News

On Nov. 5, the SCAG Regional Council voted to object to the California Department of Housing and Community Development’s (HCD) 7th Cycle Regional Housing Needs Determination (RHND) for the SCAG region, which totals 1,359,750. The RHND was released last month and establishes the entire region’s total housing need for the 7th Cycle Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) process. The RHND precedes SCAG’s statutorily required work to create the RHNA Allocation Plan, which will establish each local jurisdiction’s planning obligations for the 7th Cycle.

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The SCAG Sustainability Awards recognize projects for outstanding contributions to a more mobile, sustainable, and prosperous future for Southern California. Nominations for the 2027 SCAG Sustainability Awards are open from Nov. 5 to Dec. 18.

Five Go Human-funded partner projects received awards from the American Planning Association (APA) at the section and state levels in 2026. These projects showcase a diversity of innovative community engagement practices for improving public knowledge of traffic safety. 
 

On Oct. 27, 2026, SCAG hosted a Toolbox Tuesday session featuring a comprehensive overview of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, landmark federal housing legislation that became law on July 11, 2026.

SCAG has released an update to the Senate Bill (SB) 79 Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Stops, Zones, and Tiers Map.

SCAG is seeking up to 20 community-based organizations to participate in the Connect SoCal 2050 Community Partner Program.

SCAG received various program and project modifications to the 2025 Federal Transportation Improvement Program (FTIP), summarized as proposed Amendment #25-34, from the county transportation commissions representing Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. The public review period starts on Oct. 20 and will conclude at 5 p.m. on Oct. 29. 

A copy of the project listing is located on the SCAG FTIP website. 

The state completed a critical early step in the RHNA process. SCAG will bring the RHND, along with a staff assessment, to upcoming meetings of the RHNA Subcommittee; Community, Economic, and Human Development Committee; and Regional Council.

Catch up with recent news and developments as SCAG collaborates across the region to prepare for the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.

California’s Draft 2027 Federal Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, which includes SCAG’s 2027 Federal Transportation Improvement Program, is available for public review on the Caltrans website.

SCAG received various program and project modifications to the 2027 Federal Transportation Improvement Program (FTIP), summarized as proposed Amendment #27-01, from the county transportation commissions representing Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, and various counties. The public review period starts on Oct. 13 and will conclude at 5 p.m. on Oct. 22. 

A copy of the project listing is located on the SCAG FTIP website. 

SCAG is officially underway with the early stages of the 7th Cycle Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) process. RHNA is a state-mandated process that occurs every eight years to help ensure California communities plan for housing needs of people at all income levels. As the region begins the 7th Cycle RHNA process, staff from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). 

SCAG applauds Governor Newsom’s Sept. 30 signing of Senate Bill (SB) 1087 (Cabaldon), which will update SB 375, the landmark 2008 law that established California’s sustainable communities strategies (SCS) program.

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SCAG is taking the Clean Air Pledge to commemorate California Clean Air Day this Oct. 7, reaffirming our commitment to working with federal, state, local, and subregional partners to improve regional air quality. The SCAG Regional Council approved a proclamation to take the pledge at its October 2026 meeting. 

SCAG released the June 2026 “Transportation Trends Report,” a biannual snapshot of how people and goods move throughout the six-county region. The report examines transit ridership, roadway travel, goods movement, and remote work trends to provide a comprehensive picture of post-pandemic travel behavior and regional mobility patterns.

On Sept. 15, SCAG hosted a Toolbox Tuesday session demonstrating the SoCal Greenprint tool, a web-mapping application to help users make land use and transportation infrastructure decisions and support conservation investments. 

The SoCal Greenprint is an optional, flexible, and open conservation-focused data mapping tool that supports efforts to secure state and federal funding to implement sustainability and resilience projects and programs, as well as advance mitigation planning initiatives in the SCAG region. 

SCAG is launching the second cohort of the Future Leaders Initiative, a six-month civic leadership program that helps emerging professionals build the knowledge, skills, and connections to engage in regional planning and civic decision-making. The program brings together diverse individuals who want to learn how regional and local governments work together to address complex challenges and create long-term change in Southern California.

SCAG is surveying member jurisdictions to inform development of a proposed methodology for the 7th Cycle of the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) process.