News

President Trump signed a $1.3 trillion federal spending bill on March 23rd that included substantial increases in several transportation funding programs that could benefit the Sacramento region. The FY18 spending bill triples funding for the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program, increases available Capital Investment Grants (CIG) for new public transportation construction projects, directs $1.3 billion to Amtrak to support intercity rail service across the nation, and provides $100 million for autonomous vehicle research and development.

On April 30, the region’s elected officials are convening at the Regional Futures Forum to explore how our region compares on the drivers of an inclusive economy–growth, prosperity and inclusion in an assessment report from the Brookings Institution.

The report is being released in partnership with Greater Sacramento Economic Council, Sacramento Metro Chamber, Region Business, and Valley Vision. The report will also be released to the public on the same day.

The City of Roseville has launched an innovative participatory budgeting program. EngageRoseville is seeking public input in a variety of ways including the online game like platform called Balancing Act.  The mobile friendly platform allows residents to interactively balance the city’s budget by sharing their priorities by increasing or decreasing individual program budgets. The city’s goal is to try to maintain financial stability, manage short-term and long-term liabilities while meeting the community’s needs.

Mutual Housing was recently honored with a World Habitat Award for their Spring Lake apartment complex in Woodland. The awards are presented to outstanding and innovative housing projects in more than 100 countries.

Private sector vendors and industry experts from across the country introduced their innovative transportation solutions to the Sacramento region the Civic Lab workshop on February 14. Eight project teams briefed the private sector vendors on pilot project concepts that focus on how disruptive technology can improve transportation mobility, ranging from autonomous shuttles to first and last mile connections to transit. Teams presented poster sessions and engaged with vendors in an open-house format. Private sector attendees represented autonomous vehicle vendors, microtransit shuttles, carshare providers, mobile and cellular technology services, and more.

In January, SACOG launched the Current, an electronic newsletter that celebrates the dynamic, vibrant, and diverse six-county greater Sacramento region. the Current is written and curated by staff at the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, but is for and about the region.

Cities across the nation have become the testing grounds of numerous technology firms and automakers testing fleets of automated vehicles. In a few years, automated vehicles could be operating everywhere on our city streets, with far-reaching consequences and opportunities for safety, mobility, and public space.

To help cities prepare for the age of autonomous vehicles, the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) has asked stakeholders at all levels to implement the following recommendations into their transportation networks:

The City of West Sacramento partnered with Startup in Residence (STIR) to co-develop Outreach Grid, a collaborative online platform for service providers, outreach workers, law enforcement, and city management to address homelessness.