SACOG: 2025 Blueprint Discussion Scenario

On April 18, 2024, ECOS sent the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) a letter regarding Item #15 on their board meeting agenda, the 2025 Blueprint Discussion Scenario.

Below is an excerpt from our letter.

ECOS supports SACOG’s Option 3 of its Discussion Scenario: “Prioritizing Build Out and More Complete Communities”. This option assumes more complete build-out of developing and potential developing communities but in fewer places. SACOG needs to prioritize those developing communities that have the strongest likelihood of lower vehicle- VMT based on factors like proximity to existing development and jobs/housing balance.

Click here to read the letter in full.

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

Status of SACOG’s Blueprint 2025
Status of application for federal Climate Pollution Reduction Grant, submitted by SMAQMD (Sacramento Metro Air Quality Management District)) on behalf of 7 area counties
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)
Status of application for Governor’s Office of Planning and Research’s Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Program Grant Opportunity
Update on Sacramento County’s Climate Emergency Mobilization Task Force
Sacramento City meeting April 9, Truxel Bridge plans
Others?
Ralph’s birthday is today 😊

Click here for the agenda in PDF.

SIWD Presents: Community Workshop Update 2/29/24

Join Sacramento Investment Without Displacement (SIWD) on Thursday, February 29 from 6-7:00pm as we present our progress and work with the City of Sacramento to craft a Community Benefits Agreement Ordinance. We will also share how community members can provide input to the process. Register here: https://bit.ly/3HH6T4w.

ECOS and Partners Testimonies at City of Sacramento Hearing re 2040 GP & Climate Action & Adaptation Plan 2/25/2024

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.

Coalition letter calling on Gov. Newsom to hold Caltrans accountable

On October 17, 2023, ECOS joined over 60 other organizations in signing on to a coalition letter calling on Gov. Newsom to hold Caltrans accountable to his climate vision.

Click here to view the letter.

The widening of I-80 works against California’s climate goals

By Stephen M. Wheeler and Barbara Leary, Special to the Bee | October 17, 2023 | The Sacramento Bee

If we want to know why our state’s transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions have risen since the early 2010s, a good place to look is Caltrans. The agency has long been fixated on widening roads and creating “induced demand” which has led to more driving. Currently, this cycle continues through the agency’s questionable efforts to create additional lanes on the I-80 Yolo Bypass causeway leading into Sacramento. And recently, a high-level administrator was demoted after attempting to stop such actions.