Posted May 2006
President's Message
As we come to the end of SCAG’s 2005-06 Leadership session, it is time to reflect on our many accomplishments over the last year. While there is much
work still to be done by SCAG’s new leadership team, I am proud to report that we achieved a number of critical milestones, both in the operation of the
organization and in the policy course of the region. From forming a consensus to secure transportation funding for Southern California to meeting with
worldwide leaders from such countries as South Korea and Mexico regarding Global Gateways, receiving a historic $1.25 million Blueprint planning grant,
and being acknowledged for financial excellence for the second consecutive year. SCAG has ably managed its way through a multitude of policy, planning
and administrative issues.
I am very pleased to present to you the following summary of SCAG’s major accomplishments during the past year.
Celebrating 40 Years of Regional Achievement
SCAG celebrated its 40th Anniversary with more than 250 current and former local elected officials attending its Annual General Assembly at the Los
Angeles Athletic Club. Participants reflected upon the agency’s accomplishments and focused on future critical issues involving Southern California’s
transportation and goods movement network. The first day’s events started with an unprecedented program – “Finding the Good In Goods Movement: Insights
and Strategies From U.S. Gateways” – in which local leaders, railroad officials, major shippers and officials representing Southern California, the Bay Area,
Tacoma, New Jersey, Chicago and Houston came together to discuss the impact escalating trade has on their communities.
At the Gala Dinner celebration, hundreds of current and former SCAG Board members and regional partners were treated to an evening of nostalgia and
reflection on SCAG’s major contributions to Southern California since its formation in 1965. Political commentator and former Clinton White House Press
Secretary Dee Dee Myers concluded the evening’s events with remarks reflecting her perspective on her experiences in both Southern California and national
politics. The Gala Celebration was also marked by presentation of SCAG’s first-ever Regional Champion Awards, recognizing leaders who have made outstanding
contributions to the Southern California regional community. Real estate developer Randall Lewis was recognized for his accomplishments for employing
sound housing and land use practices. Dr. Kay Martin received an award for her noteworthy efforts to foster bioremediation technologies. KTTV-TV news
correspondent Tony Valdez received an award for outstanding regional media coverage.
The second day featured the Regional Council meeting and was marked by a changing of the SCAG leadership team. Outgoing president Ron Roberts was replaced
by the newly elected Toni Young, councilwoman from Port Hueneme. Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Burke was elected to serve as SCAG’s first vice
president, and San Bernardino County Supervisor Gary Ovitt was elected second vice president. The SCAG Regional Council also heard remarks by Caltrans
Director Will Kempton, who addressed the board about a variety of issues involving Caltrans’ future direction, including the Governor’s “Go California”
package of legislative priorities.
Uniting with Elected, Business and Community Leaders To Show Support For Restoration of Prop 42 Funds
Local leaders from throughout Southern California demonstrated a unified front in expressing strong support for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s decision in May 2005 to restore the Prop 42 gasoline tax revenues to fund critical transportation improvements. Representatives SCAG, the League of California Cities, Ventura County Transportation Commission, the Ventura Chamber of Commerce and the Automobile Club of Southern California praised the Governor for restoring $1.3 billion in state gas tax revenues, while simultaneously urging the State Legislature to preserve those funds as budget negotiations proceeded into the summer. The leaders expressed the importance of funding transportation investments as part of SCAG’s Regional Council Retreat held in June at the Pierpont Inn in Ventura. Prior to the Governor’s decision to restore the funds for transportation in his revised budget, more than $5 billion in gasoline tax dollars had been diverted away from transportation over the last three years.
Receiving National Recognition
Current and former members of SCAG were honored in June 2005 at the National Association of Regional Councils’ (NARC) 39th Annual Conference. NARC
honored Riverside Mayor Ron Loveridge with the Tom Bradley Award for outstanding leadership in advocating regional concepts, approaches, and programs at
all levels of government. Throughout his career as an elected official, Mayor Loveridge has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to improving the future
of Southern California’s transportation network, addressing its air quality challenges and preserving its preferred quality of life.
Former SCAG president and Brea City Councilwoman Bev Perry received the John Bosley Award, which recognizes outstanding service exhibited by an individual
to advance the success of the regional community. First elected to the Brea City Council in 1992, Perry quickly became an active member of several local
and regional agencies, including SCAG. Recognizing the important roles these organizations play in addressing issues beyond the purview of her city, she
quickly assumed leadership positions with SCAG.
As part of receiving national honors, SCAG received NARC’s certificates of excellence for Compass and the State of the Region Report. SCAG also celebrated
the appointment of its former president, Ventura County Supervisor Judy Mikels, to the position of NARC Senior Vice President.
Achieving Continued Financial Excellence
In October 2005, SCAG received 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 management during FY2003/2004. This was the second year SCAG received the award, which
recognizes contributions to the practice of government finance that exemplify outstanding financial management. The Government Finance Officers Association
(GFOA), is North America’s largest professional association of state and provincial finance officers.
SCAG again received high marks in eight criteria to achieve this award: local significance and value, technical significance, transferability,
documentation, cost/benefit, efficiency, originality and documentation.
Improving Technology Capabilities for Greater Results
Over the course of 2005-2006, SCAG underwent a series of technological improvements to its downtown headquarters and Inland Empire office to provide for a more productive planning environment. The improvements included computer upgrades and telecommunications system enhancements.
Enhancing Goods Movement through Public-Private Partnerships
SCAG conducted a series of Goods Movement Roundtable meetings this past year to promote strategic planning for the region that incorporates public-private partnerships to address Southern California’s transportation infrastructure needs. One major highlight at these meetings was the release of SCAG’s Port and Modal Elasticity Study. The Port and Modal Elasticity Study examined the Southern California logistics industry to determine what it can offer shippers better than other regions. Southern California’s logistics industry, which manages the distribution of imports and exports, now employs 8% of the region’s workforce. The SCAG study’s primary objective was to determine the economic impact of port user fees on demand at the San Pedro Bay Ports. These fees could be assessed to fund transportation infrastructure improvements that will be required to ensure efficient and environmentally sound access to the ports. In the Goods Movement Roundtable and other meetings, this study facilitated a much-needed dialogue in terms of how the private sector could be looking at these kinds of transportation improvements as business investments.
Meeting with Korean Officials to Discuss Seoul and Southern California’s Roles as Global Gateway Regions
In November 2005, high-ranking officials from the Seoul Development Institute (SDI) met with SCAG leaders in a symposium entitled "Global Gateway Regions: South Korea and Southern California." Billie Greer, Director of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Los Angeles office, commended those in attendance and affirmed the governor’s support for continued dialogue between the Seoul delegation and SCAG leaders. At the symposium, leaders discussed policy issues and program initiatives, particularly related to population growth, transportation, environment, economy and goods movement to best position their corresponding regions in the global economy.
Pursuing Regional Partnerships
In the fall of 2005, SCAG held separate meetings with the Kern Council of Governments (Kern COG) and the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG).
Both regional organizations agreed to join SCAG in forming a coalition to advocate on key transportation priorities to members of Congress. Spanning eight
Southern California counties, SCAG and its partners jointly advocated for transportation infrastructure funding and began exploring private-public
partnerships and other approaches.
The leadership from all three regional agencies agreed to continue meeting on a regular basis to exchange information, coordinate planning for programs
and projects, generate ideas about topics of mutual interest and identify possible funding sources.
Tracking Southern California’s Progress
While the SCAG region experienced its first economic growth since 2000, increasing congestion and an absence of affordable housing continue to threaten
the region’s long-term health and viability. This according to SCAG’s State of the Region report released in January 2006, which rated the performance of
the six-county SCAG region in seven policy areas:
Confronting Southern California’s Future Economic Challenges
SCAG held its ninth Annual Economic Forecast Conference in January 2006 with more than 150 elected officials, public agencies, business leaders, and
academics participating. Experts forecast significant job growth in the six-county region, much of this due to the booming goods movement industry. With
the ports handling more than 40 percent of the nation’s cargo container traffic, the trade and transportation sectors continued to post some of the region’s
strongest job gains this past year, but future job gains in the area could be impacted if congestion worsens or if the workforce can no longer afford a home.
SCAG called for a concerted effort to invest in infrastructure, craft public-private partnerships, and focus housing and economic activities more
strategically around transportation networks in order to sustain the economy and lay the foundation for Southern California to become a truly global
gateway.
Securing Landmark State Blueprint Planning Grant
In January 2006, California Business, Transportation and Housing Agency Secretary Sunne Wright McPeak awarded SCAG a Regional Blueprint Planning Program
grant of $1.25 million to support Southern California Compass, SCAG’s ongoing growth visioning effort to foster consensus by regional leaders, local
governments and stakeholders on a preferred growth scenario - or "blueprint" - for a 20-year planning horizon. Compass is a regional growth visioning
concept intended to provide improved mobility, livability, prosperity and sustainability for all Southern Californians by reorienting development around
existing and planned transportation infrastructure on just 2% of the region’s land area.
The Blueprint grant will help SCAG work with local communities to deal with future housing, congestion and air quality challenges, driven by population
growth, changing demographics, the economy and environmental concerns. Prior to the grant award, 28 cities, counties, councils of government and other
organizations submitted letters to the state indicating their support for the SCAG grant application.
Uniting Behind Regional Priorities in Washington
In February 2006, a delegation from the SCAG region met with congressional leaders in Washington, D.C. to advocate for its 2006 Consensus Program, a
mutually agreed upon package of projects that prioritizes faster freight and cleaner air. As a global gateway for freight, Southern California feeds the
national economy, but it receives an excessive share of the impacts resulting from trade-related congestion and not enough federal funding. The delegation
advocated for projects that would maintain the balance between the demand for goods movement and the health of Southern California’s rapidly growing
population.
Elected officials from the SCAG region met with members of California’s congressional delegation and other transportation leaders on Capitol Hill.
SCAG leaders presented the region’s priorities to the Chairs of the House Transportation & Infrastructure and Appropriations Committees, as well as to the
Federal Highway Administration and the directors of the Senate Environment & Public Works and Transportation & Infrastructure Committees.
Exploring Region’s Energy Future
Attended by more than 150 local elected, business and environmental leaders, SCAG’s Southern California Energy Conference in March 2006 focused on a
number of global energy trends and their long-term impact on Southern California and the nation. Global oil production is at or near its peak and it is
anticipated that exponential oil prices will appear within the next five to 20 years.
Conference participants laid out a number of strategies to help Southern California prepare for a future of declining oil supplies and higher reliance on
alternative fuels, including the revision of laws to encourage fuel conservation and provide greater incentives for energy-saving technologies and the
development of local government incentives to promote smart growth, telecommuting, mass transit and other transportation fuel efficiency options.
Housing Our Children
More than 200 policymakers and housing leaders participated in SCAG’s 6th Annual Housing Summit in April 2006 in effort to devise new approaches to
address the growing housing crisis. The Summit emphasized the need to plan for long-term housing needs with cost-effective, sustainable strategies such
as mixed-use development in urban areas and controlled development in open areas.
Participants discussed how Compass Blueprint, SCAG’s growth visioning initiative, could provide cities and counties with the tools they need to accommodate
housing demand over the next 30 years. Employing relatively small changes in land use planning decisions can reap tremendous results in housing availability
and affordability. Key strategies identified at the Summit include focused residential development along major transit corridors and increased coordination
of housing development with transportation, water resource management, and other local planning efforts.
Addressing Long-term Housing Plans for the Region
At a joint policy meeting in April, Regional Council and policy committee members discussed SCAG's Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) Pilot Program. Two public workshops were subsequently held about the RHNA Pilot Program in April and early May. The RHNA program is intended to help the region and individual communities establish future housing construction goals. In addition, it simplifies and streamlines the RHNA planning process while preserving sound planning considerations for determining a fair share growth distribution. It also promotes incentives to support subregional trades and transfers when they are agreed to by all parties and consistent with the regional growth vision and transportation plan. The RHNA pilot program also more closely ties the growth forecast to the RTP/Compass Blueprint in ways not envisioned by the AB 2158 RHNA law revision.
Engaging Southern California’s Native American Tribes
The SCAG Regional Council approved the development of changes to the organization’s bylaws to seek formal participation of Southern California’s 17
Native American Tribes in regional planning and policymaking. The action taken by SCAG’s Regional Council represents a major milestone in efforts to enlist
federally recognized Native American Tribes in the regional planning process.
Since 2003, SCAG has met with Tribal Government leaders and their representatives from the region’s 17 Tribal Governments through a series of summit
meetings. The summits were designed to explain SCAG’s roles and responsibilities, encourage Tribal Governments to provide their input regarding the
region’s transportation plan, and to identify how the Tribal Governments may participate in the regional planning process.
Strengthening the Southwest “Mega-region”
The Southwest gateway forms a unique international trade region, receiving the majority of imports from the Pacific Rim for the entire United States.
The Southwest Compact Task Force committed to developing a blueprint for future action that would include coordination of future events, exploration of
federal and state legislative vehicles and an even more concerted effort to engage the private sector in developing critical transportation improvements.
The Southwest Compact Task Force also met with leaders from Kern COG, SANDAG and other partners to enhance coordinated planning efforts for the mega-region.
In April, more than 130 leaders from the United States and Mexico met in Mexicali, Baja California in April to explore emerging transportation
infrastructure and economic development opportunities throughout the border region. Trade, transportation, economic development, goods movement, public
health, environmental and public safety were among the issues discussed at the hearing.