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

Update on the Sacramento County Climate Action Plan

On December 14, 2023, Sacramento County staff opened a comment period for its Notice of Preparation for a Subsequent Environmental Impact Report for the Climate Action Plan. A meeting was held to discuss the document on January 10, 2024, and comments are due Jan 31, 2024.

SIWD Community Workshop 1/25/2024

Thursday, January 25, 2024, 5:30 – 7pm

SIWD PRESENTS: Community Benefits Agreement Presentation
Join Sacramento Investment Without Displacement to learn more about the work we have done around Community Benefits Agreements (CBA) and how they have significantly impacted other cities.

SIWD has been working with City of Sacramento Staff to implement a CBA ordinance. We will also give an update on where we are in this process. We will also discuss how residents and community members can join us and provide feedback and information.

The meeting will be virtual both on Facebook Live and Zoom.

To Attend our Virtual Meeting please register in the link: https://bit.ly/4agkcWO.

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.

Controversy engulfs Causeway project

Monica Stark, The Davis Enterprise, October 15, 2023

“‘It’s been pretty obvious to me just from observing the ‘rehabilitation’ project that it was doing the sort of deep roadbed work needed for widening,’ Stephen Wheeler, UC Davis professor of human ecology, said…”

Click here to read the article.

Gov. Newsom says he’ll sign Sen. Scott Wiener’s greenhouse gas emissions disclosure bill

By Jenavieve Hatch | September 17, 2023 | The Sacramento Bee

While Newsom made his announcement in New York, hundreds of climate activists in Sacramento demonstrated against fossil fuels. Protesters spoke in Old Sacramento to call on Newsom and President Joe Biden to stop approvals of oil drilling permits and declare a climate emergency. The demonstrators then marched across Tower Bridge, where they hung an enormous yellow banner that read “Biden-Newsom: End Fossil Fuels.”