On August 29, 2024, ECOS submitted a letter summarizing our comments on the County of Sacramento Climate Action Plan Draft 2024.
Category Archives: ECOS Updates
Attend County Planning Commission Meeting Oct 21, 2024
Please attend this meeting and speak out.
The Upper Westside Specific Plan is a proposed development in the unincorporated Natomas area, covering 2,066 acres of mostly rural land. It proposes: housing – 9000 units and commercial – 3 million sq ft. Traffic congestion will be intense with only 3 Connector Roads out of the development: Garden Hwy, West El Camino, and San Juan. The Planning Commission meeting is a public hearing. Come and speak!
The County Planning Commission is October 21st at 5:30 pm. 700 H Street, Suite 1450, Sacramento.
The Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR), which outlines the potential environmental effects of the project, is available for review. Submit comments by October 28, 2024.
Links
Read project documents here. Documents of note:
“Notice of Availability” document is a concise summary of the project.
“Draft Environmental Impact Report” is long – but there is an Executive Summary. Another way to read it is to look for a specific topic of interest to you, like Air Quality, Transportation, or Noise.
ECOS has already written a strong letter in opposition to this project, here.
Read more about ECOS work on Natomas here.
Feel free to share the flyer below to spread the word! Click here or on the flyer below for a PDF version.
Don Shoup on “How L.A. can fix our scary sidewalks for the Olympics” This could work in Sacramento too. September 10, 2024, LA Times
By Donald Shoup | September 10, 2024 | LA Times
Los Angeles’ broken sidewalks are like an obstacle course, especially for people with disabilities. They are bad enough to challenge the Olympic athletes who will show up in four years.
In 2016, to settle an Americans With Disabilities Act lawsuit, Los Angeles committed to spending $1.4 billion over 30 years to make its sidewalks accessible. But a 2021 audit by the Los Angeles Controller’s Office revealed that since 2016, the city had repaired less than 1% of sidewalks. During that period, the city paid more than $35 million in settlements related to sidewalk injuries.
Donald Shoup is a distinguished research professor in urban planning at UCLA.
ECOS Climate Committee meeting, Oct 17, 2024
Topics: Air Pollution in Minority Communities; and SACOG Update
Link to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6656164155
To phone in: 669-900-6833, Meeting ID: 665 616 4155
6:00 PM: Welcome and Introductions
6:10 PM: Need to reduce air pollution in minority communities – presented by Álvaro Alvarado, Cal/EPA’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment
Álvaro will present his recently published findings (in collaboration with UC Berkeley) that Californians are breathing far less pollution from vehicles than we were 25 years ago. Exposure to fine particulate matter from traffic has dropped by 65%. Communities of color and low-income communities have seen the biggest improvements. The largest reductions in air pollution levels over the past two decades happened in Black, Hispanic, and Asian communities. However, they are still exposed to higher levels than white Californians – a relative gap that did not change much. Álvaro’s branch produces CalEnviroScreen maps, which help identify communities burdened by pollution.
7:00 PM: Work in progress at Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) – presented by Kacey Lizon, SACOG Deputy Director for Planning & Programs
Kacey will present the status of “Green Means Go”, their 2025 “Blueprint”, and their upcoming regional monitoring report. Green Means Go is a State-funded program to increase the capacity of storm, water, and sewer utilities to accelerate infill housing with lower greenhouse gas emissions than housing in greenfields. The Blueprint is SACOG’s Metropolitan Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy. SACOG’s monitoring report will consist of data on transportation, land use, housing, and demographic and economic factors.
In November, we hope to continue discussions with SACOG staff on how our 6-county region can meet the State’s target for a 19% reduction in GHG from vehicles by 2035, and possible changes to Statewide legislation (e.g., SB 375 – Sustainable Communities & Climate Protection Program, and SB 743).
7:50 PM: Updates
Rancho Cordova General Plan community workshop, October 15, 2024
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
With new housing, evolving business needs, and changing transportation habits, it’s time to prepare for the future. What will the next 20 years bring for Rancho Cordova amidst state and regional trends? How will new technologies reshape lives?
Attend the first in-person community workshop for the Rancho Cordova General Plan Update. City staff and the project team will be sharing information on the overall process and objectives for this important document that will guide the City’s growth and development over the next 25 years.
Environmentalist of the Year Awards, October 26, 2024
Saturday, October 26, 2024, 5:00pm
Camp Pollock, 1501 Northgate Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95815
Please join us at the Environmentalist of the Year Awards to celebrate and be inspired on Saturday, October 26, 2024 at Camp Pollock. Network, have dinner, and enjoy a walk by the river on a glowing October evening.
ECOS has a decades-long legacy of honoring local environmental leaders. The Environmentalist of the Year Awards allow us to recognize important work done by people in many fields to further sustainability.
