News
News & Guest Blog Posts
Everyday, our region’s counties and cities are taking actions to make this the 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.
One Year Check-up for Sacramento’s Economy Shows Mixed Symptoms
New Brookings Metro Monitor data mixes healthy job growth with falling productivity
March 21, 2019: Sacramento had job growth of 1.9 percent in 2017, placing it 30th out of the 100 largest U.S. cities. That is according to the Brookings Institution’s 2019 Metro Monitor that was released today, which compares data on growth, prosperity, inclusion, and inclusion by race.
However, comparisons with the biggest cities in the U.S. are not especially revealing — it is more illuminating to compare the Sacramento/Roseville/Arden-Arcade metro with the cluster of cities that Brookings identifies as its peers, the American Middleweights. That list of 16 cities includes Riverside, Phoenix, Kansas City, San Antonio, Detroit, Cincinnati, and Tampa.
Looking to Office Parking Lots to Boost Housing
Rancho Cordova investigates a great example of innovative policy by using SB2 planning grants
March 19, 2019: Rancho Cordova could allow multifamily housing to be built on underused office parking lots under a policy proposal being developed by its planners.
The policy would allow multifamily development within the city’s office parks, and could lead to multifamily projects being built on vacant parcels or underused parking lots, the city’s planning manager Darcy Goulart told the Sacramento Business Journal.
SacRT Invests in More Frequent Buses as it Consolidates Routes
New bus network will roll out changes this summer
February 28, 2019: The SacRT board approved a new bus network on Tuesday night, voting in favor of a consolidated route map that will focus on “major corridors that will lead to economic growth and reduce congestion,” according to a press release. The new plan was the first major redesign of bus routes in 30 years.
Olli autonomous shuttle launch puts region on the map as a Mobility Test-bed
Sacramento State pilot project region incubated as part of Civic Lab program
February 27, 2019: Last week’s official launch of the Olli autonomous electric shuttle at Sacramento State was another step toward the driverless car future. But given that it was one of the handful of places around the world to host a pilot of the 3D-printed shuttles, it also helped put the Sacramento region on the map as a test-bed of new mobility technology.
That was one of the aims of SACOG’s Civic Lab project, the mobility technology incubator that helped the Sacramento State team have a “shovel-ready” pilot project pitch to win the Olli Fleet Challenge.
New Data Shows the Real Reason why People Crossed the Road
Landmark travel habits survey a goldmine of quality information
February 28, 2019: A new survey of travel patterns in the Sacramento region has highlighted the differences between how people get around.
Affordable housing units now open in downtown Roseville
The city to continue momentum with an additional 145 units soon
The City of Roseville has 58 brand new family housing apartments – and they’re all affordable. Earlier this month, Roseville, the largest city in Placer County, held a grand opening for the first affordable housing complex in downtown. The new Lohse Apartments were built by Mercy Housing, one of the nation’s largest affordable housing organizations, which works to build healthy communities for all people.
Clearing the Air at CARB
Green Means Go pilot program gets a good reception at California Air Resources Board
The stage was well set when Sacramento Area Council of Government Executive Director James Corless walked to the podium to update the California Air Resources Board on the innovative approaches SACOG is taking to help lower the region’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Connecting the Region, one Bridge at a Time
5th Street Bridge continues to make progress and bring regional connectivity
January 29, 2019: Connectivity between jurisdictions is key for creating a robust and connected region and the 5th Street Bridge in the northern part of the Sacramento region does just that. January marks one year since groundbreaking on the project, which is expected to open in spring 2020.
Electric Scooters Have Arrived
Kick glide fun in Sacramento and West Sacramento
JUMP launched 100 electric scooters in Sacramento and West Sacramento in February. The scooters are free to unlock and $0.15 per minute after that and will be available in the existing JUMP service area through the Uber app.
2018 was the Year of the Bike Lane
The year’s projects that made biking safer all over the region
January 29, 2019: Cities and counties across the Sacramento region have been expanding transportation infrastructure with a multitude of trail and bike lane options. These additions helped to make travelling by bicycle a real option for more residents than ever. Read on for a sampling of bike infrastructure additions in urban, suburban, and rural parts of our region.
Loomis Approves its Largest Housing Project in Years
Long-planned Village at Loomis passes by a 4-1 vote
January 29, 2019: The Loomis Town Council has approved a large mixed-use development adjacent to I-80, east of the town’s commercial center.
It includes 251 single-family homes, 117 apartment units, over 18 acres of active parks and open space, and over 44,000 square feet of commercial and mixed-use space.
The site had been designated for development since the town’s incorporation in 1984 and the project’s developer, Todd Lowell, said he had been working on it since he bought the first parcel of property in 1998.
Governor Newsom’s First Proposed Budget Aims to Boost Housing
Controversial plan would link transportation dollars to housing production
January 25, 2019: Governor Gavin Newsom’s first proposed state budget focuses on establishing a resilient budget that can withstand manmade crises and natural disasters. Included in his proposal is a substantial plan to address the state’s housing crisis and further investment in forest management. Surprisingly, for the first time in many years, the Governor’s budget summary document does not include a standalone chapter on transportation funding.
Boost of $23 Million for Innovative Public Housing Development
Twin Rivers mixed-income project aims to end economic and transportation isolation
January 29, 2019: Redeveloping Sacramento’s Twin Rivers public housing community got a major boost from California Climate Investment funds.
A $23 million Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) grant from the California Strategic Growth Council will be used to redevelop and revitalize the Twin Rivers public housing community and surrounding River District-Railyards neighborhood and to better connect project area residents to programs, services, and job opportunities throughout the Sacramento downtown area.
Youth Leadership Academy Launches
Region’s future leaders get a taste of civic engagement
January 29, 2019: SACOG’s Youth Leadership Academy (YLA) kicked off on January 26 with 29 high-school students from across the six-county region. This first training introduced the program to students, discussed civic engagement and SACOG’s core functions, included presentations and activities, and ended with a tour of the California State Capitol Museum.
Colfax Stars in Governor’s Focus on Forest Fires
Executive orders aim to find wildfire solutions
January 25, 2019: On Governor Gavin Newsom’s first full day as Governor, he visited Colfax to announce his commitment to emergency preparedness and response and new state efforts to increase protections against wildfires and other natural disasters. The Governor also signed two related executive orders.
SACOG ANNOUNCES NEW BOARD LEADERSHIP FOR 2019
December 20, 2018: The Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) Board of Directors has elected City of Rancho Cordova’s vice mayor David M. Sander as the 2019 board chair and City of Davis councilmember Lucas Frerichs as board vice chair.
Sacramento embraces sustainable development
New rules are positive steps for development near transit and building more affordable housing
December 20, 2018: The City of Sacramento has embraced new policies to help build sustainable projects near transit and encourage a car-lite lifestyle for city residents. On December 11 City Council adopted a Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Ordinance that encourages housing and other transit-supportive uses near light rail stations. The ordinance limits car-focused business near light-rail stations and provides incentives for higher density housing. The ordinance was unanimously approved and will take effect on January 10, 2019.
Are you going my way?
Animated maps make big data easy to grasp
Whether you are looking for a carpool buddy on 511 or just wondering where all of those cars around you are coming from, maps play an important role in explaining data. Animate those maps with commuting orbs in basic colors and you end up with a hypnotizing display. Mark Evans at I Like Big Bytes did just that with US Census American Community Survey data and it helps visualize the complexity of commuting patterns.
Taking a Bite out of Apple Harvest Traffic Jams
El Dorado County slashed agritourism traffic with help from Civic Lab accelerator
December 19, 2018: An innovative pilot program to slice traffic congestion around El Dorado County apple farms during the fall harvest took a big bite out of traffic delays, vehicle emissions, and driver frustration.
The Promise and Perils of Opportunity Zones
Sacramento a surprise top-10 office rental market according to new report
December 19, 2018: A new report on Opportunity Zones has ranked downtown Sacramento in the top 10 in two significant categories – one a positive and the other a signal of risk.