News

More than 800 local and regional leaders from across Southern California gathered in Palm Desert this week to discuss challenges and opportunities facing one of the nation’s largest economic and population centers. 

Hosted by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), the 59th Annual Regional Conference and General Assembly focused on the housing crisis, retaining and attracting more high-quality jobs and the future of transportation. 

Seven innovative projects across the six-county region were honored by SCAG at the 2024 Sustainability Awards ceremonies at the 2024 Regional Conference and General Assembly on May 2 in Palm Desert. These projects are integral to accomplishing the goals of the Connect SoCal Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy and promoting a more mobile, sustainable and prosperous region.   

Student showcase winners were invited to attend SCAG’s Regional Conference & General Assembly in Palm Desert as SCAG conference fellows. The “Student Showcase” poster and StoryMap competition challenged students to think innovatively and meaningfully to tell a story, provide insight, showcase plans and projects, engage supporters and stakeholders, illustrate the possibilities of data and highlight the usefulness of open data at the regional level.  

JURY AWARD

A panel of judges selected one poster and one StoryMap for the “Jury Award. ” 

Governor Newsom’s proposed draft fiscal year 2025 state budget could reduce SCAG’s $246 million Regional Early Action Planning (REAP) 2.0 allocation by 50 percent. SCAG staff have already allocated $192 million through formula-based and competitive programs. SCAG, with strong support from state leadership, is advocating for the governor to reconsider these cuts.

Third Quarter, 2024

SCAG’s Economic Roundtable met for its third 2024 quarterly discussion on the state of the regional economy.  Supporting data are available from SCAG’s Economic Trends Tool.  

The following overarching themes emerged from the conversation: 

Image

REGISTRATION FOR THE 57TH ANNUAL REGIONAL CONFERENCE & GENERAL ASSEMBLY IS NOW OPEN!

Join Southern California’s most influential elected officials and policymakers on May 5–6, 2022 at the JW Marriott Desert Springs

Image

REGISTER FOR THE 57TH ANNUAL REGIONAL CONFERENCE & GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SCAG’s 57th Annual Regional Conference & General Assembly is just around the corner on May 5–6.

Image

State Housing Funds Awarded to 29 SCAG Jurisdictions

The California Department of Housing and Community Development approved another 35 jurisdictions for Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA) funds, bringing the tot

Image

President Harnik Shares Region’s Housing and Transportation Priorities

SCAG President Jan Harnik had the pleasure of hosting a recent meeting with Senate Transportation Committee Chair Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) to di

Image

33rd Annual Demographic Workshop Dates Announced

The 33rd Annual Demographic Workshop, co-hosted by SCAG and the University of Southern California, will be held virtually on the afternoons of Wednesday, Sept.

Image

REGIONAL EARLY ACTION PROGRAM (REAP) 2.0 PROGRAM UPDATE

Since the approval of the REAP 2.0 Program Framework by the Regional Council (RC) in July, staff has continued outreach efforts to develop specific programs using

Image

REGIONAL EARLY ACTION PROGRAM (REAP) 2.0 PROGRAM UPDATE

Continuing development of the REAP 2.0 program, staff have been conducting outreach to identify priorities for transformative planning and implementation.

Image

State Agency Meetings 

On Nov.

Image

10 SPOTS STILL AVAILABLE FOR HOUSING SUPPORTIVE GRANT APPLICATION TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

In addition to Permanent Local Housing Allocation application assistance, SCAG is offering technical assistance for jurisdictions an

Image

CONNECT SOCAL 2024 SUBCOMMITTEES 

In September 2022, SCAG launched three subcommittees to look at emerging issues for the Connect SoCal 2024 plan. 

Image

SCAG Kicks Off Public Outreach Initiatives for Connect SoCal 2024  

Every four years, SCAG updates its visionary plan for the future of the region,

Image

SCAG Leads Annual Regional Conference & General Assembly 

SCAG kicked off the 2023 Regional Conference & General Assembly today in Palm Desert with a message from outgoing Regional Council President Jan Har

Image

Update on the RHNA Reform Process and Schedule  

The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) is crafting recommendations to reform the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) process,