By Anisca Miles
June 13, 2019
Fox40 News
Starting October 1, 2019, “All children from kindergarten through 12th grade who live or go to school in Sacramento will now have the ability to use public transportation for free at any time of day, any day of the week, and year-round.” – Jay Schenerir, City of Sacramento Councilmember
Image credit: https://www.ebikeshed.com/
The Sacramento City Council has finally started the process of eminent domain to acquire recreation easements necessary to complete the Sacramento River Parkway.
Learn more about it in this May 22, 2019 article from The Sacramento Bee. Within that article is a reference to $210,000 that comes from a settlement agreement with Caltrans.
In 2013, ECOS obtained a commitment from Caltrans to the parkway in our lawsuit demanding mitigation for planned carpool and bus lanes on I-5. Caltrans was not obligated to pay the settlement until it was ready to award a construction contract. I believe the City of Sacramento now has those funds and is able to use them to take this critical step toward the Parkway’s completion.
We are excited to see this success in which ECOS played a role! The Friends of the Sacramento River Parkway has sent ECOS a note of thanks in light of the new vote taken by Sacramento City Council on this, which we greatly appreciate.
Unfortunately, Friends of the Sacramento River Parkway says that although voting for resolutions of necessity to start eminent domain proceedings in the Pocket, Councilmember Steve Hansen made it clear at this week’s meeting he will continue to oppose the completion of the Parkway in the “Little Pocket” area. He also convinced the city recently to seriously impede public access to the levee and to Chicory Bend Park in the Little Pocket.
Contact the Friends of the Sacramento River Parkway for ways you can get involved.
May 16, 2019
Check out the Sacramento News and Review article about what Sacramento residents think about the climate crisis, transitioning to clean energy, the growing number of green jobs and more. Alexandra Reagan, Director of Operations for ECOS, says that the premise of clean energy killing jobs is false.
“Environmentalists are often portrayed as being anti-growth, but most of us, except for a few extremists, are perfectly aware that the population is growing and that building is going to happen, so it’s just about how we do it,” she said.
“I think the environmental waves of the last 150 years have left behind social justice, and we’re trying not to do that this time. We want fair jobs and living wages for everybody. …We can address the environmental crisis and economic issues by creating green jobs.”
May 20, 2019
The Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) recognizes an increasing need to plan for and address the mobility needs of the growing regional population. While there is currently a range of transportation services available to people with lower incomes, seniors and persons with disabilities in the Region, gaps in service remain due to geography, limitations in fixed-route and demand-responsive services, program/funding constraints, eligibility limitations, knowledge and training. The SACOG Public Transit and Human Services Transportation Coordinated Plan is intended to show how human service agencies work together with transportation providers to address the transportation needs of people with disabilities, seniors, and people with limited incomes. The SACOG Coordinated Plan is meant to broaden the dialogue and support further collaboration between human service agencies and transportation providers to link people with the transportation services that they need.
The SACOG Coordinated Plan Update – February 16, 2017 is required under Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) of December 2015. The SACOG Public Transit and Human Services Transportation Coordinated Plan is available here or can be requested by calling 916-321-9000.
Resolution Approving SACOG Coordinated Plan
SACOG is currently conducting outreach to obtain input on the coordination of public transit and human service transportation service and identify any needs gaps and potential solutions in the six county region. This input will be used to inform the upcoming update to the current SACOG Public Transit and Human Services Transportation Coordinated Plan – see link above.
To provide input please attend one of the following outreach meetings:
June 3, 2019: Yolo County Transportation District – Citizens Advisory Committee, 6 PM @ 350 Industrial Way, Woodland, CA
June 6, 2019: Sacramento Regional Transit District – Mobility Advisory Council, 2:30 PM @ 1400 29th Street, Sacramento, CA
June 10, 2019: Yuba County Government Center, Marysville Room, 2 PM @ 915 8th Street, Marysville, CA
June 11, 2019: City of Roseville Civic Center, 1:30 PM @ 311 Vernon Street, Roseville, CA
June 12, 2019: Placerville Library, Meeting Room, 2 PM @ 345 Fair Lane, Placerville, CA
If you are unable to attend one of the meetings and would like to provide your input please contact:
Barbara VaughanBechtold at bvaughanbechtold [at] sacog [dot] org or 916-340-6226.
Source:
https://www.sacog.org/post/sacog-public-transit-and-human-services-transportation-coordinated-plan
By Howard Hardee
May 16, 2019
Sacramento News and Review
Even with the suffocating smoke from last season’s deadly wildfires fresh in everyone’s minds, perhaps it’s still surprising just how strongly residents of the Sacramento region believe in protecting the environment. Overwhelmingly, they view nature as vital to the health, happiness and livelihoods of all people in Northern California.
The narrative often fed to the public about climate change—that it’s a divisive issue pitting the environment against the economy—does not appear to have taken hold among most residents, as 66 percent believe efforts to mitigate climate change will either have no effect on jobs, or will create more jobs.
Alexandra Regan, director of operations for the Environmental Council of Sacramento, did not comment directly on the report, but told SN&R that the premise of clean energy killing jobs is false.
“Environmentalists are often portrayed as being anti-growth, but most of us, except for a few extremists, are perfectly aware that the population is growing and that building is going to happen, so it’s just about how we do it,” she said. “I think the environmental waves of the last 150 years have left behind social justice, and we’re trying not to do that this time. We want fair jobs and living wages for everybody. …We can address the environmental crisis and economic issues by creating green jobs.”
Valley Vision is excited to announce the results of a new scientific public opinion survey about environmental and climate priorities in the Sacramento region.
Conducted in partnership with the Institute of Social Research, Valley Vision’s fourth poll uncovers opinions about air quality, open space, attitudes about climate change and much more to help our leaders make informed decisions.
Click here to view this message from Valley Vision in your browser.
Mailing address: PO Box 1526, Sacramento, CA 95812
Email: office [at] ecosacramento [dot] net
909 12th St., Suite 203, Sacramento, CA 95814