Tag Archives: SACOG

Sacramento eyes new transportation tax, but are residents willing to pay?

By Tony Bizjak

September 7, 2017

The Sacramento Bee

Proponents say they misfired with the local transportation tax measure last year because they didn’t take enough time to reach the public early on and to get vocal grass-roots support.

“The criticism from groups was that the process was too truncated and not inclusive enough,” said Sacramento City Councilman Jay Schenirer.

Read the article here.

Note: the Environmental Council of Sacramento believes that the last transportation tax proposal, Measure B, allocated far too much for new road construction and far too little for transit. Click here to read the letter ECOS submitted about this last measure.

ECOS’ Comments on the 2017 SB 375 Update

July 28, 2017

The Environmental Council of Sacramento, along with Organize Sacramento, the Sacramento Housing Alliance, the Planning and Conservation League, Mogavero Architects, 350 Sacramento and the California Bicycle Coalition submitted our collective comments on the recent update to SB 375, The Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act of 2008. Below are our opening comments, with a link to the letter in full. 

Dear Chair Nichols, Air Resources Board Members, and Staff:

In 2004, the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) adopted the Blueprint. This plan provided vision for how the region would integrate land use and transportation planning to curb sprawl, reduce vehicle emissions, and cut down on traffic congestion to improve quality of life. This is to be accomplished by encouraging a sufficient variety housing options close to jobs, schools, and other critical community amenities. The adoption of the Blueprint—and subsequent Metropolitan Transportation Plans/Sustainable Communities Strategies (MTPs/SCSs)—has made SACOG a leader in the state and the nation in its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and vehicle miles traveled (VMT), and build more equitable communities.

While we support the recently adopted MTP/SCS, we also believe there is tremendous room to improve the plan. We believe that neither the SB 375 target recommendations made by SACOG staff (-18%) or Air Resources Board (ARB) staff (-19%) represent the full GHG reduction potential from improved land use and transportation behavior in the Sacramento region. Considering the substantial amount of greenfield development anticipated in the current SACOG MTP/SCS and the extremely low densities of the existing urban footprint, we feel that a stronger GHG reduction target is very feasible.

Read our full comment letter by clicking here or on the image of the letter below.

Photo: Smog over LA – is this what we want for the Sacramento region?

Meet the New CEO of SACOG, James Corless

Join the Environmental Council of Sacramento – ECOS for our May ECOS Board Meeting! Everyone who is interested is welcome. Bring a friend!

Monday, May 15, 2017

Location: SEIU Local 1000, 1325 S St, Sacramento, CA 95811

5:30 pm Reception

Please come and meet and socialize with ECOS Board Members and guests. Light appetizers and refreshments served. Feel free to bring something to share.

6:00 pm Meeting Begins

Come meet James Corless, the new Chief Executive Officer of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG)! 

Come meet the new chief executive of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) on Monday, May 15th with ECOS! James Corless is a public transit and smart growth advocate and the founding director of Transportation for America.

SACOG is the region’s chief transportation planning agency. Learn more about them here: http://www.sacog.org/

Transportation for America is an alliance of elected, business and civic leaders from communities across the country, united to ensure that states and the federal government step up to invest in smart, homegrown, locally-driven transportation solutions. Learn more about the organization here:http://www.t4america.org/

“James Corless is the founding director of Transportation for America, where he built an impressive national network of civic, elected, and business leaders who understand that strategic investments in infrastructure are crucial for attracting economic development.” – SACOG http://www.sacog.org/post/james-corless-begins-ceo-appointment

After the discussion, ECOS Committees will report on their current business. Announcements from members and attendees are welcome at the end, as time allows.

Click here for the full agenda. (PDF)

ECOS comments on US-50 HOV Phase 2 Project Draft IS/EA

November 4, 2016

RE: Sac 50 Phase 2 High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lanes* Project Draft Initial Study [with Proposed Mitigated Negative Declaration]/Environmental Assessment

In general, ECOS is greatly concerned that this Initial Study does not adequately analyze the potential impacts of the project, and strongly recommends that a full EIR be conducted.

hov-ltr

Read our full comment letter here.

What’s an HOV lane? 
From Caltrans: The central concept for HOV lanes is to move more people rather than more cars. Some HOV lanes carry almost half of the people carried on the entire freeway.