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Southern California Compass Growth Vision Unveiled
Culminating more than two years of rigorous policy discussion, public engagement and technical analysis, SCAG
unveiled a comprehensive new Growth Vision for Southern California in June. The new vision emanated from an
unprecedented regional planning effort called Southern California Compass. Compass presented the region with
a vision for the next 30 years that integrates land use development strategies with transportation infrastructure
investments.
The plan calls for mixed-use growth in city centers and major transportation corridors, jobs, and housing development.
The vision is predicated on the implementation of a "2% Strategy," with changes to land use and transportation
planning for a small portion of the region’s landmass producing significant traffic relief, air quality, housing, and
other quality of life benefits to the entire region.
With release of the new Growth Vision, SCAG will soon be taking the recommendations included in the 2% Strategy
to local government leaders across the region.
For more information, go to www.socalcompass.org
Destination 2030 Receives Federal Certification
Destination 2030, the 2004 Regional Transportation Plan adopted by SCAG in April 2004, was certified by the Federal
Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration in June. SCAG unveiled Destination 2030 as a comprehensive
25-year blueprint for Southern California’s transportation future and includes hundreds of investments and
recommendations. The draft plan was released in October 2003 for an extensive period of review that resulted in
thousands of comments from the public.
One of the most pressing challenges facing Southern California is a multi-billion dollar shortfall between available
resources and the level of funding required to develop and maintain needed transportation priorities. Destination 2030
recommends a series of alternatives to address the projected funding shortfall and to allow for key investments in the
transportation network. Implementation of these funding alternatives would overcome the existing shortfall and allow
for approximately $31 billion in new strategic transportation investments.
Destination 2030 underwent a thorough review and approval process by the Federal Transit Administration and the
Federal Highway Administration before certifying that the plan kept the region in conformity to federal air quality
standards.
For more information about Destination 2030, click here
Regional Transportation Improvement Program Adopted During Fiscal Crisis
After extensive public review and policy debate, the SCAG Regional Council approved the 2004 Regional Transportation
Improvement Program (RTIP) in September. The RTIP is the critical implementation document that provides funding for
all major transportation projects in the six-county Southern California region over the next six years.
The 2004 RTIP calls for spending approximately $18.5 billion on transportation investments within the next six fiscal
years (2004/05 - 2009/10). It includes hundreds of individual transportation priorities throughout Southern California,
including highway and road improvements, rail and bus facilities, high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, signal
synchronization, intersection improvements, and other key projects.
The RTIP was originally scheduled for review and final adoption by the SCAG Regional Council in August. However,
additional efforts were needed to identify sufficient revenue sources and modify the implementation schedules of
certain projects to ensure that the plan would conform to federal air quality requirements. SCAG successfully
worked with the county transportation commissions to make the necessary modifications to the plan. In addition
to approving the 2004 RTIP, the Regional Council also recognized the need for a long-term strategy to address
continuing fiscal challenges and implementation issues for meeting the region’s transportation needs.
For more information about the 2004 RTIP, go to www.scag.ca.gov/rtip
SCAG Receives Government Finance Officers Association Award
In October, SCAG received a national award recognizing its outstanding accounting and finance reporting.
SCAG received the award from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), North America’s largest
professional association of state and provincial finance officers.
The GFOA Award for Excellence in Government Finance, the highest form of recognition in government
accounting and financial reporting, was presented to SCAG for its financial reports for FY2002/2003.
The award recognizes contributions to the practice of government finance that exemplify outstanding financial
management. SCAG was one of only two councils of governments in California to receive the award.
SCAG received high marks in eight criteria to achieve this award: local significance and value,
technical significance, transferability, documentation, cost/benefit, efficiency, originality and documentation.
Tracking Southern California’s Economic Future
Economic experts presented a cautiously optimistic outlook for strengthening economic growth in Southern
California at SCAG’s Eighth Annual Regional Economic Forecast Conference in November. More than 100 local
elected officials and staff, public agencies, private sector executives and academics attended the SCAG
conference held at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. The forecasts, developed in partnership
with California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) and California State University, Long Beach (CSULB),
are the only projections to focus exclusively on the short-term economic outlook (2005-2006) for the entire
region (Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties).
According to the CSULB forecast, overall regional growth through August of 2004 was 0.7%, putting
Southern California slightly behind the state’s growth rate but ahead of the 0.2% growth rate for the
region in 2003. The information, high-tech and state and local government sectors saw job losses,
while the professional, business and tourism service sectors saw gains. The CSUF forecast noted that
Southern California – like the nation as a whole – experienced a "soft patch" in the economic
recovery during the summer, with sluggish job growth compared to the first quarter of the year. The
forecast, however, projected more robust job creation and economic growth throughout the region in 2005.
With the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach handling more than one-third of the nation’s cargo
container traffic, the trade and transportation sectors posted some of the region’s strongest job gains
this past year.
Southern California Leaders Lobby Congress for Key Transportation Investments
In a strong show of regional unity, transportation leaders from SCAG’s six-county region met with
congressional representatives to advocate for its 2005 Southern California Consensus Program, a
mutually agreed upon package of priority transportation projects. The projects involved improvements
to core transportation programs, such as light rail, rapid transit systems and enrichment of the region’s
goods movement network.
The Southern California delegation met with congressional leaders to advocate funding of the
priority projects contained in SCAG’s Consensus Program. Congress is in the process of reauthorizing
TEA-21, the primary federal transportation legislation that will authorize funding for key transportation
projects across the country.
The Southern California delegation met with a number of Southern California congressional and
other transportation leaders on Capitol Hill during their trip to Washington, including: U.S. Senators
Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, Rep. Jerry Lewis, Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald, Rep. Joe Baca,
Rep. Ken Calvert, Rep. Chris Cox, and Rep. Buck McKeon. In addition to presenting the Consensus Program
to congressional leaders, the regional delegation also presented its priorities to the Federal Highway
Administration, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Undersecretary for Policy, and the State of
California’s transportation counsel.
State of the Region Report for 2004
Worsening traffic congestion and air quality, the lack of affordable housing and the loss of high-paying
manufacturing jobs present a real threat to maintaining Southern California’s quality of life, according to
SCAG’s 2004 State of the Region report released in February. The State of the Region serves as an
annual "Report Card" for the six-county SCAG region, rating its performance in seven policy categories:
- Mobility (D-): The region continues to rank as the most congested in the country, with the
accumulated costs associated with congestion reaching an astounding $12 billion.
- Employment (B): After losing 21,000 jobs in 2002, the region rebounded in 2003 with a 14,000
increase in job generation while the rest of the nation continued to decline.
- Income (C-): The Southern California region has plummeted from the fourth highest in 1970
among the nation’s 17 largest metropolitan regions to 16th in 2003.
- Housing (D+): With a continued lack of affordable, available housing, Southern California’s
housing grade remained at a D+ in this year’s report. Less than one-third of the region’s households
could afford a median-priced home in Southern California, compared to more than half of the households nationally.
- Air Quality (C-): The region’s air quality grade also declined from a C in last year’s report to a C-
this year. The number of days in which the South Coast Air Basin exceeded federal ozone standards increased from
49 to 68 days, although ozone pollution improved during 2004 due to milder weather.
- Education (D): Eighth graders continued to perform below the national median in reading and math test scores.
- Safety (B): Violent crime rates across the region declined by nearly six percent, although Los Angeles County
continues to have among the highest rates in the nation.
To see the report, go to: www.scag.ca.gov/publications
Forging Partnerships on Goods Movement
Last fall, SCAG initiated discussions with California Secretary of Business, Transportation and Housing,
Sunne Wright McPeak, about the critical importance of investing in Southern California’s goods movement
future and the transportation infrastructure that will be needed to handle future trade volumes. Secretary
McPeak subsequently asked SCAG to work with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority,
the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority and other key Southern California goods movement stakeholders
to develop a new Goods Movement Action Plan for the region. Key issues addressed in the plan for action
included the urgent need for new infrastructure, mitigation of community impacts and development of new
financing and project delivery mechanisms.
The plan, which was submitted in February for consideration as part of a statewide action plan,
could result in the creation of 277,000 jobs and $2.1 billion in economic activity for Southern California
if implemented.
For more information about SCAG’s Goods Movement Plan for Action, go
to www.scag.ca.gov/goodsmove
Developing "Outside the Box" Housing Strategies
Nearly 250 policymakers and housing leaders from throughout Southern California convened at
SCAG’s 5th Annual Housing Summit in April to develop new strategies to address the region’s increasing
housing crisis. The Summit focused on the need to produce housing within the context of a more coordinated,
comprehensive approach to planning that incorporates land use, transportation, resource preservation and
other related policies.
With California’s median home price nearing $500,000 (250% above the national average), households
earning the median state income of $55,000 would have to virtually double their income to afford such a home.
Of the nine largest metropolitan areas, Southern California has the highest percentage of both homeowners and
renters who spend more than one-third of their income on housing.
A number of conference participants discussed how Southern California Compass, SCAG’s growth visioning
initiative, offers the blueprint for accommodating future housing need. Relatively small changes in land-use
planning decisions can reap tremendous results in terms of making housing more accessible, improving the
efficiency of transportation systems and preserving open space. A number of recommendations were made for
meeting future housing demands, including more focused housing development near transit corridors and the
employment of mixed-use and in-fill development where possible.
Another key strategy identified at the summit was the development of various incentives to make it more
feasible for local governments to zone for residential development at a pace that keeps up with growth.
Lucetta Dunn, Director of the State Housing and Community Development Department, discussed the importance
of forging more effective partnerships between state and local decision-makers to meet future housing demands.
Reaching Out To Native American Communities
Over the last two years, SCAG has made it a priority to reach out to Southern California’s Native American
Tribes and engage them in the regional transportation planning process. Since that time, SCAG has engaged in
four summits with Tribal leaders, including two in the last year, to inform the Tribes of SCAG’s mission and to
seek ways in which they can become more directly involved in SCAG’s planning efforts.
SCAG is committed to continuing the dialogue with Southern California’s Tribal Governments to determine
how both SCAG and the Tribal Governments may communicate and participate together in the regional planning process.
Forging Ties Beyond the SCAG Region
SCAG held a series of meetings with leaders from neighboring regions to develop consensus on transportation,
housing and other issues of common concern. Elected officials and senior staff from SCAG met in May with the
San Diego Association of Governments to coordinate on issues of common concern. A separate meeting was convened
in November with the Ventura Council of Governments, Ventura County Transportation Commission and Santa Barbara
County Association of Governments. Issues discussed included exploring various approaches to alleviate worsening
traffic congestion on shared freeways, recommending strategies to achieve a jobs/housing balance amidst a growing
population and dealing with trans-migration between counties in Southern California. Other key issues included
developing high occupancy vehicle lanes; extending the Metrolink system and other transit services; and
increasing the use of Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) technologies to improve the efficiency of traffic
flow on the freeway.
Elected leaders agreed on the need for broader legislative advocacy, creating a united Southern California
front to more effectively attain transportation funding and other issues of common interest. As part of this
cooperative approach, leaders addressed the need to educate their communities about the quality of life benefits
of regional planning and advocacy.
SCAG Hires New Information Services Director
After an extensive national search, SCAG hired national planning expert Keith Killough as its new Director
of Information Services. Killough oversees the agency’s development and dissemination of socioeconomic and
land use data, conducts performance assessments and manages geographic information systems for SCAG’s
six-county region.
Killough previously served as Deputy Executive Director of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation
Authority for Countywide Planning and Development. He also worked for the Southern California Rapid Transit
District (RTD) as a Planning Manager in Planning Systems/Policy and Analysis and was the Interim Director of
Planning at RTD for six months. Killough also worked as a transportation engineer for the Southeast Michigan
Council of Governments as well as a transportation planner at Barton - Aschman Associates, Inc. in Washington, D.C.
SCAG Retires Donald G. Hagman Award and Introduces Regional Champion Awards
The 2004 General Assembly was marked by a final presentation of the Donald G. Hagman Award to John Greenwood,
acknowledging his many accomplishments as an active regional citizen. Mr. Greenwood is a senior trainer with
Leadership Southern California, a grassroots regional education program designed to provide upcoming officials
with important leadership tools. Mr. Greenwood also served as Executive Director and Director of Training for
Coro Southern California and he designed a similar program called the Ventura County Leadership Academy.
As part of its 40th anniversary celebration, SCAG established the Regional Champion Awards to acknowledge
the outstanding achievement of various non-elected individuals in the service of the Southern California region.
Nominations for the awards were recommended by Policy Committee members with recipients determined by the Regional
Council. The 2005 inaugural Regional Champion Awards recipients include:
Community, Economic and Human Development Committee
Randall W. Lewis
Randall W, Lewis is executive vice president and director of marketing for the Lewis Operating Corp.
To date, the Lewis group has successfully developed over 60,000 single-family and multi-family homes and
more than 4,000,000 square feet of commercial space, much of which is part of Lewis-developed master-planned
communities.
Mr. Lewis is well-known for his involvement in the community and industry organizations having served
as the president of the building Industry Association Baldy View Chapter, president of the Inland Empire Arts
Foundation, secretary of the Los Angeles County Citizens Planning Council and lifetime director of the National
Association of HomeBuilders.
Energy and Environment Committee
Kay Martin, Ph.D.
Dr. Martin is Vice-President and a member of the Board of Directors of the BioEnergy Producers
Association, a coalition of private companies dedicated to the development of renewable sources of power,
fuels, and chemicals from agricultural, forestry and urban biomass, and plastic wastes.
She is a leading proponent for the national bioenergy initiative, and has been instrumental
over the past several years in the development of state initiatives to commercialize new conversion
technologies and to expand markets for biobased products.
Dr. Martin serves on the boards of national, state and local organizations promoting bioenergy
development, including the New Uses Council, the Biobased Manufacturers Association, and the California
Biomass Collaborative.
Communications and Membership Subcommittee
Tony Valdez
Veteran broadcast journalist Tony Valdez is a general assignment reporter specializing in reporting
breaking news, crime and minority affairs for KTTV FOX 11’s top-rated Fox 11 News at 10. Since 1988,
Valdez has hosted Midday Sunday, an Emmy-winning weekly public affairs forum that examines local and
national issues along with current headline news and news makers. In 2003, Valdez received the Courage
Award from the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations for his work on Midday Sunday.
Valdez is the recipient of numerous Emmy, Golden Mike and Los Angeles Press Club awards, including
a 1990 local Emmy in the category of Best News Reporting for his examination of Los Angeles street gangs.
Office Improvements
Over the course of the fall, SCAG underwent a series of improvements to its offices to provide for
a more productive and inviting planning environment. The underlying theme of the improvements was
"honoring our members" and "leadership and vision."
The multi-phased effort involved a number of improvements to SCAG’s facilities, including:
- Renovation of its board room and committee room facilities
- Installation of new audio/visual and multi-media equipment
- Redecoration of its lobby and main hallway corridor
- Transformation of its "Hall of Presidents," including new images highlighting
the six-county region, the agency’s past accomplishments and current initiatives
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