Executive Director’s Monthly Report, May 2025
General Assembly Elects 2025-26 Board Officers
The General Assembly voted to approve the nominations for the SCAG 2025-26 Regional Council officers as recommended by the Regional Council: Hon. Cindy Allen (City of Long Beach) will serve as 2025-26 Regional Council president; Hon. Ray Marquez (City of Chino Hills) will serve as Regional Council first vice president; and Hon. Jenny Crosswhite (City of Santa Paula) will serve as Regional Council second vice president. Leadership also recognized Hon. Curt Hagman (County of San Bernardino), who finished his term as Regional Council president for 2024-25 and will continue as a board officer in the role of immediate past president.
Year in Review and 2024-25 President’s Report Now Available
SCAG Regional Council Past President Curt Hagman closed out his term as Regional Council president at the 2025 Regional Conference and General Assembly by sharing a report of SCAG’s accomplishments for fiscal year 2024-25. The report is organized by the Presidential Priorities established by Supervisor Hagman at the beginning of his term: goods movement and technology, clean transportation and technology, and transit recovery and technology. The report also chronicles advocacy accomplishments and awards that SCAG received over the past year.
At the 2025 Regional Conference and General Assembly, SCAG debuted a video to celebrate Hagman’s accomplishments as president. To read more about the report and watch the video, visit SCAG News.
SCAG General Fund Budget for Fiscal Year 2025-26 Approved
The SCAG General Assembly adopted the General Fund Budget and Membership Assessment Schedule during its annual meeting on May 1. The General Fund is the designated financial resource for the operating budget of the Regional Council and supports SCAG activities not funded by, or non allowable charges to, federal or state grant funds. The fiscal year 2025-26 General Fund budget is $2,817,857, slightly less than the fiscal year 2024-25 General Fund budget of $3,089,698.
SCAG Presents ‘2025 Sustainability Awards’ to Honor Regional Excellence
Seven innovative projects across the six-county region were honored by SCAG during the Sustainability Awards ceremony at the 2025 Regional Conference and General Assembly.
SCAG presented its top award, the “Outstanding Achievement in Sustainability,” to the city of Baldwin Park's Homeless Reduction Initiative, a groundbreaking innovation in dignified, eco-friendly housing. The initiative began by creating two unique communities—Esperanza Villa, serving individuals; and Serenity Homes, designed for families. These spaces offer private units, pet-friendly policies, and comprehensive services that help residents transition from crisis to stability.
The SCAG Sustainability Awards recognize projects for contributing to the goals of the Connect SoCal Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy and for achieving progress toward a more mobile, sustainable, and prosperous region.
For the complete list of Sustainability Award winners, visit SCAG News.
SCAG Awards 10 Scholarships to Southern California Students
At the 2025 Regional Conference and General Assembly, SCAG announced the awardees of the 2025 SCAG Scholarship Program. This 15th annual SCAG Scholarship Program supports the next generation of public servants. SCAG received a record total of 165 applications from throughout the SCAG region.
The Scholarship Committee of nine Regional Council members and two representatives from academia recommended that the Regional Council award 10 students with a 2025 SCAG Scholarship Award:
Hudson Burch (El Centro, Imperial County)
- Cruz De Loera (Brawley, Imperial County)
- Elisa Hong (Los Angeles, Los Angeles County)
- Serena Tarango (Norwalk, Los Angeles County)
- Tyler Wu (Walnut, Los Angeles County)
- Alexis Schober (Cypress, Orange County)
- Matthew Thomas (Lake Elsinore, Riverside County)
- Danaya Figueroa (Colton, San Bernardino County)
- Sofia Manzano (Santa Paula, Ventura County)
The California Transportation Foundation (CTF) once again partnered with SCAG to provide funding for one additional scholarship award:
Noelle Kim (Santa Ana, Orange County)
Congratulations to these future leaders in Southern California’s planning and governing community. More on the scholarship award program can be found in the Scholarship Committee report in the May Regional Council agenda.
SCAG Sustainable Communities Program Releases ‘Smart Cities and Mobility Innovations’ Call for Projects Final Report
SCAG published the final report for the Sustainable Communities Program – Smart Cities and Mobility Innovations funding cycle. This grant cycle supported local jurisdictions in improving efficiency and performance of the transportation system by funding curb data collection and inventory, technology assessment and adoption, parking management, and permitting process evaluation. These efforts encourage shared modes, effectively manage parking, and support commerce, and growth of housing and job centers. For more information and to download the final report, read SCAG News.
SCAG Hosts ‘ZEV Vehicles in Under-Resourced Areas’ Toolbox Tuesday Session
In April, SCAG hosted the “Expanding Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure in Under-Resourced Areas” Toolbox Tuesday session, exploring innovative strategies to bring zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) to under-resourced communities. The video of the session is available to watch on YouTube.
Distribution of ZEV charging infrastructure across the SCAG region has not reached many areas of persistent poverty. This Toolbox Tuesday demonstrated how local governments can expand ZEV infrastructure in such areas, such as increasing the number of pole-mounted chargers and creating public-private partnerships for electric vehicle-sharing.
SCAG’s Regional Transportation Demand Management and Freight Industry Forums Prepare for the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games
Working with the Games Mobility Executive (GME) partners—including the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, Caltrans, LA28, and Metrolink—SCAG is leading the coordination of transportation demand management (TDM) initiatives for freight and passengers across the region for the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. The TDM will contribute to a cohesive regional strategy to optimize transportation, reduce congestion, and enhance mobility across the region during the LA28 Games to support enduring modal shifts and emissions reductions.
To engage regional partners in TDM work, SCAG established a Freight Industry Forum and a Regional TDM Forum to prepare for the significant coordination required. The Regional TDM Forum will be an advisory group, facilitating coordination and collaboration of planning, development, and implementation of regionwide TDM strategies for the LA28 Games. The inaugural Regional TDM Forum, scheduled for May, will foster dialogue among regional partners about TDM strategies for the LA28 Games.
In April, SCAG hosted the second Freight Industry Forum for the LA28 Games, gathering freight industry representatives, the GME, and regional partners to provide input and guidance for consideration in regional freight TDM planning for the LA28 Games.
Housing Working Group Meeting Recap
SCAG held its first Housing Working Group (HWG) meeting of 2025 on April 15. As a Regional Planning Working Group, the Housing Working Group session brought together local leaders, city and county staff, developers, advocates, and community members for a discussion on housing priorities across the region.
Highlights from the HWG meeting included a technical advisory presentation from the California Department of Housing and Community Development on Assembly Bill 2097, which eliminates minimum parking requirements near major transit stops. Attendees also explored Rialto's Foothill Central Specific Plan, a SCAG-funded initiative guiding local housing and development. In addition, staff demonstrated the 3.0 version of SCAG's Housing, Environment, and Land-Use Parcel Tool, a site-specific online interactive mapping tool to support data-driven decision-making in land use, environmental planning, and sustainable development.
The HWG meets quarterly and has tentatively scheduled its next meeting for July 15; registration details will be available as the date approaches. To view meeting material and learn more about the HWG or other Regional Planning Working Groups, visit the SCAG website.
Inland Empire Mobile Workshop Tours Amazon Robotics Fulfilment Center in Ontario
In April, SCAG Regional Council President Curt Hagman, Chief Operating Officer Darin Chidsey, and a delegation of SCAG Regional Council members toured the Amazon Robotics Fulfillment Center in Ontario. The 4.5 million-square-foot, five-story facility uses robotics to automate and streamline the fulfillment process, from storing and moving inventory to picking and packing orders for shipping.
SCAG members and staff learned how robots and automation help workers to quickly and efficiently process as many as one million daily shipments.
SCAG Participates in UCLA ‘Center of Excellence on New Mobility and Automated Vehicles’ Panel
In April, SCAG Executive Director Kome Ajise spoke on a panel hosted by UCLA’s Center of Excellence on New Mobility and Automated Vehicles to examine lessons learned from the previous ten years of emerging technology deployments. The panel was moderated by former SCAG Executive Director Hasan Ikhrata and included panelists representing the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Caltrans District 7, and the California Public Utilities Commission. Ajise emphasized safety as a core focus for deployments of new technology and the need to develop stronger data privacy and security protections for users. Several SCAG staff members attended the all-day workshop and collaborated with government and business leaders throughout Los Angeles to reenergize the region through the safe and equitable deployment of new mobility technologies.
SCAG Participates in the Inland Empire Economic Partnership's E-Commerce and Logistics Summit
SCAG Executive Director Kome Ajise attended the Inland Empire Economic Partnership's (IEEP) E-Commerce and Logistics Summit this week, participating in the “Where Do We Go from Here: Syncing Research with Reality” panel alongside industry and academic leaders from Prologis; the University of California, Riverside; Amazon; and the Western States Petroleum Association.
On the panel, Ajise emphasized the role of industry in the region and SCAG as the agency tasked with vision building and long-term planning. He also stressed the need to address the housing crisis to retain talent within the region. The summit successfully brought together stakeholders from throughout the region to discuss the importance of logistics and goods movement in Southern California. More on the IEEP website.
SCAG’s Highlights the ‘Local Agency Technical Assistance’ Project at Catalina Island Resident Resource Fair
SCAG Regional Council Member Dr. Suely Saro (Long Beach, Avalon) joined SCAG’s Partnerships, Technology, and Innovation department at the annual Catalina Island Resident Resource Fair, where community members gather each year to receive help navigating state and city assistance programs and to learn about resources for individuals and families.
Dr. Saro and SCAG joined city of Avalon leaders to conduct community outreach for the city’s recent Local Agency Technical Assistance grant award for local jurisdictions facing significant challenges related to internet affordability, reliability, and access. Community members spoke with SCAG about the importance of addressing broadband accessibility to support public safety, economic activities, and children’s educational needs. By investing in upgraded broadband infrastructure, Avalon can improve residents’ quality of life, support businesses and tourism to strengthen its local economy, and reliably provide tools for students’ academic success.
California Transportation Commission Townhall Talks ‘Lithium Valley’ in Imperial County
In April, the California Transportation Commission (CTC) held a town hall meeting in Imperial County. The Imperial County Transportation Commission (ICTC) helped coordinate the meeting which was held at the El Centro Library. CTC representatives heard presentations from ICTC and Caltrans regarding ongoing and completed transportation infrastructure projects. Imperial County provided an overview of county projects too, including Lithium Valley, the condition of roadways, and the County Emergency Operations Plan. To conclude the meeting, a number of presentations from the cities of El Centro, Calexico, Imperial, and Brawley were provided.
