News

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Joint Policy Committee Holds Panel Discussion on Regional Resilience

As Southern California grapples with the destruction caused by January wildfires, SCAG is committed to supporting local agencies in the collective work of recovery and resilience.

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The 2025 SCAG Student Showcase is now open for submissions. Apply online by March 13 at 10 a.m.  

The Student Showcase challenges students to create posters and StoryMaps that tell a story, provide insight, showcase plans and projects, engage stakeholders, and illustrate the possibilities of open data at the regional level. By submitting, Student Showcase participants compete to receive cash prizes.  

As Southern California addresses the destruction caused by wildfires around the region, SCAG is committed to supporting local agencies in the collective work of recovery and resilience.  

Every level of government, from local to federal, has mobilized to ease the recovery work of communities affected by the wildfires. SCAG’s Legislative Affairs team has been monitoring these developments to inform local agencies in Southern California about the recovery effort, compiling the following list of recovery actions at the federal, state, and city level:

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The 2025 SCAG Scholarship Program is now open.

The fires in Southern California that erupted earlier this month continue to threaten communities in the region—but recovery work is already aimed at reducing the disruption and displacement of residents and businesses affected by the fires. 

On behalf of SCAG, our hearts go out to all the communities and individuals affected by the devastating fires currently burning in Southern California. The loss of lives, homes, and historic and cultural resources is devastating.

Many members of our SCAG family have been directly affected by the fires. We are deeply sorry for their losses and continue to support them as we hold them in our thoughts and prayers. We are extremely grateful to first responders on the front lines who are risking their lives fighting the fires and managing evacuations.

As fires continue to burn, our collective strength as a region can provide refuge and support to member jurisdictions and staff throughout Southern California.

SCAG continues to collaborate toward a brighter future for Southern California. Here are a few highlights from the first half of fiscal year 2024-25.

Connect SoCal 2024 Implementation

SCAG staff and local and subregional partners are progressing on implementing the Connect SoCal 2024 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy, as outlined in a staff report presented to the SCAG Regional Council and policy committees in November.  

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Throughout 2024, Go Human directed resources to community-led safety and engagement strategies, particularly in communities disproportionately affected by traffic violence and historically excluded from transportation investments. Go Human collaborated with community leaders, nonprofit organizations, cities, and local agencies throughout the region to help build safer and healthier places by:

SCAG staff and local and subregional partners are making progress implementing the Connect SoCal 2024 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy, as outlined in a staff report presented to the SCAG Regional Council and policy committees at the beginning of November.  

SCAG is pleased to announce that the 2025 Federal Transportation Improvement Program (FTIP) has received official federal approval from the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration. This approval marks a significant step forward for transportation projects across the SCAG region.

SCAG’s December Regional Council meeting included a presentation of the “2024 Southern California Economic Update,” featuring SCAG’s annual economic reporting, presentations from SCAG’s Economic Roundtable, and in-depth discussion about the state of the economy among Regional Council members.     

The “2024 Southern California Economic Update” details the state of the region’s economy over the past year and forecasts expected economic trends for the coming year.  

On Dec. 5, the Regional Council approved the 2024 Sustainable Communities Program (SCP) – Active Transportation and Safety “Project List and Contingency Project List,” a major milestone for a call for applications process opened in July.

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The “2024 Southern California Economic Update” is now available online. SCAG publishes this annual economic update with analysis covering the entire region as well as providing specific insight into the economies of Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties.

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The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) has been awarded $6 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) to improve pedestrian safety and access leading up to the 2026 World Cup, 2027 Super Bowl, and 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games. 

The SCAG Regional Rail Station Area Housing Analysis supported efforts across the region to accelerate housing production at all income levels, at or near regional rail stations (e.g., Metrolink). More specifically, the analysis stimulated residential development in select station areas with the most development potential by systematically identifying opportunity areas, coordinating with local jurisdictions, and implementing actions that will drive the production of housing and housing-supportive infrastructure. 

The Other-to-Residential Toolkit is a unique tool that guides pl

SCAG partnered with the California Community Foundation, the Irv