Growth Reality,” presented by SCAG and the Sol Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California. This 35th annual event will be held on Sept. 24 at SCAG’s main office in Downtown Los Angeles and will also be available to attend online.

SCAG also announced the keynote speaker for the event: Bill Fulton, FAICP, principal of the William Fulton Group. Fulton is the former mayor of Ventura and former director of planning and economic development for the city of San Diego. Fulton wrote Guide to California Planning, a standard urban planning textbook in California, among numerous other books. Fulton is also editor and publisher of California Planning & Development Report, the authoritative information source for urban planners in California; a visiting policy designer at the University of California, San Diego Design Lab; and a fellow at the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at the University of California, Berkeley.

Fulton’s keynote will respond to recent population projections for the region and state, informed by experience and perspective earned through a long career in public service. Taking lessons from other states, Fulton will discuss how Southern California can adjust to an era in which prosperity is no longer—and need not be—determined by the pace of population growth.   

Full Funding Anticipated for REAP 2.0 Grants Following $231.5 Million Allocation

Following the 2024 Budget Act, the state allocated $560 million to restore the Regional Early Action Planning (REAP 2.0) grant program. SCAG received a final award of $231.5 million from the California Department of Housing and Community Development, which represents a reduction of $14.5 million from SCAG’s initial allocation. Despite this reduction, SCAG anticipates full funding for all competitive and formula-based grant awards previously approved by the Regional Council.

This achievement would not have been possible without the collective advocacy efforts of SCAG’s many partners. SCAG extends gratitude to everyone involved and to the state legislature and governor for recognizing the critical importance of regional efforts to address the housing affordability crisis.

SCAG looks forward to resuming REAP 2.0 projects. For more information about the REAP 2.0 program, visit the SCAG website.

Sustainable Communities Program – Active Transportation and Safety Call for Applications Open

The Active Transportation and Safety call for applications for the Sustainable Communities Program (SCP) opened on July 8. Eligible project types include community plans, area plans, and quick-build projects. Funded projects will support Connect SoCal 2024’s mobility goal to build and maintain an integrated multimodal transportation network. Available funding in this call for applications is estimated to be $10.4 million, comprising Active Transportation Program Cycle 7 regional funds and a 2023 Safe Streets and Roads for All federal grant.

The deadline for applications is Sept. 27, and SCAG anticipates announcing application awards in December 2024. To support the application process for eligible applicants, SCAG held an application workshop on July 25, with a second application workshop scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 7 (register online). In addition, office hours are available on Mondays and Thursdays during the application period. For more information about the call and to sign up for office hours, visit the Sustainable Communities Program page on the SCAG website.

Toolbox Tuesday on Creating Local Profiles and Analyzing Neighborhood Conditions Using the R Statistical Programming Language

Last month’s Toolbox Tuesday demonstrated how to use the latest Census data to analyze neighborhood conditions—a critical step in the local planning process due to a variety of housing and environmental planning requirements. The session demonstrated how to analyze neighborhood-level characteristics within cities using the R statistical programming language to extract, organize, and visualize data. The session was attended by 35 participants, who learned basic data skills in R and how to identify and use the appropriate Census data based on the goals of the analysis, join Census data at different geographic scales, map data in R, create shapefiles in R, and look up variables in Census data.

For more information, check out the session recording and other materials on the SCAG website.

SCAG Receives $50 Million to Support Clean Goods Movement

SCAG will receive $50 million for clean technology improvements to reduce pollution from goods movement—part of a nearly $500 million grant for Southern California included in $4.3 billion in investments announced last week by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This award responds to a collaborative application led by the South Coast Air Quality Management District, outlining a coordinated, large-scale regional effort for zero-emission vehicles and fueling infrastructure improvements to support the regional goods movement network. SCAG’s award will fund the Last Mile Freight Program, which supports deployment of nearly 300 zero-emission fueling stations and up to 740 medium- and heavy-duty trucks.   

Read more on the funding award, including a statement from SCAG Executive Director Kome Ajise, on the SCAG website.

SCAG Receives $1 Million in Sustainable Transportation Planning Grants from Caltrans

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) recently announced $76.1 million in fiscal year 2024-2025 Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Awards, including two $500,000 grants for SCAG in the Strategic Partnerships funding category.

With the first grant, SCAG will conduct a survey and study airport passenger surface transportation behaviors and attitudes in the SCAG region. SCAG anticipates launching the study later this year and completing it in late 2027. The proposed airport passenger surface transportation study will explore and explain the perspectives and behaviors of passengers and employees traveling to and from the SCAG region’s airports, including developing actionable recommendations for ground transportation and alternative connections to airports.

With the second grant, SCAG will partner with Caltrans Districts 7, 8, 11, and 12 and local jurisdictions on the “Planning for Main Streets” project, conducting planning work to enable improvements on state highways in the SCAG region that double as main streets given existing and planned land uses, related projects, and community priorities. This work will develop conceptual plans and associated cost estimates for sustainable transportation improvements to position these corridors for future funding opportunities or incorporation into future workplans to implement improvements. The “Planning for Main Streets” project is anticipated to kick off in Spring 2025 and be completed in Summer 2027.

2025 Draft FTIP and Connect SoCal 2024 Amendment #1 Comment Period

The draft 2025 Federal Transportation Improvement Program (FTIP) and draft Amendment 1 to the Connect SoCal 2024 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy are available for public review and comment through Aug. 12.

SCAG has prepared the draft 2025 FTIP in compliance with the adopted Connect SoCal 2024 and all federal and state requirements. SCAG has also prepared the draft Amendment 1 to Connect SoCal 2024 to reflect additions, deletions, and changes to several critical transportation projects ready to move forward to the implementation phase. 

A major component of Connect SoCal 2024 is a project list that contains thousands of individual transportation projects throughout the SCAG region. Since Connect SoCal 2024’s adoption, some of these transportation projects have experienced time-sensitive technical changes. In addition, the county transportation commissions in the SCAG region have identified new priority transportation projects, as well as projects no longer identified as priorities. The 2025 FTIP and Amendment 1 to Connect SoCal 2024 are needed to allow these projects to proceed quickly. 

SCAG conducted two public hearings in July to gather input on the draft documents. These hearings provided a forum for public feedback, which will inform final revisions before adoption. SCAG anticipates bringing the finalized FTIP to the Regional Council for action in September before submitting to Caltrans by its Sept. 30 deadline.

Agreement Avoids Highway Sanction Clocks for South Coast Air Quality Management District

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), the California Air Resources Board (CARB), and the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) published a joint statement last week committing to a sustained collaboration across local, state, and federal levels to reduce emissions from all sources. This shared effort includes withdrawal of the AQMD’s 2019 Contingency Measure Plan, which the U.S. EPA proposed disapproving in February 2024. This withdrawal avoids potential highway sanctions that could have impacted federal transportation approvals and funding in the South Coast Air Basin, an area that includes all of Orange County as well as the urban areas of Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. SCAG has been engaging with the U.S. EPA and the AQMD for much of this year toward a solution to improve air quality and avoid highway sanctions.

For more details on the agreement, including a statement from SCAG Executive Director Kome Ajise, read the news post on the SCAG website.

SCAG Submits Sustainable Communities Strategy

As required following adoption of the Connect SoCal 2024 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (RTP/SCS), SCAG provided a SCS submittal package to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) on July 2. The SCS submittal package includes the quantification of the greenhouse gas emission reductions of the SCS and a technical methodology explaining how SCAG estimated the reductions.

CARB is limited to acceptance or rejection of a metropolitan planning organization’s determination that its SCS would, if implemented, achieve the region’s greenhouse gas emission reduction target of 19 percent by 2035. Acceptance of SCAG’s determination by CARB is important to the implementation of projects included in Connect SoCal 2024 seeking certain state funding sources that require inclusion in an RTP consistent with an approved SCS. If CARB rejects SCAG’s determination of meeting the greenhouse emission target, SCAG will need to revise the SCS or adopt an alternative planning strategy demonstrating the ability to achieve the target.

CARB has 60 business days, through Sept. 27, to complete the evaluation. SCAG staff anticipates working with CARB to respond to questions and requests for additional information as part of the evaluation period.

Executive/Administration Committee Retreat: Planning for the 2024-25 Fiscal Year

The annual Executive/Administration Committee (EAC) Retreat convened from June 27-28, 2024, in the city of Ontario with SCAG Regional Council President Curt Hagman and the EAC discussing topics ranging from board employment classification; emerging issues related to transportation finance, housing, and Connect SoCal 2024; review of the 2024 Regional Conference and General Assembly; 2024-2025 presidential priorities and policy committee outlooks; the 2024-2025 Regional Council outlook; and the schedule of meetings for the 2024-2025 fiscal year.

For a complete report on the EAC Retreat, see the staff report from the EAC meeting on July 31.

SCAG Funding Supports Reconnecting MacArthur Park Planning

SCAG Executive Director Kome Ajise participated in a press conference announcing the launch of the Reconnecting MacArthur Park project.The Reconnecting MacArthur Park project announced a major milestone in July, launching planning for the project after receiving $2.5 million in grant funding, including $500,000 through SCAG’s Sustainable Communities Program. The Sustainable Communities Program is one way SCAG supports local jurisdictions in implementing the Connect SoCal Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy.

The Reconnecting MacArthur Park project could create two acres of open public space by closing Wilshire Boulevard through MacArthur Park west of Downtown Los Angeles. The project intentionally aligns local, regional, and federal planning priorities to reduce vehicle miles traveled, improve air quality, increase public open space, and improve quality of life for local communities. For more information on the project, read an editorial published by the Los Angeles Times.

SCAG GIS Training Services: Getting Started with GIS for Regional and Local Planning

SCAG’s Local Information Services Team (LIST), in partnership with Cal Poly Pomona’s Department of Urban and Regional Planning, successfully completed the last GIS training program for local jurisdictions and partners in Los Angeles County with an in-person training session at the SCAG offices in Los Angeles. The GIS training program provided training to more than 200 participants throughout six sessions.  

The training program is tailored to planning professionals, GIS technicians, engineers, management analysts, and other related professionals within the region. Developed from feedback from SCAG’s Regional Data and Services Experience Survey, this two-and-a-half-day course equips attendees with essential GIS skills, focusing on real-world planning challenges. Trainees gained hands-on experience with ArcGIS Pro software and learned data capture, analysis, and visualization techniques. Videos of each GIS training program session are available on YouTube.

SCAG Attends the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials

Executive Director Kome Ajise participated in the 53rd Annual Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) in Houston from July 9-12. This year’s conference theme was “Transportation Equity: Meeting the Moment.” During the conference, Ajise joined a special half-day “CEO Summit” with public sector leaders to share and discuss insights about expanding industry leadership and workforces; embracing new technology and innovation; and incorporating equity, environment, and sustainability into projects, policies, and initiatives.

SCAG Shares Knowledge at the 2024 Esri User Conference in San Diego

Multiple SCAG staff members attended the 2024 Esri User Conference in San Diego from July 15-19. As the world’s largest geographic information systems (GIS) conference, the 2024 Esri User Conference focused on the power of geospatial thinking. SCAG staff collaborated with other industry professionals by attending presentations and participating in interactive workshops, learned about new and upcoming developments in GIS through technical sessions, and explored the conference expo, featuring vendor exhibits demonstrating innovative GIS solutions.

SCAG Go Human 2023 Community Hubs Grantees Win 2024 APA California Planning Award

The California Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA) awarded the TWIGY Bikey Summer program, the Bicycle Tree, and Santa Ana Active Streets with the 2024 California Planning Award of Merit in the Grassroots Initiative category. The TWIGY Bikey Summer program, funded by SCAG’s Go Human Community Hubs Grant Program in 2023, created a supportive community for people who identify as transgender, women, intersex, and gender nonconforming (TWIG)—all historically underrepresented and excluded in bicycling communities. The program promoted a visionary and innovative approach to inclusive community planning, demonstrating grassroots community impact by directly engaging and empowering impacted communities as a mobility justice strategy in Orange County.

The award will be recognized at the 2024 APA California Conference in Riverside in September 2024. The project previously won the APA Orange County Section Award of Excellence in the Grassroots Initiative category. Find more information about the Bicycle Tree, Santa Ana Active Streets, and other Go Human Community Hubs grantees on the SCAG website.

SCAG-San Bernardino County Transportation Authority Delegates Update

SCAG Executive Director Kome Ajise and Chief Planning Officer Sarah Jepson visited the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA) in July to provide updates to SBCTA and SCAG members. Topics of discussion included the Regional Early Action Planning grant program, transportation finances, the California State Transportation Agency Transit Task Force, and more. Thank you to all members and staff who attended and participated in a productive discussion.

Press Conference: Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility Groundbreaking

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SCAG joined the Long Beach community to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility. A long-awaited centerpiece of a series of improvements to the port rail network, the new facility will double the size of the existing Pier B rail yard from 82 acres to 171 acres, and more than triple the annual on-dock rail cargo capacity at the Port of Long Beach—from 1.5 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) to 4.7 million TEUs. Dignitaries present included congressmembers Robert Garcia and Grace Napolitano, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson, and Regional Council Member Larry McCallon.

Press Conference: $77.5 Million for Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Electric Buses

SCAG Executive Director Kome Ajise and Chief Government and Public Affairs Officer Javiera Cartagena joined local leaders in a celebratory press conference with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to highlight preparations for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and their benefits for Southern California over the decades to come.

At the press conference, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced $77.5 million in Low or No Emission Grant Program funds from the Federal Transit Administration, which fund the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (Metro) Zero-Emission Bus and Charging Infrastructure Project. These funds will allow Metro to procure battery-electric buses, charging equipment, and supporting infrastructure to provide reliable zero-emission service along bus routes from Metro’s Bus Division 7 in West Hollywood. Also joining Metro and SCAG officials at the press conference were congressmembers Maxine Waters, Ted Lieu, and Sydney Kamlager-Dove and Los Angeles County supervisors Janice Hahn and Lindsey Horvath.

SCAG Go Human Traffic Safety Demonstration Project Showcased in Palm Springs

On May 11, over 300 people attended the Palm Springs Farmers’ Market to test pop-up traffic safety improvements using the SCAG Go Human “Kit of Parts.” With support from Go Human, the Palm Springs Cultural Center temporarily showcased potential safety improvements, including an artistic crosswalk, a parklet, and a median refuge island. After experiencing the demonstration, 100 percent of survey respondents supported the traffic safety improvements. Learn more about this event by reading the summary report online and watching the demonstration video on the SCAG YouTube channel.

SCAG Go Human Sponsors CicLAvia South L.A. Plan Zone

On June 23, SCAG Go Human sponsored an interactive Play Zone for CicLAvia – South LA. Almost 10,000 attendees enjoyed car-free streets by biking, playing, skating, walking, and exploring five miles along Western Avenue in South Los Angeles and interacted with the SCAG Go Human Play Zone. Read more about the event on the CicLAvia website and see photos on CicLAvia’s Flickr account.

Miche1ada Partners with Go Human to Discuss Bike Safety in Southern California

This summer, local content creator Michelle Moro (@Miche1ada on Instagram and TikTok) partnered with SCAG and Go Human to raise awareness of bicycle and pedestrian safety and infrastructure in Southern California by sharing personal bicycling experiences and safety tips. Watch the video on SCAG’s YouTube page to learn more about biking in Southern California and Go Human’s efforts to make Southern California communities safer.