Tag Archives: 2023

Highway Tolling in the Sacramento Region 4/4/2024

JOIN US! ECOS CLIMATE COMMITTEE
Thursday, April 4, 2024 6:00 PM start
(re-scheduled from March 21)

Link to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6656164155
To phone in: 669-900-6833, Meeting ID: 665 616 4155

Highway Tolling in the Sacramento Region

6:00 PM: Welcome and Introductions

6:10 PM: Kathleen Hanley (Principal Transportation Planner, SACOG) will discuss the Capital Area Regional Tolling Authority (CARTA) that was recently approved by SACOG’s board. SACOG (Sacramento Area Council of Governments) decided that this JPA (Joint Powers Agreement) for managed lanes on our highways was necessary to provide better travel options. This will first be applied to Interstate 80, between Sacramento and Davis.

6:40 PM: Open discussion: We will discuss the status of Caltrans’ plans to add lanes to this freeway, and concerns expressed by CARB (California Air Resources Board), as well as environmental groups, including ECOS. Note that the California Transportation Commission (CTC) was to have decided whether the State should provide funds for this project recently, but delayed a decision to its May 16 meeting. Note that CTC and CARB boards will have a joint meeting on April 11.

7:00 PM: Updates and Announcements

  1. Status of SACOG’s Blueprint 2025
  2. Status of application for federal Climate Pollution Reduction Grant, submitted by SMAQMD (Sacramento Metro Air Quality Management District)) on behalf of 7 area counties
  3. ECOS contract with SacRT for Educational Outreach and Communication Support Services, and community meetings at Stockton Blvd and Del Paso Blvd (jointly with SMART, Sac Metro Advocates for Rail & Transit)
  4. Status of application for Governor’s Office of Planning and Research’s Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Program Grant Opportunity
  5. Update on Sacramento County’s Climate Emergency Mobilization Task Force
  6. Sacramento City meeting April 9, Truxel Bridge plans
  7. Others?
  8. Ralph’s birthday is today 😊

Click here for the agenda in PDF.

2023 Annual Highlights

December 21, 2023

Dear ECOS Community,

ECOS and our members and partners accomplished a lot this year and our advocacy mattered.

This year we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of ECOS at our Environmentalist Awards on Dec. 1st at the State Railroad Museum. We send heartfelt thanks to our sponsors; we could not do our work without you. We also thank our ECOS team that made it happen. See photos and more information on the last page of our Annual Highlights report.

Throughout our history, ECOS has addressed environmental challenges in our region, and contributed to several successful planning actions, three of which remain a focus of ECOS today – the Sacramento Area Council of Governments Blueprint, the Sacramento County Urban Services Boundary, and the Natomas Basin Habitat Conservation Plan. Read about them in the report.

For more perspective on the period 1970 to today, see our video, ECOS Past & Present – Key Events, and History of ECOS.

Download ECOS’ 2023 Annual Highlights

Much work lies ahead. Please join our ranks, donate, or become a member here.

Best wishes for the new year.

Susan Herre

President of the Board of Directors

Sacramento supervisors are addicted to sprawl. It could cost our region dearly | Opinion by Tom Philp, Dec 7, 2023, The Sacramento Bee

The Sacramento region could lose about $1 billion in state transportation funds in the coming years if it fails to develop a housing/transportation plan that reduces sprawl and increases housing within communities. Yet Sacramento County does not seem to care as it reflexively pushes for more sprawl.

Click here to read the article: https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/article281716338.html#storylink=cpy

2040 General Plan Update: Missing Middle Housing & Maximum Floor Area Ratio

On November 28, 2023, ECOS submitted a letter of support for the City of Sacramento’s proposal for the missing middle housing ordinance as part of the General Plan Update. Below is an excerpt from our letter.

For over 50 years, ECOS has urged our region to increase infill housing as opposed to sprawl development, in order to preserve habitat and make our air healthier to breathe. More recently it has become clear that this is needed to limit greenhouse gas emissions that jeopardize the future of our species, and to deal with our #1 local issue: the lack of affordable housing and concomitant homelessness. For these reasons, ECOS has consistently promoted investment in public transit and light rail, and the development of transit-oriented infill development. Additionally, ECOS recognizes that our past discriminatory housing policy has caused a development pattern that must be adjusted to promote environmental justice and equity.

Click here to read our letter in full.

Why are Sacramento County Supervisors pursuing a lame idea that’s bad for the region? Opinion by Tom Philp, Oct 24, 2023, The Sacramento Bee

An October opinion piece in the Bee states the Sacramento region has already approved more suburban projects than the region will need for the next generation.

“It is time for supervisors to think far more strategically about growth. They must acknowledge that there can only be so much growth and what growth is approved must happen in a way that minimizes congestion and maximizes affordable housing and transit opportunities. Otherwise, it simply doesn’t make sense for the Sacramento County of today. . .

According to the latest SACOG population projections, the entire six-county region is expected to grow by approximately 278,000 between now and 2050. But Sacramento County’s transportation staff is suggesting that nearly half of the region’s entire growth is about to happen in Supervisor Phil Serna’s district.”

Read more at: https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/article280893568.html#storylink=cpy

Click here to read the article: https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/article280893568.html