When people fought decades ago to save land from development, forever, do you believe what they were really fighting for was to save the land from development 'forever, or until there was pressure to build housing, whichever comes first' ?
Category: Environment
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Sierra Club and Environmental Council of Sacramento Sue Caltrans over Environmental Deficiencies of Yolo I-80 Freeway Widening Project
(From press release) On May 29, the Sierra Club and the Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS) filed a lawsuit against Caltrans alleging legally inadequate environmental analysis of the I-80 freeway widening project through Yolo County.The lawsuit’s goal is to stop Caltrans from widening 17 miles of the I-80 freeway from six to eight lanes between Davis and Sacramento through the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area until Caltrans conducts a valid analysis of adverse environmental impacts threatened by the project and implements appropriate mitigation for these harmful effects.
Caltrans’ Environmental Impact Report (EIR) grossly underestimates increased vehicular travel, which would emit far larger quantities of greenhouse gases (GHG) and air pollutants than claimed. The EIR fails to consider viable alternatives, such as increased public transit or alternate tolling strategies. Therefore, the project neither adequately manages demand nor produces adequate revenue to fund needed transit alternatives. Also, Caltrans’ proposed mitigation is woefully inadequate to offset the resulting increased GHG and air pollutant emissions.
Caltrans violated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by failing to acknowledge that freeway widenings do not produce less congestion but, in fact, result in increased traffic — leading to worse congestion and pollution – due to “Induced Demand”.
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Get a Front Row Seat to the Green Revolution Taking Place in Yolo County
Tuesday 5/28 – This Yolo County Climate Action Commission Meeting is a must-see – 4:00 to 6:30 pm
By Scott Steward
Big plans. The Commission (and UCD) turn plans into implementation. Big dollars are going to be spent (UCD plans on spending $58M a year for the next 17 years), and if you are an EV enthusiast, a water protector, a Green House Gas Reduction professional, activist or a professional activist – at least get the meeting agenda notes to read if you can’t attend – 4:00-6:30 on Tuesday, May 28th.
As many of our regular Council meeting attendees know, these are necessarily procedural meetings. This is just a courtesy to new attendees: the meeting has Zoom access, and brief constructive comments are encouraged.
Item 5a: Request for Proposal for the County’s conversion to a ZEV fleet – Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Action Plan RFP Release
Item 6. Kristin Sicke, Executive Officer of Yolo Subbasin Groundwater Agency, will deliver a report on the Agency’s status and progress toward rational regulation of water in the area. You might recall the Davisite.org OPED about our county’s water situation. We are now at a point where well permits are allowed, and for the interim, the Groundwater Agency has not finished its methodology for sustaining water levels in the area.
The big worry is that in the “study area” (Capay Valley and North and other areas), farmers and residents are experiencing sustained drops in water levels and have given much of their time to tell the County about it. Drops associated with existing wells, even after these last 3 average/wet years.
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Transparency is Part of Inclusivity & Diversity
What message will the CTC send Thursday?
By Alan Hirsch
Letter to California Transportation Commission CTC@catc.ca.gov
Chair Carl Guardino and Members,
CC CTC Equity Committee Chair William Walker
Re: Disagreeing Better on Transportation Projects
Mr. Guardino:
Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan used to say:
“You are entitled to your own opinions. But you are not entitled to your own facts.”
The California Public Records Act (and the Brown Act) were designed so we work from the same facts—that there is sharing of information – so in dialog agencies don’t strategically withhold information to put electeds official as well as the public at an unfair disadvantage in reviewing projects.
Transparency is Inclusivity.
However, I want to bring to your attention a situation where Caltrans seems to be strategically withholding information from the public on a $1/2 billion project.
In June 2023 the CTC staff report recommended NOT to fund Yolo80 toll lanes out of TCEP funds, rating it medium priority. In that staff report CTC staff rated Yolo80 31st out of 48 projects. Caltrans rated Yolo80 last in priority (24th) out of 24 of their projects. (extract from June 2023 staff report attached)
This of course raises question why it is now rated a priority for advance funding. In the CTC discussion on 5/16. Would not you and other commissions like to know?
In fact 11 months ago, I tried to find out.
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Yolo officials like Diversity & Inclusion– except when big money is Involved
By Alan HirschDEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) is given lot of lip service in progressive circles in Yolo County. But it can turn performative – especial if those in power have already made up their mind on a solution and don’t want to be contradicted- i.e. surface and take in to account diverse opinions.
That is what has been at play for Yolo County on Yolo80 widening with local electeds having made up their mind 3 years ago to add toll lanes to a 17 mile stretch of I-80. After that they have worked to turn the legally required public process into a check the box exercise, excluding diverse view point from being considered– even when the diverse viewpoints are backed by top transportation experts from UC Davis.
We are now at the end-stage where Davis Mayor/Yolo Transportation District Chair Josh Chapman is overtly discouraging public participation: he said openly it don’t matter what members of Davis public think — hiding the fact the project is not yet fully funded and public input to the California Transportation Commission (CTC) can still make a difference.
This DEI hypocrisy in Yolo County will continue unless people call out the hypocrisy. The public can be heard at the CTC’s Equity Committee meeting Wednesday. It is especially focused on this behavior like this by in local transportation jurisdictions.
Emails are needed to the “CTC-EAC” (California Transportation Commission- Equity Advisory Committee) to note the performative nature of Yolo80 Environmental process (Caltrans District 3 and YoloTD) – and also to oppose funding the new toll lanes until the process is made truly diverse and inclusive in the search for a solution.
Write to CTC@catc.ca.gov Subject: Equity and: Funding widening Yolo80 with Toll Lanes.
Issues to note to the Equity Committee: (cut and paste into email?)
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Final I-80 EIR released – an embarrassment of errors that sets up Caltrans for Legal challenge
By Alan HirschOn Wednesday May 1, the 1971 page (plus 345-page appendix)- final EIR for yolo80 was released. The 139 comments take up nearly 71% of the pages. – 108 of the 139 were from individuals, not government agencies, cities or environment groups with paid staff. This highlights the fact this science-defying proposal from Caltrans has become “the most controversial freeway project in the state.”
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NOTE: The last chance to comment on the funding will be at California Transportation Commission Meeting Thursday May 16, By Tuesday send any comments. (esp inadequately funded mitigation plan, induced demand negates any congestion relief, no environmental justice plan for tolls)
to CTC@CATC.CA.GOV
Subject: Widening I-80 with a Expensive Toll lane.
Pro-Tip: use 14 or 16 pt font for short email.————————–
The EIR concluded that despite the widening the freeway will generate 158M more miles of driving (VMT) a year…equal to adding over 11,000 more cars to the road and should be built based on “Statement of Overriding concern” as it has benefit to reducing congestion- Even though everyone agree this is wrong as congestion will return within less than ten years. It is also strange given their VMT Mitigation plan only offsets 55 Mil VMT miles year of the additional driving and ignores the nearly 50Million of additional a truck.
Adding capacity via toll lanes only guarantee richest member of community- and groups of Tahoe travelers never faces congestion.
The EIR also ignores any analysis of increased danger from narrowing lanes and permanently removing shoulders. (see diagram)
The ability of the proposed mitigation plan to provide a carbon/VMT offset is taken to higher degrees of absurdity to somehow claim the project tolls will fund adequate mitigations- and have money left for a social equity/environmental Justice program into perpetuity.
Public not told about public hearing on toll levels.
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Four Million CA Households Fleeced for Utility Profits and Never-Ending Rate Hikes.
By Scott Steward
State leadership is about to let utilities gouge you. Three days before the end of the 2022 legislative session, legislators passed AB 205, a utility flat tax introduced by Newsom as a rider. The bill passed without public discussion.
Now, the CPUC is allowing utilities to hit four million ratepayers with a $24/month utility tax. The hardest hit will be those with a small energy footprint, working families and seniors living in apartments and small homes, as well as people with rooftop solar. (Find out more about the STOP THE UTILITY TAX here). (CALL TO ACTION, MAY 9TH IN SACRAMENTO).
The Utility Tax will add to the pain that these four million households are already feeling from never-ending rate hikes, which have increased by over 30% in California in the last two years.
The CPUC is letting the utilities increase taxes, electricity, and gas rates without a cap, which means the pain will only get worse in the years to come. The $24/month tax is just the start. Utilities have made it clear that they intend to raise the utility tax to $80 a month or more.
More than 250 nonprofit groups and 20 legislators supported AB 1999, which would have capped the Utility Tax at a sensible $10/month and pegged any increases to inflation. But Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas pulled the bill out of the Assembly Utility and Energy Commission (that had the votes to pass the bill).
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Stop PG&E from Robbing us Today, Climate Action Everywhere Tomorrow!
By Scott StewardThe necessary actions to combat climate changes are too slow – obvious. Here is some of what the youth had to say to us adults on April 19th. Our local youth from Fresno, Davis, and Sacramento made their voices (short movie clip here) heard at the Capital this past Friday.
California has made good progress, and Yolo County has made more progress. We hope Davis will be as focused and insistent on necessary changes as well.
What can adults do today to help our children's tomorrow? There are many, but one thing stands out in our State, and that is to reverse the 2022-2023 damage inflicted by the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC), shielded by Governor Newsom, to raise our rates and just about crush the last 25 years of residential renewable energy progress in California.
Your utility bills have gone up 30% to pay $5.7 Billion to PG&E to cover climate change costs that an energy judge has already ruled are twice the $2.7 Billion needed. Please consider taking action and reading the op/ed written by Loretta Lynch, former Chair of the CPUC, who got us out of the Enron crisis 20 years ago. Paywall – so the article in full requires a temporary subscription to SF Chronicle – here is an excerpt.
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Little Publicized Hearing on I-80 Tolls
$10+ at rush hour - but Tahoe Groups go free!
By Alan Hirsch
Policies that will decide how hi the tolls will be on new I-80 lanes will be discussed at little publicized hearing Tuesday April 9th 5:30 at the West Sacramento Public Library. Zoom will be available. This may be the first – and maybe last- chance for most members to make oral public comments as future toll agency meetings will be held during the day in DT Sacramento SACOG offices, where zoom-in comments are not allowed.Staff for this new agency members have also shared they believe, under the proposed policies, they expect tolls on I-80 for Davis commuter may typically be $10 each way at congestion times– or even more when congestion is worst -even $40). But they are proposing 3-in-a- car will go toll free- a policy that seems to differentially favor Tahoe recreational travelers over commuters.
The hearing by the California Transportation Commission (CTC) will take input on setting up a new agency and making policies for the proposed 17 miles of new toll lane that run from I-80 in Dixon to both I-80 and I-50 Sacramento River Bridges. The agency will decide how tolls are set, who get discounted tolls, and how the toll revenue will be used. The Agency sponsors are SACOG and Yolo Transportation District. YoloTD is chaired by Davis Mayor Josh Chapman who is also the Davis’s representative on SACOG.
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Council’s Non-Scientific Reasoning on I-80
Why Didn’t YoloTD share the facts?
By Alan Hirsch
My beloved Davis has failed to accept the science out of UC Davis on climate change. I worry for our future if even Davis can’t face the urgency of our situation.I urge everyone to watch the March 5th video of Davis City council and listen to their rationalization not to align city policy with UC Davis scientists on the freeway I-80 policy. The city council discussed sending a letter to state officials noting the city’s agreement with Caltrans’ own policy that freeway widening is contrary to the State’s climate action plan and won’t solve congestion. The city council rejected sending the letter, even though no one challenged its substance.
I know a few readers here still might think freeway widening works to fix congestion– for them I wonder who they are listening to if Caltrans policy itself accepts UC Davis research?
Begin watching council rationalize the “settled science” away beginning at 1:07:41 as Councilmember Donna Neville withdraws her letter and offers two unscientific reasons: 1) there was no community consensus, and 2) the letter would not make any difference.
Is consensus the way to measure scientific validity in Davis? Should we accept at face value Councilmember Gloria Partida’s argument that her survey of people she talked to on her walks takes precedence over findings from the UCD Institute of Transportation Studies? Or Neville’s statement that until we have consensus, we “should not speak to the highest level of government.” I note the council managed to take a position on the Israel Gaza war before a polarized audience.
Davisite 