Publications & Reports

SCAG’s Economic Summit began in the wake of the Great Recession as a convening to expand the region’s economic base and to determine priorities for the region that help businesses, public agencies, and communities improve economic vitality.

However, 2020 has brought increased recognition that improving economic health and achieving equity will require broader approaches that address social, economic, and environmental factors that influence the economy in the wake of recent events, including those related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Relatedly, there are a growing number of emerging initiatives which provide the building blocks to address systemic institutionalized racial inequities. Many challenges remain to address racial disparity within an inclusive economic development strategy.

This briefing book represents a first step toward a more comprehensive framework for an inclusive economic recovery.

It is comprised of five parts: 1.) State of the SCAG Region Economy & Outlook; 2.) Modeling the Economic Impacts of COVID-19 Through FY 2021; 3.) Centering Racial Equity as a Driver for Economic Recovery; 4.) Conclusions & Next Steps; 5.) Appendix: County Insights

Download the Regional Briefing Book, December 2020

President Rex Richardson introduced his comprehensive work plan for 2020-2021, “Framework for Recovering and Reimagining a Resilient Region.” Intended to be a collaborative and inclusive process, the framework is focused on the implementation of Connect SoCal, promoting housing production, data and information services, and legislative efforts.

SCAG President Introduces 2020-2021 Work Plan

​This white paper provides an initial assessment of potential employment and taxable sales implications of the COVID-19 pandemic in the region as of the end of April, 2020. A discussion of data and information used in their development is also provided. The analysis assumes a low-point occurring around June 1, 2020 with a resumption of some economic activity thereafter, but a long, slow recovery extending through the end of 2021. Additionally, numerous assumptions are made about the decline and potential recovery trajectory in individual industry sectors. Future taxable sales in the SCAG region are compared to a baseline and assume a linear growth trajectory between June 2020 and December 2021. Employment and economic output are modeled separately using a structural economic forecasting model (REMI). Analyses of the pandemic’s impact at this stage are subject to an extremely high level of uncertainty; importantly this analysis does not assume a second wave of the pandemic or specifically model the impact of additional federal action. As the pandemic unfolds and additional data become available, these assumptions, modeling strategies, and outputs can be revised. 

Potential Economic Impacts of COVID-19 in the SCAG Region

SCAG’s Bike Share in Los Angeles County Study examines the role of bike share in the Los Angeles regional transportation system. The results are intended to guide decision-making related to future system investments and new shared mobility programs in the region. This report shows that users are happy with what these systems offer and for the most part simply want more of it — more availability of bikes, more flexibility for trip times, more e-bikes, more geographic reach, and more integration with transit. Recommendations identified through this effort include investment in equitable access and the identification of new funding opportunities.

Bike Share in Los Angeles County Study

SCAG’s ”Mobility Go Zone Program Feasibility Study” takes a close look at how cordon pricing, and a “Go Zone” program, could be deployed to better manage traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions in Southern California. SCAG selected the Westside Los Angeles area for analysis as an initial proof-of-concept pilot location. This report shows that decongestion fees can have sizable impact in transportation mode choices and overall travel times by incentivizing motorists to travel at different times throughout the day. ​

Mobility Go Zone & Pricing Feasibility Study

In the last ten years transit use in Southern California has fallen significantly. This report investigates that falling transit use. We define Southern California as the six counties that participate in the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) – Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura and Imperial. We examine patterns of transit service and patronage over time and across the region, and consider an array of explanations for falling transit use: declining transit service levels, eroding transit service quality, rising fares, falling fuel prices, the growth of Lyft and Uber, the migration of frequent transit users to outlying neighborhoods with less transit service, and rising vehicle ownership. While all of these factors probably play some role, we conclude that the most significant factor is increased motor vehicle access, particularly among low-income households that have traditionally supplied the region with its most frequent and reliable transit users.

Falling Transit Ridership: California and Southern California

The FY2011-2012 Transit System Performance Report provides an assessment of the region’s large and complex public transportation system, including current performance and trends over the past two decades. The annual report was developed in response to anticipated federal rulemaking to address performance-based planning requirements in the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21), and also to establish performance baselines for the 2016-2040 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy. Key findings from this report include the continued significance of fixed route bus service in the region, the growing importance of demand response transit to support regional mobility and slow growth in per capita transit trips over the last two decades.

Transit System Performance Report FY2011-2012

Your Guide to SCAG is an overview of the nation’s largest Metropolitan Planning Organization and largest Council of Governments. It describes SCAG’s governing body, the Regional Council, the many important committees that make policy-making decisions for the agency, lists member jurisdictions and board members and highlights SCAG’s key initiatives and programs.

Your Guide to SCAG 2013-2014

The SCAG Southern California Plug-in Electric Vehicle (PEV) Readiness Plan is an in-depth assessment and planning tool that allows planners to strategically develop the infrastructure necessary to support the region’s growing numbers of electric vehicles. The PEV Readiness Plan is comprised of 15 chapters, covering everything from the basics of PEV charging, to providing technical assistance to commercial property owners and adapting zoning/building codes to streamline the installation of PEV chargers. In addition to the plan, the associated Southern California PEV Atlas provides projections of PEV growth over time in each of the 15 subregions as well as predictions of PEV daytime travel to employment and retail destinations. This information gives planners a wealth of data to support building charging infrastructure where demand will be the greatest.

Southern California Plug-In Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan