Publications & Reports

​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