Guest post by Michele Hasson, Regional Director, Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability

It was November 20th, and advocates, elected officials, and representatives of public agencies crowded the offices and teleconference lines at the Southern California Assembly of Governments (SCAG). Amid SCAG’s 2016 update of the Regional Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy (RTP/SCS), this workshop was the official kickoff for efforts to better address environmental justice and equity. (See ClimatePlan’s previous post on this here.)

By Chanell Fletcher, Carey Knecht, and Richard Raya

On Monday, a grand jury failed to indict Officer Darren Wilson in the Ferguson, Missouri shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed African-American teenager. Since this verdict, protests have erupted in cities around the country.

And all of us at ClimatePlan have been unable to stop thinking about it.

On November 20, the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) is holding its first Environmental Justice Workshop. This is an exciting opportunity to improve health, prosperity, and access for disadvantaged communities across California’s largest region.

To fight climate change, we need to make it easier for people to drive less, by supporting public transportation and helping people walk and bike more. The laws AB 32 and SB 375 point the way there, but the real test is what transportation projects actually get funded.

Good news! The state’s Air Resources Board has outlined a plan that should result in meaningful updates to regional greenhouse-gas reduction targets. At its meeting on October 24, the Board ultimately supported the direction outlined in the staff report. (This blog post offers more background.)

Here’s the upshot: