AB 1052 Sacramento Regional Transit District’s Ballot Authority (Support)

On May 30, 2023, ECOS submitted a letter of support for AB 1052, Sacramento Regional Transit District’s Ballot Authority.

Below is the text of our letter.

On behalf of the Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS), we thank you for authoring AB 1052 and express our support for the bill as it moves through the legislative process.

Sacramento Regional Transit (SacRT) continues to face reduced ridership and higher costs originally driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of those negative impacts continue today, along with the lasting societal changes the pandemic caused.

We strongly believe that a robust, efficient, and cost-effective SacRT transit system benefits all people within its service area, but some projects provide more benefits to a subset of the residents living within that service area. However, if SacRT wants to place a measure on the ballot to increase a sales or use tax, or property tax, that measure must cover its entire service area.

In the wake of these changes and the ongoing financial uncertainty, AB 1052 would give SacRT the authority to ask a subset of its service area to support paying for projects that would more directly benefit that area. Many much-needed community and SacRT projects are more localized, impacting and delivering the most benefits to a geographically specific region as opposed to the entire widespread, 440-square mile SacRT service area.

We know that efficient public transit provides tremendous regional benefits. SacRT services reduce traffic, improve air quality, boost regional economic growth, create jobs, and connect neighborhoods. It also offers residents a cost-effective way to get to and from school, work, medical appointments, and essential services. In addition, it provides mobility equity, by providing greater access to opportunities and services so all members of our community can connect, thrive, and prosper.

ECOS was founded in 1971 as a visionary and action-oriented coalition for our region.

Today the organizational and individual members of ECOS work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, promote smart growth land use and transportation principles, promote equity in housing, promote sustainable regional water supply for all users, public health and opportunities, and promote regional habitat conservation.

We are pleased to offer our support for AB 1052 and I thank you again for carrying the bill.

Click here to read the letter in PDF.

Local Water Issues: Sustainability of the North American Groundwater Subbasin 5/24

The ECOS Water Committee invites you to join us on May 24 from 6:00 until 7:00pm to take part in a presentation/discussion of the sustainability of the North American groundwater subbasin. This subbasin is the source of groundwater providing a significant amount of the water used by the urban areas north of the American River. Jim Peifer Executive Director of the Sacramento Groundwater Authority (SGA), the agency that coordinates and manages a major portion of the subbasin, will be presenting the latest condition of the subbasin as reflected in the annual subbasin sustainability report recently submitted to the state. He will also describe efforts to protect Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems, shallow wells, and improve the subbasin’s monitoring and modeling programs. All of these actions are important given the plan by the Regional Water Authority to operate a water bank in the area overseen by SGA. Bring your questions and be prepared for a thoughtful presentation and discussion.

For more information on areas of interest regarding the North American Subbasin please see the Water Committee’s letter of invitation to SGA.

Click here to view the agenda for the May 24 meeting of the ECOS Water Committee.

Congratulations to SacRT on 50 Years of Service!

April 1, 2023 marked SacRT’s 50th anniversary of operation. ECOS celebrates this important milestone with SacRT by looking back at Sacramento’s history and celebrating what is to come. SacRT has played an integral role in generations of Sacramentans. Transit is woven into the fabric of daily life across the Sacramento region.

ECOS supports the insertion of dense development around existing light rail stations and major bus corridors, and the continued expansion of the transit network in our region.

Learn more about the history of SacRT, check out their Anniversary Pop-Up Events and more, please visit https://www.sacrt.com/apps/sacrt-celebrates-50-years/.

Big Day of Giving 2023!

Sacramento’s Big Day of Giving is right around the corner and ECOS would like to engage you!

The Environmental Council of Sacramento has been a powerful advocacy organization in the Sacramento region for over 50 years. We advocate for aggressive reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. We support green building practices such as using recycled materials and electrification of all buildings and vehicles. We argue for new parks, transit, and “complete streets” in environmentally impacted urban areas, especially near freeways and heavy industry, and in historically red-lined areas. With the climate crisis growing and affordable housing a critical need, our advocacy efforts are needed more than ever.

It’s easy to make a difference in the Sacramento region during Big Day of Giving. Donations as small as $15 add up to make a big impact!

Between now and Thursday, May 4, please donate to keep ECOS advocacy vibrant!

Donate Now

Community Bus Stop Improvement Survey

Civic Thread is partnering with Sacramento Regional Transit (SacRT) to develop a Bus Stop Improvement Plan, which will create a list of necessary and desired improvements to bus stops, amenities, and sidewalks in the SacRT system. We need your opinions and feedback to identify priority bus stop needs. Please share your thoughts about your bus stop priorities to help ensure that this planning process is led by community. This survey will also help us identify areas of concern to hold community walking tours. By taking this survey, you have the chance to be entered to receive a free month of transit on the SacRT system (includes bus service, light rail, and SmaRT Ride).

All questions are optional. The survey will take approximately 3-5 minutes.

Click here to take the survey.

Sacramento among California cities with filthiest air in the US, new study says. What to know

By Brianna Taylor | April 22, 2022 | The Sacramento Bee

Sacramento has some of the filthiest air, according to a new air quality study. The American Lung Association’s “State of the Air 2022” is based on the data of air quality throughout the United States, obtained from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality System. The study focuses on the years 2018 to 2020. According to the 155-page air quality report, the area ranked No. 7 out “25 Cites Most Polluted by Daily Particulate Matter.” The 11 other state cities ranked include: Fresno, No. 1, Bakersfield, No. 2, San Jose, No. 4, Redding, No. 5, Chico, No. 6, Los Angeles, No. 8, Visalia, No. 9, San Diego, No. 13, Salinas, No. 14 and San Luis Obispo, No. 22.

We suggest you also read a letter to The Sacramento Bee written by 2021 Environmentalist of the Year Anne Stausbol, written in response to this article.

Kudos to The Bee for bringing attention to Sacramento’s ranking, once again, as one of the country’s regions with the worst air pollution. The American Lung Association report also shows that we rank ninth worst for ozone pollution. Both particulate and ozone pollution have serious health impacts, especially for vulnerable populations. The report tells us the first thing local governments must do is adopt a climate action plan that supports walking, biking, transit and zero-emission-vehicle infrastructure, with supportive building and parking policies. The Mayors’ Commission on Climate Change made this exact recommendation to the City Council in June 2020. Yet almost two years later, the city has not produced its climate action plan. How can our leaders allow Sacramento to remain on this list year after year? The city must act now to address this public health crisis by enacting a plan that embraces and funds our recommendations.
– Anne Stausboll, Sacramento