Abstract
In 2008, the California Legislature passed SB 375, which required the state’s metropolitan planning organizations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through better land use and transportation planning. Their first milestone to reduce emissions was 2020. With this deadline just around the corner, it is unclear if Sacramento is on track to hit its target, or how well implementation is going overall. Finally, given this first round of implementation, it is unclear what additional tools will be needed to hit the following milestone after 2020, 2035. This study answered each of these questions through a series of in-person or phone interviews with public officials involved in the implementation of SB 375 in Sacramento – local planners, planners at the Sacramento metropolitan planning organization, and state agency officials. My research found that Sacramento is on track to meet the 2020 target, and the area faces many barriers to implementation, the biggest one being lack of appropriate funding. Furthermore, Sacramento has a long way to go in building the demographics necessary that want and are able to afford the kinds of land use projects built through SB 375. And finally, if Sacramento is going to meet its 2035 target, it will need additional tools in the form of more creative financing mechanisms, more direct outreach from the state and metropolitan planning organizations to local governments helping them with implementation, and broader CEQA reform to encourage more SB 375-type development.