News
News and Media
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.
Civic Lab Year One Celebrates with Team Graduation
Inaugural year comes to a close and transitions to project testing
Civic Lab Year One brought together cross disciplinary teams to tackle challenging issues related to transportation and land use, and to pilot innovate solutions that can have local and regional impacts. Teams consisting of public agencies and the private sector partners came together to test and innovate on planning, programs, and policy. Their hard work paid off with the SACOG Board of Directors allocating $1 million in project funding. SACOG celebrated the completion of Year One with a reception and graduation on June 21, 2018.
“I Hear a Train A Comin’…”
Sacramento Regional Transit introduces evening light rail service to Folsom
Looking for a traffic free, low cost, relaxing commute? Sacramento Regional Transit has you covered. Expanded evening light rail service is now available for Folsom. The late night service on SacRT Gold Line officially began June 17th. Light rail trains now serve Folsom until 11:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 9:30 p.m. on Sunday.
New Amtrak Service and SB1 Grant Awards
Will Better Connect Sacramento Region to San Joaquin Valley and San Jose
Earlier this month, Amtrak launched new intercity rail service that provides more convenient connections between Fresno and Sacramento through new early morning and evening trains. The new schedule allows San Joaquin Valley residents to get to Sacramento before 8am and departs the state capitol in the late afternoon. “This is going to be important that we make this a success, then we’re going to start other morning express trains,” San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority Chair Vito Chiesa
Senate Bill 1 Funding Approved
Sacramento Region to Receive Nearly $800M
The California Transportation Commission voted this week to approve $2.7 billion in competitive funding to transportation projects across the state. The Commission approved all the SB 1 recommendations from April 25 , with only slight changes to project schedules. This means our region got all its recommended projects funded. Along with SB 1 funds approved by CalSTA, projects benefiting our region were awarded nearly $800 million.
Workforce Transportation to Young Adults
Civic Lab Team Awarded $400,000
“Every student who is accepted into an internship program or hired through a program like 1,000 Strong or the Elk Grove Unified School District should have reliable transportation to their worksite,” notes a challenge statement from the Civic Lab team working to bring workforce transportation for youth and young adults. Now, with a three-year $400,000 award from the Sacramento Transportation Authority (STA), the North State Building Industry Association, Paratransit Inc., and Elk Grove Unified School District can make their project a reality.
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.