The Sacramento region has approved too much sprawl already; a reckoning is here

By Tom Philp | March 6, 2024 | The Sacramento Bee

The politics of the Sacramento region have long been fueled by its expansion, with land speculators, developers, builders and trade unions funding political campaigns. But the extraordinary power of this political bloc needs to be checked before they cost the region hundreds of millions of dollars in state funding and blow up Sacramento’s climate goals.

Click here to read the full article: https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/article285860766.html#storylink=cpy

Related to inhibiting sprawl, SACOG is tasked with developing a new 25-year housing plan that lowers GHG emissions in Sacramento’s six-county region. The Land Use and Natural Resources Committee of SACOG will receive important new information on the region’s future housing demand on March 7, 2024. To watch a recording of the meeting, go to https://www.sacog.org/meetings/meeting-agendas; Advanced Search – insert meeting date, then see Item History.

Research Seminar: Impacts on Vehicle Miles Traveled from Land Use and Transportation Changes 2/27/2024

Join CARB for this research seminar which explores changes to land use and transportation in the downtown areas of Fresno, Sacramento, and Santa Monica. The project aimed to measure the effect of these changes on vehicle miles traveled.

Date: Tuesday, February 27, 2024
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Location: Webinar

Register here.

Background

Senate Bill 375 (2008) directed the California Air Resources Board to collaborate with the state’s Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) to set regional targets for reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from passenger vehicles. Under this legislation California’s MPOs are required to adopt Sustainable Communities Strategies (SCSs) that lay out the strategies by which the region will achieve its GHG reduction targets, including strategies to reduce vehicle miles travel (VMT). Some strategies to reduce VMT include changes to the built environment, to both land development patterns and the transportation system, which reduce the need for driving. As one way to evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies, this project used available data to examine changes in travel patterns associated with changes in land-use patterns and the transportation system in three case study downtown areas: Fresno, Sacramento, and Santa Monica. For more information and detailed findings, visit the project webpage or contact the Research Division. The project webpage will host the final report and seminar recording once they become available.

Biography

The Principal Investigator, Susan Handy, is a professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy at the University of California at Davis, where she teaches in the Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning major and in the Transportation Technology and Policy Program. She is the director of the National Center for Sustainable Transportation, part of the federal university transportation centers program. Her research focuses on the relationships between transportation and land use, particularly the impact of land use on travel behavior, and on strategies for reducing automobile dependence. Her recent work includes projects for CARB and Caltrans on methods for evaluating the impacts on vehicle travel of proposed land development and transportation projects. Her new book, Shifting Gears: Toward a New Way of Thinking About Transportation, is published by MIT Press.

Hearing for City of Sacramento’s 2040 GP & Climate Action & Adaptation Plan 2/27/2024

The Sacramento City Council is expected to adopt its 2040 General Plan and Climate Action & Adaptation Plan and certify the Final Master Environmental Impact Report on Tuesday, February 27, 2024. Please attend this important meeting.

ECOS/Partners testified on the Natomas Basin aspects of the General Plan Update to the City’s Planning and Design Commission on Thursday, January 25th, 2024. Watch our comments on the Natomas Basin aspects of the General Plan Update in the recorded video, here.

The 2040 General Plan

The General Plan is the City’s blueprint for how and where it will grow over the next 20 years. It contains policies that guide everything from the type of homes available, to jobs, transportation, environmental justice, public safety and much more. This major update has been focused on managing growth sustainably and equitably in ways that benefit the whole community, increasing opportunity and prosperity for all.

The Climate Action & Adaptation Plan

The Climate Action & Adaptation Plan (CAAP) establishes Sacramento’s greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction target for 2030 and 2045, and positions Sacramento to reduce GHG emissions while adapting to projected climate change impacts.

More Info

To learn more about the Sacramento 2040 Project, including links to draft documents, please visit www.sac2040gpu.org.

Video: Climate Justice Mayoral Forum

On Monday, January 22, 2024, the Climate Committee of the League of Women Voters of Sacramento County and a dozen local Sacramento climate action and social justice organizations asked candidates for Sacramento mayor how they would chart a livable climate future for our city. Candidates answered questions about climate and environmental justice and how those issues intersect with transit, housing, public health and more. This was a free virtual event, all welcome. Spanish translation was provided.

You can watch the recording of the forum below.

Participating Sacramento mayoral candidates:

  • Dr. Flojaune Cofer
  • Assemblymember Kevin McCarty
  • Dr. Richard Pan
  • Councilmember Steve Hansen
  • Jose Avina

Co-sponsoring organizations

  • 350 Sacramento
  • California Climate Voters
  • Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS)
  • Fridays for Future Sacramento
  • Indivisible Sacramento
  • SacMoves Coalition
  • Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates (SABA)
  • Sacramento Climate Coalition
  • Sacramento Environmental Justice Coalition
  • Sacramento Metro Advocates for Rail and Transit (SMART)
  • Strong SacTown
  • Third Act Sacramento