News
News & Guest Blog Posts
Everyday, our region’s counties and cities are taking actions to make this to best place to work, live, and play. We will share our member city and county milestones here, along with our own regional news and blog posts.
JUMP Bike Share System Launches
In May, the cities of Davis, Sacramento, and West Sacramento, in partnership with JUMP, have launched the largest pedal-assist bike share system in North America. The system launched with 300 electric-assist bikes spread across the three cities, and an additional 600 bikes will be rolled out throughout the summer.
Senate Bill 1 Funding Recommendations Released
Sacramento Region Poised to Receive Nearly $796M
The Sacramento region scored big in the competition for Senate Bill (SB) 1 funding announced this week. Nearly $796 million is recommended for diverse package of transit, road, and active transportation investments benefitting the region.
Cleaning up to Spur Redevelopment
EPA Awards $750,000 to City of Sacramento and $300,000 to West Sacramento through Brownfields Program
The EPA has awarded $750,000 to the City of Sacramento for a brownfields revolving loan fund program that will be focused on the North Sacramento community. West Sacramento also received $300,000 from the EPA for brownfields assessments related to the Pioneer Bluff area. A brownfield site is an infill or redevelopment opportunity that is challenged by the contamination, or potential contamination, of a hazardous substance. The ability for cities and communities to safely cleanup these sites is essential to their eventual redevelopment, but is a time intensive and expensive process.
Economic Development Through Suburban Commercial Corridor Revitalization
Sacramento Region Tours U.S. Route 1 in suburban Maryland
Like many of the suburban commercial corridors in the Sacramento region, U.S. 1 in Prince George’s County, Maryland, has been for much of its life, a car-oriented commercial corridor. Like our first tier suburban corridors, U.S. 1 has also seen economic growth and decline. And like our first tier suburban communities, the communities along U.S. 1 are trying to revitalize and reinvent the corridor to support economic and community development.
Making Main Street Thrive
SACOG consultant Michele Reeves of Civilis Consultants recently worked with eight local communities in the six-county Sacramento region on revitalizing rural Main Streets as well as commercial corridors. Reeves has a knack for helping communities create identities to help sustain their economic stability and she offers unique solutions to each community given their set of challenges.
Federal FY18 Budget Bill Provides Big Boost for Transportation Programs
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.
Civic Lab releases Smart Mobility Challenge RFQ
Submissions due Friday, April 13th at 5:00pm
Want to work with a Civic Lab project team(s) to launch smart mobility pilot projects in the Sacramento region?
Civic Lab is soliciting qualifications from established mobility and technology firms, start-ups, and nonprofits to address smart mobility challenges facing six Civic Lab project teams in the Sacramento region.
Elected Officials Gather to Hear Brookings Assessment of the Sacramento Region Economy
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 Multi-Headed Monster of Rising Housing Costs
Ever wonder why the cost of housing is so high and what the Sacramento Region is doing about it? According to two housing developers—one market-rate and one non-profit—we simply aren’t building enough housing. From 2009-2014, California added 544,000 households, but only 467,000 housing units. Katherine Bardis of Bardis Homes and Doug Shoemaker of Mercy Housing California lead a healthy discussion on challenges to building housing at a recent SACOG Board of Directors meeting.
Roseville Launches Online Participatory Budgeting
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.
Region-Wide Travel Survey Launched
SACOG has initiated a region-wide household travel survey project to understand how new technology and changing travel needs impact residents’ daily travel. The results will help plan to meet residents’ and visitors’ future transportation services needs.
Woodland Agricultural Worker Housing Wins International Award
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.
Missouri Flat Bike Trail Opens in El Dorado County
The Missouri Flat bike trail officially opened on January 12 in El Dorado County. The trail connects the Missouri Flat Interchange and the Placerville Drive interchange over the Weber Creek Canyon. The new trail connects the two major commercial areas on either side of the creek for the first time with bicycle infrastructure.
Civic Lab Opens its Doors to Private Sector Transportation Companies
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.
Rancho Cordova and Folsom Join List of Area Cities Launching Bike Share Systems in 2018
The greater Sacramento region is poised to become a national leader in testing new approaches to bike share systems, with Rancho Cordova and Folsom recently advancing pilot projects for dockless bikeshare systems. They join the cities of Davis, West Sacramento and Sacramento who are also preparing a major launch of bikeshare in May.
Bike share moves forward by selecting potential hub locations
Tell us what you think
The regional bike share project aims to give residents, employees, students, and visitors alike another option to get around for fun, work, or exercise. The project is currently in the process of identifying hub locations for the designated bike racks.
The community is invited to review the potential hub locations as well as suggest new ones through an interactive online map.
What the Trump Administration’s Infrastructure Proposal Means for the SACOG region
The White House released its much anticipated infrastructure plan on February 12. The proposal to invest $1.5 trillion over 10 years is eye-catching and shines a sorely needed spotlight on the need to invest in the nation’s roadways, railways and waterways. The plan itself is significant in that it represents a major departure from how the federal government has viewed infrastructure and its role in supporting state and local projects.
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SACOG's regional newsletter
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.
SACOG Announces New Board Leadership for 2018
The Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) Board of Directors have elected City of Sacramento Councilmember Jay Schenirer as the 2018 Board Chair and City of Rancho Cordova Councilmember David Sander as Board Vice Chair.