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.

ECOS Climate Committee meeting 11/16/2023

ECOS Climate Committee meeting
Thursday, November 16, 2023 – 6 PM start (Zoom)
Link to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6656164155
To phone in: 669-900-6833, Meeting ID: 665 616 4155

6:00 PM: Welcome and Introductions

6:10 PM: Timothy Irvine-Alavi (Chair, Sacramento County Climate Emergency Mobilization Task Force)
will report on the Task Force’s progress on recommendations to County Supervisors to be presented this winter. These result from their Energy Technical Advisory Panel (especially existing building electrification), their Transportation Technical Advisory Panel, and their Outreach and Education Subcommittee.

6:40 PM: Tamie Dramer (Executive Director, Organize Sacramento)
will present polling results for a possible November 2024 ballot initiative for affordable housing.

7:00 PM: Updates and Announcements

  1. Caltrans has started construction on the I-80 Yolo Causeway between Sacramento and Davis. On Monday, Nov. 13, Caltrans is scheduled to release a draft EIR (Environmental Impact Report) for the larger project – Adding lanes to the causeway. Let’s discuss possible comments due next month.
  2. Climate Pollution Reduction Grants Plan, Nov. 9 joint meeting SACOG, SMUD, SMAQMD, SacRT boards: to secure $ billions for climate initiatives (like ZEV deployment). Pre-proposal due Feb. 1, 2024 to US EPA. (e.g.: forest biomass conversion to green hydrogen fuel and sequestered biochar)
  3. New ECOS contract with SacRT for Educational Outreach and Communication Support Services

Click here to view the agenda in PDF.

Recording Available: Sacramento County Measure A Meeting 9/14/23

In case you missed this special presentation about Measure A at the ECOS Climate Committee meeting on Thursday September 14, 2023 at 6:00pm, you can request a recording of the meeting. Just send an email to office[at]ecosacramento[dot]net for a copy of the recording.

Agenda

6:00 Welcome and Introductions

6:10 Existing Sacramento County Measure A: What It Said, What It Has Done, What It Will Do

Sacramento County voters passed Measure A in 2004, a sales tax to fund transportation improvements through 2039. This presentation is designed to provide us with a basis of understanding and point of reference for a possible November 2024 ballot measure. Also, is there any flexibility to modify how future Measure A revenues may be used?

Co-presented by:

• Kevin Bewsey: Executive Director, Sacramento Transportation Authority
• Liam Huber: ECOS Intern; UC Davis Environmental Management & Policy

Discussants:

• Henry Li, CEO and General Manager of Sacramento Regional Transit
• Michael McKeever, former Executive Director of SACOG

Open Discussion, Q&A

7:05 General updates and announcements

This meeting is open to everyone interested in addressing some of our region’s most pressing challenges.

Click here to view the agenda in PDF.

ECOS Climate Committee Meeting 10/19/23

Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023 at 6:00 pm

LINK to join: ECOS ZOOM 6656164155
or call: 1 669 900 6833, Mtg ID: 665 616 4155

Please note that this meeting will not be recorded.

Jeanie Ward-Waller, former Caltrans’ Deputy Director of Planning and Modal Programs

6:00 Welcome and Introductions

6:10 Presentation:
Jeanie Ward-Waller was demoted last month, after she notified Caltrans officials that she would file a whistleblower complaint about Sacramento-area highway expansion projects allegedly circumventing environmental rules.

Here are some of the latest updates on the situation:

Coalition letter calling on Gov. Newsom to hold Caltrans accountable to his climate vision, October 17, 2023

The widening of I-80 works against California’s climate goals | Opinion, By Stephen M. Wheeler and Barbara Leary, Special to the Bee, The Sacramento Bee, October 17, 2023

A Caltrans executive questioned a freeway expansion. Then she was demoted, Rachel Uranga, LA Times, October 13, 2023

Editorial: California’s transportation spending doesn’t match its climate promises, LA Times, October 10, 2023

Breaking: California Transportation Official Demoted for Opposing Highway Expansion, Asia Mieleszko, Strong Towns, October 10, 2023

6:30 Discussion/Q&A

7:00 Updates and Announcements

This meeting is open to everyone interested in addressing some of our region’s most pressing challenges.

Click here for the agenda in PDF.

Envisioning Our Transportation Future: The Renaissance of Stockton Boulevard 9/27/23

Join us for a transformative panel discussion on shaping a sustainable and prosperous future for Stockton Boulevard. This historic corridor, linking East and South Sacramento, is on the brink of unprecedented growth — but its potential is constrained by outdated transportation infrastructure.

Presented by Sacramento Metro Advocates for Rail and Transit (SMART), the event brings together community and business leaders from Stockton Boulevard Partnership, Florin Road Partnership, and Civic Thread, along with a moderator from Sacramento Business Journal. The panel will conclude with an audience Q&A discussion.

Explore innovative strategies to reimagine Stockton Boulevard as a pedestrian-safe haven, boasting cleaner air, accessible transit alternatives and a thriving local economy that uplifts all. We’ll explore bus rapid transit, active transportation enhancements, safety advancements and affordable infill housing.

All are welcome — Free admission
Doors open at 5 p.m.

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/envisioning-our-transportation-future-the-renaissance-of-stockton-blvd-tickets-698720340347

ECOS Mtg/Board 10/4/23

Wednesday Oct 4, 2023 at 6:00 pm
(This date is a change from Sept 27 to Oct 4, 2023 to accommodate the SMART Stockton Blvd Forum)

6:00 pm Welcome and Introductions

6:10 pm Darwin Moosavi, Deputy Secretary, Environmental Policy and Housing Coordination, California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA)


Darwin Moosavi will speak about CalSTA, our California State Transportation Agency, and its mission and goals. As the lead author of CAPTI, the Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure, published in 2021, Darwin will share with us how CAPTI has changed the nature of the transportation projects that receive discretionary funding from the State — specifically, how they are increasingly aligned with State climate goals. Finally, Darwin will discuss the work of CalSTA to require better coordination between housing and transportation.

This presentation can help inform us as we shape the contents of a November 2024 transportation ballot measure for the Sacramento region.

6:45 Q&A

7:00 ECOS Board Meeting

8:00 Adjourn

Link to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/665616415 | To phone in: 669-900-6833, Meeting ID: 665 616 4155

Click here for the agenda in PDF.