TITLE
Recommendation to ratify the decision made at the Gateway Cities Council (COG) of Governments Board Meeting for the COG to accept delegation of the preparation of the Sustainable Communities Strategy as required by SB 375; and authorize City Manager to identify funding for this activity.
DISCUSSION
AB 32, which was adopted by the California Legislature in 2006, requires that the State's total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions be reduced to 1990 levels by 2020. The reductions have been divided into various sectors of the economy, including transportation, power generation and land use. SB 375 was adopted in 2008 to achieve the local land use GHG emission reductions through a regional planning process impacting air quality, transportation, land use and housing in cities and counties.
SB 375 requires metropolitan planning organizations, such as the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), to develop a Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) that will become part of the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP). The SCS establishes policies and strategies to attain the region's respective GHG reduction targets.
SB 375 permits subregions of SCAG to accept delegation to undertake development of the SCS for their own subregion. In response to this, the Gateway Cities Council of Governments (COG) retained the team of Wildan Energy Solutions, Iteris, and Sespe to prepare a policy report to assist the COG and its member cities in making a determination as to whether to accept delegation of the SCS.
Action at the COG
Based on the report, and on the recommendation of the COG's City Managers Steering Committee, the COG's Board of Directors voted at their meeting of January 6, 2010, to accept delegation from SCAG to develop a subregional SCS, contingent upon ratification by a majority of the member city councils. Attached is a report prepared by City staff that outlines some of the major items of discussion, including the benefits, potential costs, and potential...
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