News

SCAG continues to collaborate toward a brighter future for Southern California. Here are a few highlights from the first half of fiscal year 2024-25.

Connect SoCal 2024 Implementation

SCAG staff and local and subregional partners are progressing on implementing the Connect SoCal 2024 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy, as outlined in a staff report presented to the SCAG Regional Council and policy committees in November.  

Proposed Amendment #23-30

The Southern California Association of Governments is in receipt of the 2023 Federal Transportation Improvement Program (FTIP) Amendment #23-30 for Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura Counties. The Public Review period starts on July 1, 2024 and will conclude at 5:00 p.m. on July 11, 2024.

Notice of Availability and Public Hearings

The draft 2025 Federal Transportation Improvement Program (FTIP) and draft Amendment 1 to the Connect SoCal 2024 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy are available for public review and comment.

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The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) will receive $50 million for clean technology improvements as part of a nearly $500 million grant for Southern California within $4.3 billion in investments to reduce pollution across the nation announced today by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA).

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), the California Air Resources Board (CARB), and the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) published a joint statement on Monday committing to a sustained collaboration across local, state, and federal levels to reduce emissions from all sources. This shared effort includes withdrawal of the AQMD’s 2019 Contingency Measure Plan, which the U.S. EPA proposed disapproving in February 2024.

The 2024 Southern California Demographic Workshop will feature noted author and planning thought leader Bill Fulton, FAICP, as keynote speaker. Fulton’s keynote will respond to recent population projections for the region and state based on his perspective as a former mayor, planning director, and influential author. Taking lessons from other states, Fulton will discuss how Southern California can adjust to an era in which prosperity is no longer—and need not be—determined by the pace of population growth.   

The SCAG-funded expert panel study “Induced Travel Estimation Revisited,” authored by Professor Michael Manville and published this week by the Institute of Transportation Studies at UCLA is an early examination of how changing environmental regulations apply to new express lanes, also known as priced managed lanes.

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: 

Proposed Amendment #23-33

The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) received various program and project modifications to the 2023 Federal Transportation Improvement Program (FTIP), summarized as proposed Amendment #23-33, from the county transportation commissions representing the counties of Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino. The public review period starts on Aug. 8 and will conclude at 5 p.m. on Aug. 19.

A copy of the project listing is located on the SCAG website.

Southern California population growth has slowed in the past decade, creating long-term effects for the region’s economic and cultural landscapes. 

Register today to join SCAG and event Master of Ceremonies Professor Dowell Myers of USC to discuss the new growth reality from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sept. 24 at the SCAG offices in downtown Los Angeles or to attend online. 

SCAG’s December Regional Council meeting included a presentation of the “2024 Southern California Economic Update,” featuring SCAG’s annual economic reporting, presentations from SCAG’s Economic Roundtable, and in-depth discussion about the state of the economy among Regional Council members.     

The “2024 Southern California Economic Update” details the state of the region’s economy over the past year and forecasts expected economic trends for the coming year.  

On Sept. 5, the SCAG Regional Council adopted the 2025 Federal Transportation Improvement Program (FTIP) and Connect SoCal 2024 Amendment 1, including the associated transportation conformity analyses. The Regional Council action was based on the SCAG Transportation Committee’s recommended adoption of the 2025 FTIP and Connect SoCal 2024 Amendment 1 and the SCAG Energy and Environment Committee recommending adoption of the transportation conformity analyses. 

On Sept. 5, the SCAG Regional Council adopted the “Amended 2025 Active Transportation Program Regional Guidelines” and the “Amended Connect SoCal 2024 Sustainable Communities Program – Active Transportation and Safety Guidelines,” a necessary step to align regional guidelines with recently amended guidelines for the state’s Active Transportation Program (ATP) and to secure funding for the ongoing 2024 Sustainable Communities Program (SCP) – Active Transportation and Safety call for applications. 

The California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) recently awarded Digital Equity Leadership Grants of $20,000 to 15 jurisdictions in the SCAG region. The grant awardees will participate in CETF’s “Local Government Best Practices Check List Project” to accelerate the adoption of policies and practices that close the digital divide in California.

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Throughout 2024, Go Human directed resources to community-led safety and engagement strategies, particularly in communities disproportionately affected by traffic violence and historically excluded from transportation investments. Go Human collaborated with community leaders, nonprofit organizations, cities, and local agencies throughout the region to help build safer and healthier places by:

SCAG staff and local and subregional partners are making progress implementing the Connect SoCal 2024 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy, as outlined in a staff report presented to the SCAG Regional Council and policy committees at the beginning of November.  

SCAG is pleased to announce that the 2025 Federal Transportation Improvement Program (FTIP) has received official federal approval from the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration. This approval marks a significant step forward for transportation projects across the SCAG region.

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The “2024 Southern California Economic Update” is now available online. SCAG publishes this annual economic update with analysis covering the entire region as well as providing specific insight into the economies of Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties.

On Dec. 5, the Regional Council approved the 2024 Sustainable Communities Program (SCP) – Active Transportation and Safety “Project List and Contingency Project List,” a major milestone for a call for applications process opened in July.