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By Lauren Michele, May 15, 2012

Come see two of Governor Brown’s most recent appointees speak at the California Interregional Blueprint (CIB) Summit: Brian Kelly, Acting Secretary, Business, Housing and Transportation Agency, and Malcolm Dougherty, Director, Caltans.  If you have not registered for the Summit yet, please do so today!  Join us in-person in Sacramento, or on the Web, and help shape California’s future transportation system.

California Interregional Blueprint (CIB) Summit May 23, 2012 8:00 AM – 10:30 AM* CalPERS Auditorium, 400 P Street, Sacramento, CA

Seating is limited so register today at: http://bit.ly/CIBSummit

Caltrans is sponsoring the CIB Summit to share critical information about the long-term future of California’s transportation system and receive valuable feedback from you.  Take this opportunity to speak with representatives from State agencies, metropolitan planning organizations, regional transportation planning agencies, and the private sector.

Business Transportation and Housing Agency Acting Secretary Brian Kelly will share Governor Brown’s perspective as the Summit’s keyone speaker.

Leaders from key regional and State agencies scheduled to participate in panel discussions are:

• Gary Gallegos, Executive Director, San Diego Association of Governments
• Hasan Ikhrata, Executive Director, Southern California Association of Governments
• James Goldstene, Executive Officer, California Air Resources Board
• Sharon Scherzinger, Executive Director, El Dorado County Transportation Commission
• Malcolm Dougherty, Director, Caltrans
• Dan Richard, Chair, California High Speed Rail Commission
• Tim Schott, Executive Director, California Association of Port Authorities

Complete details on the Summit and the California Interregional Blueprint process are available on the Caltrans Web Site:

http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/tpp/californiainterregionalblueprint/summit.html

After registering, you’ll receive a confirmation email with directions to the workshop.  If you have questions, email Caroline Leary, Cambridge Systematics, at cleary@camsys.com or call her at 510-873-8700 (voice) or

711 (TTY). If you need physical accommodations or other assistance, please contact Caroline as soon as possible, but no later than two working days before the Summit.

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By Lauren Michele, May 8, 2012

For Jeremy Gray’s senior thesis project, a group of seniors at The Met Sacramento High School put together a bicycle repair facility/workshop to be housed at the downtown Sacramento public charter high school which was founded on a “project-based” approach to education.  They created the first youth-run bicycle collective in the Sacramento area and were in charge of getting the project started/funded, running and maintaining the site (which is centrally located adjacent to classrooms), and ensuring that other Metsters are able to take on the Bike Collective after they graduate.

Of the nearly 300 students at the Met, 100 bike to school and related internships in the community – less than a dozen are licenced drivers

By creating a place for students to learn about bikes through real work experience,  the students hope to promote bike-riding in the Met community. The also will be giving volunteer students community service hours and the opportunity to meet other bicycle enthusiasts.

STUDENT BIKE COLLECTIVE MISSION STATEMENT

Our mission is to teach Met Sacramento community members of all skill and knowledge levels about repairing and maintaining their bikes so that they may become more self-sufficient.  We are dedicated to providing helpful and lasting hands-on bicycle help to Metsters in an accessible and friendly environment.  Many Metsters rely on their bicycles for transportation, and we hope to create the collective to support them.

Jeremy Gray is also Policy in Motion’s first high school intern who is currently creating a full length film on a concept called “people-oriented development” (POD) and how we can create beautiful communities where people interact more and drive less. The firm’s Career Development Mentorship Program mirrors the “project-based learning” philosophy at the Met Sacramento High School – a dependent public charter high school located in downtown Sacramento that fosters community sustainability at its essence and the concept of “POD.”

Lauren Michele is a proud member of the Met community!

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By Lauren Michele, May 3, 2012

As part of a panel on greenhouse gas emission and vehicle miles traveled reduction strategies, Lauren Michele – Owner/Author of Policy in Motion – will be speaking Monday, May 7th at the 2012 Association of Environmental Professionals Statewide Conference

TDM? TCM? BMP? How Do You Spell VMT Relief?

Organizations use a range of transportation demand management (TDM) strategies, transportation control measures (TCMs) and Best Management Practices (BMPs) to reduce vehicle emissions. The panel will provide an overview of applicable statewide legislation, current research on effective strategies, how to incorporate strategies into CEQA documents, and real world implementation.

More about AEP: www.califaep.org

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By Lauren Michele, April 26, 2012

LOCAL LEADERS APPROVE $35 BILLION REGIONAL PLAN

Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy for 2035

Click here to view the MTP/SCS

The Sacramento Area Council of Governments unanimously approved the Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy for 2035 (MTP/SCS) last week, after more than two years of extensive public input and collaborative technical work with local governments. The MTP/SCS guides how the region spends local, state and federal transportation funds.

“As our region adds nearly 900,000 people by 2035, we need strategic improvements for our existing roads and transit system. Our region has coalesced behind a plan that reduces the time most people will spend in congestion, fixes our roads, and increases access to transit,” said SACOG Board Chair and Rocklin Councilmember Peter Hill.

The MTP/SCS focuses on improving the safety and maintenance of streets and freeways, invests in new options for people to walk, bike or use transit, and connects the transportation planning with land use planning to ensure public dollars are used efficiently.

“This plan expands the options people have for transportation in our communities, whether it’s bike lanes or sidewalks for kids to get to school, new streetcars or light rail to get to work, or safer and better maintained roads to drive on,” said SACOG Transportation Committee and Sacramento City Councilmember Chair Steve Cohn.

“The MTP/SCS builds on the region’s Blueprint, which envisions more housing and transportation choices for our region by 2050,” said SACOG CEO Mike McKeever. “The MTP/SCS provides the infrastructure needed to support the Blueprint influenced land uses in local jurisdictions across the six-county region.” Among the key highlights from the plan:

• Future congestion per person in the region decreases by 7 percent through 2035 (compared to a projected increase of nearly 60 percent in the MTP adopted a decade ago, in 2002)
• Over 40 percent increase in transit services per person in 2035 as today.
• Meets Air Resources Board target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from passenger vehicles by 16%
• Between 1988 and 2005, for every 1,000 new residents, 333 acres of farmland were urbanized. Between 2008 and 2035, for every 1,000 new residents, only 42 acres of farmland will be urbanized.
• Streamlined environmental review processing at lower costs for a wide variety of projects consistent with the plan.

“This MTP/SCS accelerates opportunities for saving money and accelerating economic development for business in our region,” said SACOG 2011 Board Chair Susan Peters.

The 31-member SACOG Board of Directors is made up of city councilmembers, mayors, and county supervisors from each of the 22 cities and six counties in the region. SACOG is responsible for developing the MTP/SCS every four years in coordination with the cities, counties, transit agencies, air quality management districts, Caltrans, and other public agencies. The plan is required to conform to air quality goals for the region, contain a plan to reduce greenhouse gases from passenger vehicles, demonstrate that all proposed projects can be reasonably funded, undergo extensive public review, and complete a programmatic Environmental Impact Report.

SACOG coordinates transportation planning, funding and project delivery for Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer, Yolo, Sutter and Yuba counties and the cities within them. SACOG also engages elected officials in land use and other regional issues.

Click here to view the MTP/SCS

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By Lauren Michele, March 15, 2012

“People-oriented development” – POD – is about creating communities with access to affordable living near quality jobs, food, schools and health services. We can use the process of POD to foster sustainable communities while at the same time meeting California’s greenhouse gas reduction goals under AB 32 and SB 375. Check out the trailer for Policy in Motion: Growing Beautiful Communities and stay tuned for the August 2012 release of the film!

**Special thanks to filmmaker Jeremy Gray, Senior at the Met Sacramento High School**

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By Lauren Michele, February 21, 2012

Congrats Brigitte!

Brigitte Driller was awarded Policy in Motion’s first “Growing Leaders” college scholarship for graduate interns in February 2012 and will be working with Lauren Michele on research to inform the Department of Public Health’s “Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center” and California Cities Counties Schools Partnership on how local policy makers can promote livable communities through transportation planning and funding changes. Brigitte completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning from UC Davis in June 2011 and is now working toward her Master’s in Transportation Technology and Policy with the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis. Her educational focus is on bike-ped planning and street design, and she has been involved in numerous research projects — including  a before/after evaluation of a planned road diet in Davis and a series of exploratory interviews with children as part of her transportation planning research. Last spring, Brigitte worked for Policy in Motion as a Research Intern, where she investigated challenges and successes in regulating greenhouse gases in the transportation sector as well as looking at the different regulatory frameworks in Oregon and Washington.

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By Lauren Michele, February 17, 2012

Sustainable California Updates – February 12, 2012

In this issue:

Update on Redevelopment

Workshops for Draft CEQA Guidelines for Streamlining Infill

New: Sustainable Communities Learning Network

SB 375 Update: Sustainable Community Strategies

Save the Date: Equity Summit – April 10^th

Update on Redevelopment

Background

In June 2011, the state legislature passed two bills that were signed by the Governor to dissolve California’s network of redevelopment agencies.  Just last week, over 400 redevelopment agencies were shut down statewide.

The closing of redevelopment agencies was controversial.  For half a century, cities have relied on redevelopment agencies to revitalize neighborhoods and develop vacant or blighted properties.  In light of the massive budget deficit, the Governor chose to close these agencies down and free up tax revenue they were diverting away from schools, counties, and cities.

As of February 1, 2012, redevelopment agencies are officially dissolved.  Each redevelopment agency appointed a successor agency to pay off all outstanding debt and most chose the city government for this task.  For the next few decades, property tax revenue will go towards paying off debts and eventually will help the state’s bottom line.

Future of Redevelopment

Cities are actively looking for new financing options for redevelopment.  The City of Roseville, for example, developed a nonprofit to promote private financing of projects in the public interest.  Legislators are also looking for ways to promote economic development and affordable housing.  For example, Senate Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg introduced a measure, SB 654, to direct balances in Low and Moderate Income Housing Funds (LMIFH) for use in developing affordable housing. Running parallel to SB 654 is AB 1585, by Assembly Speaker Perez, which also seeks to retain affordable housing funds from LMIHF. Without a definite state solution to redevelopment needs at the moment, communities are now focusing on crafting their own unique solutions.

Upcoming Senate Hearing – February 22

Joint Senate Hearing: “Financing Affordable Housing and Local Economic Development: New Reality, New Opportunity” Capitol Building, Room 4203

Formal testimony will be delivered by Housing California and the California Housing Consortium on the need for permanent ongoing sources of funding for affordable housing particularly given the demise of redevelopment. Representatives from labor, the business community and local government will also provide testimony. Following the speakers, there will be an opportunity for public comment.

Workshops for Draft CEQA Guidelines on Streamlining Infill

The Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) has developed a draft proposal for additions to CEQA Guidelines. Under the direction of SB 226 (Simitian, 2011) this proposal intends to set forth a streamlined review process for infill projects.  It also contains the performance standards used to determine an infill project’s eligibility for that streamlined review.

In order to develop an efficient and effective set of guidelines, OPR is depending on public input and engagement. Workshops on the subject will be held in three cities. The meeting in Sacramento will also be webcast.

For the full text of the proposed changes, visit: http://opr.ca.gov/s_sb226.php

New: Sustainable Communities Learning Network

The Sustainable Communities Learning Network helps local officials and staff access and share resources and tools that encourage their communities to consider and apply economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable practices. It is a project of the Institute for Local Government in partnership with the Information Center for the Environment at the University of California, Davis with support from the Strategic Growth Council and The California Endowment.

The Learning Network:

• Facilitates peer-to-peer learning, sharing of real-world examples between local officials and others engaged in sustainability efforts
• Provides access to best practices, tools, and resources
• Offers opportunities to be recognized as a leader in sustainability

The Sustainable Communities Learning Network is currently in the development stage.  They envision a user-driven learning platform, with opportunities to connect with experts in various sustainability best practices areas. To stay up-to-date as the Network develops and grows, sign up here for the Sustainability eNews. You can also contact them directly for more information or to tell them what you would like to see as part of the Learning Network.

SB 375 Update: Sustainable Community Strategies

SB 375 (Steinberg, 2008) has called on Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) to incorporate Sustainable Community Strategies (SCS) into their Regional Transportation Plans.  SCSs combine land use and transportation strategies to achieve the emissions reduction targets established by the Air Resources Board for each of 18 MPOs.

The progress of several MPOs in developing this plan is described below:

San Diego: San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) was the first agency to adopt a SCS and adopted its plan on October 28, 2011, after two years of work and public input.  On November, 2011, the Cleveland National Forest Foundation and Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit against SANDAG for a producing a flawed plan through a deficient process. According to the plaintiffs, the plan focuses on goals opposite to those of SB375 by placing priority on expanding freeways, encouraging driving, and increasing air pollution. Sierra Club and California’s Attorney General Kamala D. Harris also joined the lawsuit. The 2050 Regional Transportation Plan can be found here.

Sacramento Area Council of Governments: Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) released its Metropolitan Transportation Plan 2035 and draft SCS and is planning to release the final SCS in April this year. The draft is available online to read and submit comments.

Southern California: Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) has released a draft SCS and is holding public hearings on the current plan.  SCAG is planning to release its final draft in April. To attend workshops on the SCS or to read the draft plan, visit the SCAG website.

Bay Area: Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) has released alternative scenarios and is holding public workshops to determine how to reach the 2035 target for GHG emissions. ABAG launched a campaign in 2010 called “One Bay Area” to achieve sustainable community and climate action initiatives. The land-use and transportation plan is called Plan Bay Area and the final SCS is expected in Spring 2013.

Tahoe: Tahoe is a unique, bi-state region developing its SCS as a component of its long-range general plan. The Tahoe MPO is updating its Regional Transportation Plan to incorporate the SCS with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s (TRPA) regional plan update.  The new plan will be called Mobility 2035, and information on progress can be found here. The public draft will be released this month and the final draft will be released in August 2012.

Save the Date: Equity Summit – April 10th

Building on the momentum of Equity Summit 2011 in Detroit, the Sacramento Coalition on Regional Equity (CORE) (a project of the Sacramento Housing Alliance) and its partners are organizing a day-long equity summit where equity advocates from across the state will strategize to move forward an equity agenda for the state of California and its diverse regions.

Get more information or register here.

Sustainable California

Conservation Strategy Group manages Sustainable California as a forum for organizations and agencies to share information and identify opportunities for individuals and organizations to engage in urban sustainability policy development and funding programs, focusing on activities in California.

Conservation Strategy Group provides email updates on what’s happening at the Capitol and identifies opportunities to take action in support of urban sustainability. We have also established an online resource through which information could be shared.  Our hope is that the network would evolve over time so that participating organizations would also share information with each other.

This service is free and provided by Conservation Strategy Group.  For questions or comments, please contact Connie Gallippi at connie@csgcalifornia.com

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By Lauren Michele, February 7, 2012

You’re doing a good service to the field by helping them get established.  We need energetic blood!

— Office of the Secretary, United States Department of Transportation

Policy in Motion’s “Career Development” Mentorship Program is designed to mentor youth, college students and emerging professionals with an interest in public policy and sustainability planning into careers in transportation or urban planning. The program leverages Sacramento as a learning ground by engaging Mentees in the firm’s current local/state/federal policy research and transportation planning projects. It is designed as a work exchange where students provide project and research support for hands-on learning in business development and policy implementation,  as well as personal mentorship into career networks around California’s Capitol. Aligning with Policy in Motion’s vision for fostering the growth of “PODs” – people-oriented development — this program seeks to mentor budding leaders in the field of sustainable transportation planning and policy.

YOUTH IN MOTION

Jeremy Gray is a senior at the Met Sacramento High School.  With the Met, he has worked at several internship sites which have shaped his interest in film making.  He collaborated with teens and made a documentary on state health insurance through the state organization California Voices.  He was the boom microphone operator on the set of A Cure for the Dead, a miniseries from Misfire Productions.  During the summer of 2011, Jeremy worked on an entry for the Sacramento Film and Music Festival’s 10 x 10 Film Festival.  He co-created the film with Noah Damiani, winner of the festival’s Emerging Filmmaker award.  Currently, Jeremy is starting a youth-run bicycle collective at the Met as his Senior Thesis Project.  As Policy in Motion’s Media Intern, he will be applying his filmmaking skills and interest in sustainable communities towards creating a Policy in Motion Documentary to be released August 10, 2012.

UNDERGRAD STUDENTS IN MOTION

EVELYN :: Local Planning Intern

Evelyn Garcia is currently a senior at UC Davis majoring in Community and Regional Development and minoring in Education.  Evelyn served on advisory board as a liaison for Redwood City’s downtown revitalization efforts and worked closely with City government officials in hopes of bridging the gap between youth and adults in the community.  She mentors independent studies high school students in Sacramento in pursuing higher education and preparing for college admissions through a UC Davis organization called Success Through Educational Mentoring (S.T.E.M.) She is actively involved in her Latina community in promoting professional and educational development while also promoting the advancement of Latinas in higher education to young middle school and high school girls all over the Davis, Woodland, and Sacramento area.  Through Policy in Motion she hopes to gain proper guidance and skills in order to develop her interests within community development and urban planning. As a Local Planning Intern for Policy in Motion she provided support for the Solano County Transportation for Livable Communities Plan Update which focuses on the relationship between transportation and land use through the promotion of smart growth development and sustainable transportation projects in Solano County.

FORMER STUDENTS IN MOTION

AMANDA :: Policy Research Intern

Amanda Bradshaw is currently completing a dual-degree in Latin American studies and urban planning at Columbia University in New York City.  She received a B.A. in economics and a B.A. in international development studies from the University of California, Berkeley. During her undergraduate career, she served as a research assistant for a U.S. Economic Development Administration-sponsored study which assessed labor markets within California’s green economy, as well as a study conducted by the Transportation Sustainability Research Center. As a graduate student, Amanda’s research interests include environmental and transportation planning, especially as they pertain to North and South America. In January 2012 she will begin conducting research in Brazil for her thesis which focuses on Brazilian environmental governance and urban reform. As a Policy Research Intern at Policy in Motion during Summer 2011, Amanda provided research support for the a Caltrans statewide planning project – California Interregional Blueprint – focusing on the implementation of AB 32, SB 375, and SB 391.  Additionally, she provided significant editing contributions to Lauren Michele’s new book, “Policy in Motion: Transportation Planning in California after AB 32.” Amanda is currently completing her M.S. research in São Paulo, Brazil where she is comparing the state environmental policy approaches taken in California and São Paulo — Amanda expresses that her Policy in Motion internship has been the most impressive component to her resume reviewers.

MINDY :: Green Business Intern

Melinda (Mindy) Bacharach is a recent graduate from the University of California, Davis with a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning. During her time at UC Davis, Mindy studied abroad in Cambridge England and participated in the University of California DC internship program where she interned at Governor Schwarzenegger’s Washington DC Office. She is now looking forward to a new chapter in life where she will utilize her college experiences and education to pursue a career in environmental policy. It is her goal to attend business school in the future with an environmental policy emphasis. As Policy in Motion’s Green Business Intern over Summer 2011, Mindy learned about the financial and structural operations of a small business through her involvement in the Solano County Transportation for Livable Communities Plan Update overseen by the firm’s principal/owner, Lauren Michele.  Mindy is now working for the California Department of Transportation Headquarters as a Transportation Planner for the Division of Transportation System Information in the Office of Data Analysis and GIS — she was told that her Policy in Motion recommendation review during the interview process was a critical component in the decision to hire her.