Category: agencies

Yolo causeway bike path to close

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Yolo causeway bike path closed sign

The Yolo causeway bike path will close for a week and a half starting Monday April 13 (tomorrow). The part that will close is actually very short, from the path rest area in West Sacramento to the beginning of the causeway bridge, but since there is no alternative route, the entire distance from West Sac to Davis is closed.

Presumably the closure will be to improve or replace the section of very deteriorated path as it ramps up to bridge level. This is a good thing. The problem is that most users of the path would have no way of knowing beforehand. It is not signed where the path departs West Capitol Avenue westbound, nor is it signed where the path departs County Road 32A eastbound.

Yolo causeway bike path deteriorated pavement

The west end has been improved. Rather than turning on to the levee, it follows the off-ramp from the freeway, protected from motor vehicles by concrete barrier ( sometimes called K-rail or Jersey barrier, but it isn’t clear if this is the term for permanent barriers). However, the junction with County Road 32A is not complete, and may have safety issues.

Yolo causeway bike path approaching County Road 32A

The drainage problems on the causeway portion of the path have not been solved, so there will be extensive puddles after rain, as yesterday. The path continues to collect debris from the highway, car and truck parts and trash. Caltrans passed on the opportunity to provide path lighting, even though electric was embedded in the new barrier. And of course noise from the highway is oppressive. As with all Caltrans projects, two steps forward and one step back.

Davis regresses on sidewalks

Dan Allison1 Comment

This post was initiated by an article in the SacBee on Tuesday – SacBee (Yolo County News)/Daniel Lempres, 2026-04-07: Davis considers code update to shift liability of sidewalk maintenance. For prior (many) posts on sidewalk maintenance and responsibility, see category: sidewalks.

There is a misstatement in the article: “California law places the responsibility for sidewalks on the adjacent property owner, but Davis typically accepts responsibility for all repairs and replacements.” State law allows a city or county to make property owners responsible for sidewalks, but it does not require that a city or a county do so. It is not uncommon for a government, including the City of Sacramento, to claim that state law forces them, but this is a lie, and they know it is a lie. Davis was more responsible than most cities in that it generally did repair on its own dime. What has changed is that the budget crisis, which Davis and every other city faces, has them searching for ways to extract more money from citizens without raising taxes. This is just one example.

I will state, as I have many times before, that it is unconstitutional for the government to require a citizen to maintain city-owned property. Sidewalks are city-owned property on city-owned land. The adjacent property owner does not own the sidewalk, and does not own the land on which it sits (with a few exceptions when property boundaries do not reflect where curbs and sidewalks are). Sidewalks are an integral part of the transportation network, and should be maintained in the same way as the rest of the roadway. We don’t ask adjacent property owners to repave the street, and we should not ask them to fix the sidewalk. Unless of course the damage was caused by a privately-owned tree.

For the 2026-04-07 Davis city council agenda item (#7) on sidewalks, see Ordinance Adding Article 35.09 to Chapter 35 of the City’s Municipal Code Related to Responsibility and Maintenance of Sidewalks and Update on Sidewalk Inspection Program, staff report | presentation.

To the considerable credit of the City of Davis, it does have a sidewalk inspection program, under the Sidewalk Accessibility for Everyone program, which the City of Sacramento does not. Though the Davis presentation states that the City of Sacramento does, there is no evidence for a regular inspection program; rather the city inspects when there is a complaint. Also to the credit of Davis, fines paid by adjacent property owners who do not fix the sidewalk would go back into the sidewalk maintenance program, not into the general fund, as it would in the City of Sacramento.

Video of the staff presentation, council discussion, and decision is available on video at 2:35. One council member asked the question about responsibility if the sidewalk damage was caused by a city-owned tree (as it often the case). Legal counsel said that the ordinance still places responsibility on the adjacent property owner. Another council member asked about how low-income property owners and affordable housing would be handled. Counsel said that if the damage was caused by a utility, it would be paid for by the utility, whether the city or private (PG&E), but that city-owned trees were not included because most damage was caused by city-owned trees, and that would mean less income to the city from property owners (!). A number of other questions were raised by council members, which are not answered in the ordinance.

The ordinance presented and passed (first reading) is the first step in developing policy to underlie the ordinance. City staff was vague about when the policy would be in place, and when the ordinance would be enforced.

The photo below is from the City of Davis staff presentation on the sidewalk ordinance. Note that this is a city-owned tree that has caused the damage. Also, a prior repair, which did not solve the problem, is under the worker to the right side.

photo of Davis city crew measuring for sidewalk repair
Davis city crew measuring for sidewalk repair (City of Davis)

CTC = the highway lobby

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California OKs a lot of new freeway lanes during climate change-fueled heat wave (SacBee, Ariane Lange, 2026-03-21)

The California Transportation Commission (CaTC; CTC is Commission on Teacher Credentialing) has approved yet more of your tax dollars to serve a small segment of the population, those who commute long distances. Freeways will be expanded all over the state. Why is more highway capacity needed? Because more lanes equals more driving, equals more gas tax, equals more money for highways. It is a circular loop, also known as a growth ponzi scheme.

The CTC has long been in the pocket of the highway lobby, which is composed of the asphalt and concrete providers and construction companies, the fossil fuel companies, and the politicians who love ribbon cuttings over actually doing something to benefit their voters (of course, as we all know, most politicians first consider their campaign contributors, and only if it doesn’t conflict, citizens).

But because CTC continually funds highway expansion, basically giving Caltrans everything that asks for, so long as it is capacity expansion, and refuses to give serious discussion or attention to climate change and the evolved transportation environment, it has really become the highway lobby.

Because nearly all transportation funding (otherwise known as your tax dollars) goes to highway expansion, there is little left at the state level for maintaining highways. And little at the regional (SACOG) level. And almost nothing at the county and city level. Your street is likely falling apart, because the money is going elsewhere.

Caltrans has built a transportation system based almost solely on the needs of commuters and freight, though because of congestion induced by commuters, it no longer serves freight very well. Active transportation was not just an afterthought, but was actively planned against. The most dangerous roadway locations in the state are highway onramps and off ramps, which were designed for the highest possible motor vehicle speed, and usually have minimal or no accommodation for people walking and bicycling. As if the ramps were not bad enough, Caltrans retains control of overpasses and underpasses, though they spend none of their money on improving those, forcing local entities to spend their own limited funds to fix Caltrans mistakes. And there are plenty of Caltrans mistakes to be fixed. Billions of dollars worth. Instead of fixing things, Caltrans builds more. More problems to solve, more infrastructure to maintain, but without asking for very much for that maintenance.

Nine of the eleven members of the CTC are appointed by the governor. So our windshield governor owns the misallocation of taxpayer dollars. Of these members, only two could be considered advocates for active transportation, transit, and rail: Adonia Lugo and Darnell Grisby. A few others are not opposed to these, but not very supportive. Some are actively opposed to spending state money on anything but highways.

Strong Towns has addressed this travesty by documenting how the era of Interstate Highway expansion is and should be at an end:

Of course Caltrans and its enabler CTC is not just expanding the Interstate system, which they are, but the entire state highway system.

CTC is broken. Can it be reformed? It seems to me unlikely. Since CTC largely serves to give Caltrans whatever it wants, maybe it would be better to just give the budget directly to Caltrans. Nothing would improve, but at least active transportation, transit, and rail advocates would only have to monitor one agency instead of Caltrans and CTC.

Hwy 50 at 48th St, looking east, 2026
Hwy 50 at 48 St, looking east, 2026
Hwy 50 at 48 St, looking east, 2013
Hwy 50 at 48 St, looking east, 2013
Hwy 50 at 48th St, looking east, 2026 on left, 2013 on right, $511M of your tax dollars

SACOG Board 2025-11-20

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The SACOG Board of Directors will meet on November 20, 2025, at 9:30 AM.

  • Attend: SACOG’s offices, 1415 L Street, Suite 300, Sacramento, CA
  • Watch: https://www.sacog.org/meetings/meetingagendas, at the time of the meeting
  • Comment: In-person, or submit via email to the clerk at lespinoza@sacog.org at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. (see agenda for details)

Agenda (pdf)

Pledge of Allegiance

Roll Call

Public Communications

Disclosures

Consent:

  1. Approve Minutes of the October 16, 2025, Board Meeting
  2. Approve the Transportation Development Act Claims for City of West Sacramento, County of Yolo and Yuba-Sutter Transit Authority
  3. May is Bike Month Contract Extension
  4. SACOG Flexible Funding Program Grant Extension Request and Funding Transfer for the City of Isleton
  5. 511 Traveler Information Systems Consultant Services — Contract Terms Standardization

Action:

  1. Approve 2026 Meeting Schedule
  2. 2025 Blueprint Adoption: Certification of the Final Environmental Impact Report and adoption of Findings of Fact, Statement of Overriding Considerations, and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program; Approval of Amendment #11 to the 2025-28 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program (MTIP) and Conformity Analysis, associated with the proposed Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (MTP/SCS); and Adoption of the 2025 Blueprint (MTP/SCS); there are 10 attachements, which can be viewed in the html agenda or meeting packet at https://www.sacog.org/meetings/meetingagendas

Information:

  1. Tracking Blueprint Implementation through the Regional Monitoring Program

Reports:

  1. Chair’s Report, Board Members’ Reports and Executive Director’s Report

Receive & File:

  1. 2026 Regional Trail Implementation Strategy Update – Governance and Funding
  2. Quarterly Report on Contracts
  3. Land Use Implementation Activities for October 2025

SACOG Transportation Committee 2025-11-06

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The SACOG Transportation Committee meets today, Thursday, November 6, 2025, starting at 10:00 AM. This is a thin agenda, but may still be of interest for the trails strategy.

Agenda (pdf)

Consent:

  1. Approval of the October 2, 2025, Transportation Committee Meeting
  2. May is Bike Month Contract Extension
  3. SACOG Flexible Funding Program Grant Extension Request and Funding Transfer for the City of Isleton
  4. 511 Traveler Information Systems Consultant Services — Contract Terms Standardization

Information:

  1. 2026 Regional Trail Implementation Strategy Update – Governance and Funding (Summer Lopez) (Est. Time: 30) • Governance and funding options for trails

Other Matters

Adjournment

SacTA Board 2025-09-11

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The Sacramento Transportation Authority (STA or SacTA) Board of Directors is meeting this Thursday, September 11, at 1:30 PM in Sacramento County Board of Supervisors chambers, 00 H St, Ste 1450, Sacramento.

Comments may be made in person, or via email ahead of time to BoardClerk@saccounty.gov. If you want board members to see your comment before the meeting, send it at least 24 hours in advance.

The meeting may be viewed online at Metro Cable 14. It will be the video on the home page, at the time of the meeting. Comments may not be made through the live stream.

For more information about the SacMoves Coalition presentation, see SacMoves to present at Sacramento Transportation Authority. I strongly encourage people interested in transportation and transportation funding attend the meeting, or at least view it online. SacMoves Coalition is being offered the opportunity to present before the stakeholder engagement process has started because it is a coalition of 25 organizations with interests in transportation funding and related issues.

Documents not linked below are available on the SacTA website: https://www.sacta.org/2025-09-11-board-meeting.

Agenda (pdf)

COMMENT ITEMS

  1. Comments From The Public Regarding Matters Not On The Agenda

CONSENT ITEMS

GENERAL

  1. Approve Action Summary: August 14, 2025, Sacramento Transportation Authority Governing Board Meeting
  2. Adopt Resolution Amending STA Personnel Rules And Regulations For The CALPERS 457 Loan Program Provision

MEASURE A

  1. Receive And File A Contract With Lucas Public Affairs For Community Listening Sessions On Transportation
  2. Amendment To Ongoing Annual Programs Memorandum Of Understanding – Reporting Frequency Change ◄
  3. Receive And File Capital Project Status Reports Fourth Quarter Fiscal Year 2024-25
  4. Receive And File Measure A Ongoing Programs Annual Report – Fiscal Year 2024-25

SACMETRO FREEWAY SERVICE PATROL

  1. SacMetro Freeway Service Patrol Zones 3, And 4 Request For Bids Result And Authorize The Executive Director To Award And Execute Contracts ◄

SEPARATE ITEMS

  1. Receive A Presentation Regarding Coordination Of State Transportation Improvement Program And The Results Of The Four-County State Funding Program
  2. Receive A Presentation From The SacMoves Coalition On Principles To Consider For Future Ballot Measures (note: the SacMoves presentation is available: SacMoves presentation for STA 2025-09-11
  3. Executive Director’s Report
  4. Comments and Reports From Authority Members
    • Capital Area Regional Tolling Authority (CARTA)
    • New Transportation Funding Subcommittee
    • STA’s Role in the Region Subcommittee

VMT mitigation at SacTA 2025-08-14

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At the Sacramento Transportation Authority (SacTA or STA) meeting tomorrow, August 14, 2025, there will be a presentation on a County Wide VMT Mitigation Program. This is the second of three presentations, leading to an agency decision on whether to do a VMT mitigation program, and if so, what kind.

The state has authorized VMT mitigation programs under SB 743 (2013), and AB 130 (2025) authorizes VMT mitigation fees to be used for affordable housing in low-VMT areas. Design and implementation of the state VMT mitigation through housing program won’t come until next year.

SACOG is also considering a region-wide VMT mitigation program, but is in the early stages of determining the model and making a proposal.

I intend to take a closer look at these, and add to this post, and speak at the board meeting, but am not there yet.

Meanwhile, the four documents are below:

SACOG Transportation Committee 2025-08-07

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This was unintentionally not posted in a timely manner, but may still be of use.

The SACOG Transportation Committee will meet this Thursday, August 7, 2025. The meeting may be viewed online during the meeting via the link provided on the SACOG Meetings & Agendas page. Comments may be made in person or ahead of time (48 hours if requested to be read during the meeting, otherwise they will not be read nor seen by committee members before the meeting) by email to clerk lespinoza@sacog.org. Comments may not be made online. The meetings are held at SACOG offices, 1415 L Street, Suite 300, Sacramento, CA, starting at 10:00 AM, usually lasting two hours. There is an optional presentation at 12:00 PM on Green Means Go.

The agenda items below have not been looked at in detail. If time permits, and there are significant issues, they will be added to this post.

Agenda (pdf)

Following committee roll call, public comment: Any person wishing to address the committee on any item not on the agenda may do so at this time. After ten minutes of testimony, any additional testimony will be heard following the action items.

Consent:

  1. Approve Minutes of the June 5, 2025, Transportation Committee Meeting
  2. Accept and Pass Through Federal Transit Administration Areas of Persistent Poverty and Innovative Coordinated Access and Mobility Funds to Paratransit, Inc.
  3. Approve Fiscal Year 2025-2026 State of Good Repair Projects

Action:

  1. Public Hearing: Amendment #11 to the 2025 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program and Air Quality Conformity Analysis
  2. 2025 Four-County State Funding Program Staff Recommendation staff | list
  3. Programming of Fiscal Year 2025 Federal Transit Funding staff | list

Information:

  1. Five-Year Regional Transit Implementation Plan
  2. Update on the Federal Revocation of California’s Vehicle Emissions Standards

Receive & File:

  1. Capital Area Regional Tolling Authority Board April – June Recap

sustainable transportation planning grants

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The Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grants for 2025-2026 have been awarded.

Davis received a grant to develop an Active Transportation Plan, described as:

“The City of Davis proposes to develop a city-wide Active Transportation Plan (Plan) with the goal to increase the active mode share trips by 5% by 2040 with the development of innovative and data-proven successful projects, programs and policies that will reduce vehicle miles traveled and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (transportation accounts for 74% of GHG emissions in the City of Davis), improve access to transit stops, and enhance safety for all. The Plan will be informed by robust community outreach and the City will work with both our vocal and underrepresented community members and advocacy groups such as Cool Davis, Bike Davis, Strong Towns Davis, Davis Downtown Business Association, Davis Chamber of Commerce, Yolo Cares, Yolo County, the school district, church-based groups, SACOG, identity-based organizations, aging community organization and homelessness service providers to inventory the existing conditions, identify resident’s needs and desires, and identify projects, programs and policies and prioritize the outcomes. Major deliverables include an executive summary designed for decisionmakers and community members filled with graphics and easy to read maps and a technical document which includes recommended prioritized short- and long-term projects, programs and policies to increase active transportation mode share. The Plan will have a strong nexus with existing plans such as the City of Davis’ 2023 Climate Action and Adaptation Plan and 2023 Local Road Safety Plan; SACOG’s Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy; and the California Transportation Plan 2050, thereby furthering California’s goal of creating a transportation system that is equitable, safe, sustainable, integrated, and efficient for all.”

SACOG received a grant for CARTA Regional Toll Equity Study, described as:

“Consistent with local and statewide plans, the Sacramento Region (Sacramento, Yolo, Placer, El Dorado, Yuba, and Sutter counties) is developing our first toll lanes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve transit reliability, and manage freeway congestion in our growing region. To deliver an equitable toll lane system, the Sacramento Region needs to evaluate the impact of toll lanes on low-income, disadvantaged, and other equity-priority communities; reduce disparities in benefits and burdens for those communities; and enhance transportation access for all users. The CARTA Regional Toll Equity Study (Study) will fill this gap by reviewing toll equity best-practices, analyzing how toll lanes will impact travel for equity-priority communities, and providing a clear and actionable roadmap to deliver an equitable toll lane network in the Sacramento Region. The Study will be led by the Capital Area Regional Tolling Authority (CARTA), a joint power authority between SACOG, Caltrans District 3, and Yolo Transportation District (YoloTD) that is the new designated tolling authority for the Sacramento Region.”

City of West Sacramento received a grant for West Sac Forward Transit Priority Plan, described as:

“With West Sacramento experiencing some of the strongest growth in the region this century; planned Sacramento Regional Transit (SacRT) light rail transit construction into West Sacramento starting in 2026; public On-Demand Rideshare services growing in popularity; and existing Yolo County Transit District (YoloTD) bus and paratransit service changes anticipated – the City of West Sacramento in partnership with SacRT, YoloTD, and Via, with support from Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) proposes to develop the “West Sac Forward Transit Priority Plan”: an innovative sustainable public transit plan rooted in community feedback and collaborative public participation.

Using Sustainable Communities funding, our agencies will team-up to analyze existing systems targeting efficiency, effectiveness, and seamless integration of public bus, rail, rideshare, and planned rapid transit systems to better serve residents and local workforce through new policies, strategies, and recommended infrastructure improvements. Objectives include reducing transit delay, increasing reliability and resiliency, increasing ridership, improving access and mobility for equity priority communities and transit-dependent populations, reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, reducing congestion and Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT), and improving traffic safety while balancing service cost and system performance.

The final deliverable: a transformative plan with recommended improvements that support healthy, diverse communities and strengthen the economy by implementing the City’s Strategic Plan and Mobility Action Plan, YoloTD’s Short Range Transit Plan, and the SACOG 2025 Blueprint Triple Bottom Line strategic goals of Equity, Economy, and Environment – which complement Caltrans’ six Strategic Plan Goals, meet grant objectives, and achieve CTP 2050 vision and Statewide Transit Strategic Plan objectives prioritizing cost-effective public transit services with improved mobility, social equity, and reduced GHG emissions.”

There are other grants in the region, which can be viewed on the Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grants page.

another big day of meetings

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Tomorrow, Thursday, June 12, there will be at least three transportation-related public meetings:

SACOG (Sacramento Area Council of Governments) Board of Directors, 10:15 AM to about 12:00 PM, at Conzelmann Community Center, 2201 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95814 (not at SACOG offices on L Street). agenda

Sacramento Transportation Authority (SacTA): 1:30 PM to about 3:00 PM, at the County Board of Supervisors Chambers, 700 H St, Ste 1450, Sacramento. agenda

Sacramento Active Transportation Commission (SacATC): 5:30 PM to about 7:30 PM, at City of Sacramento Council Chambers, 915 I Street, Sacramento. Note, SacATC usually meets on the third Thursday of the month, but the June meeting is on the second Thursday. agenda