Former Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard, speaks to more than 700 at WRCOG's Annual General Assembly
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Prime Minister Guillard speaking at WRCOG's 25th Anniversary General Assembly
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Prime Minister Julia Gillard delivered an inspirational and insightful Leadership Address at WRCOG's 25th Anniversary General Assembly, held on June 23, 2016, at the
Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa
. Prime Minister Gillard was the first woman to serve as Australia's Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, and was central to the successful management of Australia's economy, the 12th largest in the world, during the global financial crisis. Prime Minister Gillard sat down with WRCOG leaders and guests for an evening of storytelling and leadership advice covering a wide array of topics, ranging from her experience as the first woman Prime Minister of Australia, to her views on our 2016 presidential candidates. The success of the General Assembly would not have been possible without the support of WRCOG's member agencies, our private sector sponsors, and our great event host, the
Morongo Band of Mission Indians
(also one of our member agencies!)
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WRCOG Clean Cities Coalition
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The WRCOG Clean Cities Coalition administers several programs focusing on reducing the use of petroleum fuel and developing regional economic opportunities for deploying alternative fuel vehicles and advanced technologies. Additionally, the Coalition provides programs for students to think critically and independently about air quality and how to live healthier lives.
Vehicle Vendor Expo
: The County of Riverside recently hosted a Vehicle Vendor Expo on June 2, 2016, at the Southern California Fair Grounds in the City of Perris. Coalition staff distributed materials about alternative fuels to several hundred people that attended. WRCOG Transportation Director, Christopher Gray, participated on a panel titled "Alternative Fuels and Pricing." The panel discussed funding programs to support alternative fuel deployments in Southern California fleets.
Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Equipment Rebates:
The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) has funding available for government and non-profit agencies to purchase additional EV chargers. This funding is provided on a reimbursement basis and can fund the entire cost of a typical electric vehicle charger including both the purchase and installation of these chargers. Funding is available on a first come first serve basis and is restricted to certain areas in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Western Riverside Counties. Western Riverside County eligible zip codes include 92220, 92320, 92501 through 92599, 92860, and 92877 through 92883.
The amount of the rebate is up to $7,500 per charger, an additional $5,000 for solar panels associated with plug-in electric vehicles; grant funds are limited to no more than $42,000 per site. The application requires completing a one-page form. WRCOG staff submitted an application under this program to provide additional chargers at our offices and secured $30,000 in funding under this Program. We encourage each of our member agencies to submit applications!
Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee (MSRC) Work Program Development Workshops
: The MSRC is holding a series of workshops to receive input on its two-year work program, which distributes approximately $14 million each year for projects designed to reduce emissions from motor vehicles in the South Coast Air Basin. The Riverside County workshop was held on June 23, 2016, and included a discussion about how the MSRC can help improve air quality in the South Coast Air Basin and assist SCAQMD in meeting its clean air requirements. It also included a dialog among stakeholders about their clean air priorities and how the MSRC can help by considering funding for programs to meet these goals.
Clean Cities Coalition Meeting
: Please join the Coalition for an informative meeting on July 27 at 1:00 PM at the County of Riverside Administrative Center 3rd Floor, Conference Room A. This quarterly meeting will feature an Air Quality Management Plan update by Dr. Philip Fine of the SCAQMD. For questions or to RSVP, please contact Rebekah Manning at
[email protected]
or (951) 955-8311.
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Transportation activities
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Total TUMF revenues to date:
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$670 million
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Total TUMF revenues FY 2015/2016:
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$37.3 million
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Total TUMF revenues for May 2016:
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$4.6 million
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| Projects Completed |
87 |
| Projects Under Construction |
12 |
Projects in the Planning/ Design/Right
-of-Way Phase |
36 |
Since the delay in the Nexus Study, staff have met with various member jurisdictions and stakeholders to discuss the Program update and any necessary steps that WRCOG should proceed with regard to the Nexus Study.
Staff is available to provide a presentation regarding the TUMF Program, including details on the various inputs to the draft Nexus Study. To schedule a presentation, please contact Daniel Ramirez-Cornejo at
[email protected].
Fee Analysis Study
:
In response to comments received on the draft 2015 TUMF Nexus Study on the impact of TUMF on the regional economy, WRCOG is conducting a s
tudy to determine the role TUMF plays in a developer's decision to
locate in Western Riv
erside County. A series of development prototypes will be used to conduct a comparison
analysis
of fees assessed in and around the WRCOG subregion. Additionally, the study will review the effects of other development costs (labor, land cost, interest rates) and the economic benefit of transportation infrastructure.
The project team has concluded each jurisdiction's initial fee analysis that covers major categories, such as school development impact fees, water/sewer fees, city capital facilities fees, regional transportation fees (TUMF), and other capital facilities/infrastructure/mitigation fees charged by other regional agencies. This initial analysis focused on collecting fee schedules and applying them to the development prototypes.
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WRCOG received funding from the
California Transportation Commission
to develop a Western Riverside County Active Transportation Plan (ATP). The Plan will set objectives to increase safety and effectiveness of the non-motorized system, incorporate local Safe Routes to Schools planning efforts, and identify economic indicators that include education, disadvantaged communities, and federal air quality non-attainment zones.
The project team has concluded its Existing Conditions analysis. The main objective of this analysis is to identify gaps in the region with regard to bicycle and pedestrian projects and programs. Part of this identification is an analysis on bicycle and pedestrian collisions in the WRCOG region and on each jurisdiction's health indicators, such as time spent on physical activity and number of deaths from heart disease. WRCOG staff believes the data utilized for these two analyses will assist jurisdictions in future Active Transportation grants applications, so staff will be sending out each jurisdiction's data for their use.
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Regional Streetlight Program Demonstration Area
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WRCOG is working with member jurisdictions to assess the
benefits of acquiring, moder
nizin
g, and providing ongoing operations and maintenance of the approximately 63,00 0 streetlights in the subregion. There are a ho st of reasons why local governments would benefit from acquiring the streetlights in their jurisdiction; major benefits include energy use and cost savings, as well as opportunities to integrate "smart city" technologies to expand community services.
But what will these new bulbs will look like? Will the new energy efficient lights be pleasing to the community? Can they meet public safety objectives? In conjunction with the City of Hemet, WRCOG will be conducting a Regional Streetlight Demonstration Area in five different locations in the City to showcase various LED streetlights from nine different vendors. The City currently has the largest number of City-owned streetlights that can easily be retrofitted with LED lights. The Demonstration Areas incorporates multiple land use types (residential, commercial, industrial, etc.) that stakeholders will be able to view and provide feedback. The Demonstration Areas will allow community stakeholders (i.e., jurisdictional elected officials and staff, engineers, public safety personnel, community and environmental groups, and residents), inside and outside the Western Riverside County area, to experience and provide feedback on a variety of LED lights in a "real-life" context.
To gain additional input, staff will coordinate multiple educational tours for stakeholders in October/November 2016. The use of electronic and physical surveys will be used to gain feedback from the public. Results from the surveys will be used to assess preferences of the LED lights and rank the selection of viable LED lights to use for the Program. Additionally, the Streetlights will be marked with a designated pole tag to help stakeholders identify which lights are or are not part of the Program.
While the lights will be installed by the end of July 2016, the Demonstration Areas will officially kick-off on September 1, 2016 and will be active through early 2017.
The following is a map depicting Demonstration Area locations and a sample of the streetlight pole identification tag that will be used:
We will keep you posted on upcoming opportunities to view and rate the streetlights in the Demonstration Areas; in the meantime for more information on WRCOG's Regional Streetlight Program please contact Tyler Masters at (951) 955-8378 or
[email protected]
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Solid waste and recycling outreach activities
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WRCOG's Solid Waste Program assists member jurisdictions with addressing state laws that are meant to extend landfill life and increase recycling through the diversion of waste from landfills. Even though over the years, legislation dictating the kind of materials for diversion have and the manner of calculating the diversion rate for our member jurisdictions have changed, the intent of the law remains as well as WRCOG's commitment to the task.
WRCOG has recently engaged in numerous recycling and used oil outreach and educational activities in the community to teach about the importance proper recycling and the correct disposal of used oil, oil filters, and household hazardous waste (HHW) to the community. Check them out!
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City of Menifee Used Oil Event
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WRCOG held a used oil event in the City of Menifee at an O'Reilly's auto s
hop. Doing our best to help those who Do It Yourself oil changes, WRCOG collects their used oil and filter
s. In return we distributed free oil filters as well as, handing out funnels, workshop rags, and providing important information on why we all should continue to recycle oil and other household hazardous wastes. Unfortunately for the public, a heat wave was passing by causing many to stay indoors. Nonetheless, that did not stop WRCOG, as our team member Melody Botello was able to facilitate the exchange of 44 oil filters. That day, 144 15-quart oil collection containers were distributed to the public.
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City of Murrieta Father's Day Car Show
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The Annual Murrieta Father's Day Car Show seems to get bigger each ye
ar! More than
900 people attended the popular event and everyone who visited o
ur booth left with an oil product. Many happy Dads stopped by with their children in tow. W
RCOG
and our media partner, KOLA FM, provided opportunities to our booth visito
rs to win great prizes such as KOLA Gas Cards as well as a chance to be on the radio! More than 140 Oil Containers were distributed to the public as well as other items such as shop towels, funnels, and oil program information detailing the importance of recycling used oil.
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City of Hemet Used Oil Event
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Our mid-July Used Oil event was held at the O'Reilly Auto Parts store in the City of Hemet. WRCOG's team contin
ued to spread awareness of important environmental issues. Vis
itors to our booth learned how harmful it can be when used oil is illegally
dumped, and how they can protects the waterways and land by properly disposing it. Attende es learned that filters still contain 10% of the oil from oil changes. The team spoke to nearly 75 customers about where to take their household hazardous waste such as paint, aerosol cans, and even electronics. WRCOG received feedback that the event was appreciated and that we should continue educating those who might not know the risks of not recycling. To help draw in supporters, the popular station, KFRG Radio (92.9) was also on site with concert ticket drawings.
O
n Tuesday, June 7, 2016 WRCOG's Environmental team conducted two a
ssemblies at the Growing Place Child Development Center in the City of Riverside. The main focus of the presentation was teaching the kids about the 3R's, Reduce, Reuse, and
Recycle. We also spoke about littering and pollutions issues. The students had a wonderful time during the presentation as well as being involved in an engaging skit about littering. Spreading the awareness at a young age can help change the future in many ways. During the Q &A section, it was apparent that critical thinking was put into play-the children were asking questions that indicated that they care about the air they breathe and the water they drink!
Upcoming Used Oil and Community Outreach Events:
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Date
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Event
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Location
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Time
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7/23/2016
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Banning Disaster Preparedness Expo
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Banning City Hall
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9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
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8/13/2016
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City of Riverside Used Oil Event
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O'Reilly's, 1691 University Ave
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9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
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8/27/2016
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City of San Jacinto Used Oil Event
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AutoZone, 1540 S. San Jacinto Ave.
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9a.m. - 12 p.m.
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9/10/2016
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City of Riverside Used Oil Event
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O'Reilly, 3790 Jurupa Ave.
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9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
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9/17/2016
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City of Menifee Used Oil Event
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O'Reilly's, 25894 Newport Rd
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9a.m. - 12 p.m.
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WRCOG Pilot and Regional Litter Initiative
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WRCOG will be moving forward with the Pilot Litter Program Initiative with the City of Lake Elsinore! The goal is to evolve the first year's efforts to a Regional Initiative that will encompass all interested jurisdictions. The Pilot Program will emphasize the development of a positive anti-litter campaign that utilizes education and incentives as a way to instill community pride. Various meetings will take place in the following months to continue to plan the implementation of the program. The Litter Program consists of six main components that will enhance strategies and efforts that will help resolve the littering problems much faster and for the long term.
The six components to the program include: Community Education, Marketing, Signage Program, Staffing, Funding, and Collaboration with Outside Agencies. The overall goal is to make the region a cleaner, more beautiful place to live, work and play!
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Healthy Communities Update
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Multiple PACE Providers in the Subregion
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WRCOG has distributed a solicitation to all PACE Providers to provide an opportunity for them to operate their Program in the subregion under the WRCOG PACE "umbrella." Under this structure, additional approved PACE Providers would operate in the subregion with WRCOG as the bond issuer. WRCOG would then retain the oversight of the program and be responsible for Program management, ensuring consumer protections are upheld, and recording the assessments on the property. Interested Providers have respond to WRCOG's solicitation and will begin a review process by both staff and an Ad Hoc review committee before being presented to the Executive Committee at a later date.
Local Realtor Update
: WRCOG and Renovate America continue to engage and work with local realtors (including collaboration that helped create the "Know Before You Owe" form). This partnership has developed into a working group, comprised of realtors, WRCOG staff, and representatives from Renovate America. WRCOG has hosted two working group sessions and looks forward to continuing to strengthen the relationships that we have with the local realtors.
WRCOG-area HERO Activity Update
: The snapshot below provides a summary of the total estimated economic and environmental impacts for projects completed in the WRCOG HERO Program to date:
Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Announcement:
On July 19, 2016, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) announced clear guidance that will expand access to renewable energy, energy efficiency, and other efficiency projects for homeowners. The guidance allows existing PACE assessments to co-exist with mortgages secured by the
FHA
and
Veterans Affairs
(VA) when homeowners sell or refinance their home. The guidelines also clarify that PACE is a tax assessment that runs with the property and isnot a loan product.
This announcement is a major step forward toward establishing uniformity on buying, selling, and refinancing that will add clarity for homeowners, real estate and lending professionals, policymakers, and the PACE industry.
Please read the White House Fact Sheet
here
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Riverside County Habitat Conservation Agency
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On June 15, 2016 the RCHCA staff attended a Wildland Fire Resource Advisor Training (READ) that was conducted by James Gannon, Fuel Specialist for the Bureau of Land Management. This training provided the knowledge and skills that will allow the Reserve Managers to work cooperatively with the Incident Command Teams and fire line personnel to minimize the impacts of fire, fire management activities and post-fire conditions to natural and cultural resources. The READ is critical when there is a wildland fire and this training will help to open communication with fire personnel regarding vegetation, wildlife, cultural resources, soils and wilderness habitats.
The first interpretive trail hike at the Lake Mathews / Estelle Mountain Reserve was held on June 23, 2016. A local community Mom's group attended the guided hike with approximately 20 kids. They saw Stephens Kangaroo Rat (SKR) tracks, lizards, red-tailed hawks and jack rabbits. After a brief walk they stopped for a break and a view of the lake. They learned about SKR habitat, watershed and water conservation. Overall it was a great day and staff is looking forward to more guided hikes in the near future.
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Lake Mathews Interpretive Trail Project
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Land managers recognize the importance of fire as a tool for habitat restoration and management for rare and endangered species. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) and the RCHCA conducted a prescribed fire at the Lake Mathews / Estelle Mountain Reserve as part of the wildland fire training exercise and habitat enhancement program for SKR. The prescribed burn was in accordance with the prescription approved by Cal Fire under the Reserves' Vegetation Management Plan and is intended to reduce fuel loads and non-native grasses detrimental to SKR. The results will be most prevalent next spring.
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Executive Director's Column
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The Housing Crisis
Why falling further behind on building housing hurts us 
Let's take a hard look at housing. There are discussions taking place across the state regarding the
housing crisis
, characterized by record low homeownership rates, cost burdened renters, and a sweeping outward migration. As usual, the conversation is generally focused on the Bay Area and L.A. regions. But the effects aren't limited to those areas, and certainly we are starting to see some of this in the WRCOG subregion. So, what's really going on here?
The latest
assessment of housing need by income level
calls for the development of a whopping 101,374 housing units in Riverside County alone from 2014 to 2021, including 40,436 units for low and very-low income households. Though these units are planned and zoned for,
early indications
suggest that development of housing units suitable for higher income groups is disproportionally stronger than lower income developments. Instinctively, one might see these numbers and think housing availability is only a problem for low-income households. Unfortunately, the situation is far more complex and involves a persistent rise in housing costs affecting all income groups.
The real problem is that costs are increasing faster than wages. In
2013
, the percentage of cost burdened Riverside County renters and homeowners (those spending 30% or more of income on housing) reached 58.4% and 67.4%, respectively. The numbers are likely worsening as
Western Riverside County rents
increased by 4.8% from 2014 to 2015 - outpacing the growth of renters' wages over the same period.
So why is housing so expensive here?
The price of housing is dictated by the relationship of supply and demand levels-we all know this. In California overall, and in Riverside County, demand is rising and the supply of housing is simply not increasing fast enough. Rising demand is driven by jobs and population growth, in addition to the sizable
millennial population
now entering the rental and buyers markets for the first time.
The supply side of the equation is far more contentious. In addition to permitting impact fees which add to the bottom line of any new development, regulatory controls such as the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and Proposition 13 are cited as
constricting factors
to California's housing supply.
CEQA
, which is intended to protect the environment and promote transparency and good governance, is criticized by many (including
Governor Brown
) for being onerous and easily abused. Though there are many
proponents
of the measure,
Proposition 13
endures many
criticisms
, among them is the notion that the proposition makes housing a "tax loser," prohibiting property taxes from keeping pace with the rising costs of public services which property taxes are intended to pay for. As a result, cities and counties are said to have a greater
fiscal incentive to develop non-residential
or lower density housing, which is likely to generate more income and require fewer costly services.
But won't low supply curb growth?
It doesn't appear so, because growth isn't necessarily constrained by the supply of housing.
For example, in 1990 the City of Santa Ana had
74,973
housing units. By 2010 the number of units had fallen to
74,588
while the population had grown by more than
44 thousand people
. In lieu of stagnant housing growth, existing houses and apartments simply became more crowded. In addition, fees that could have been collected from new growth and used for public facilities like roads, libraries, and public safety weren't, making it difficult to maintain levels of service and adequate infrastructure.
Okay, so we do need more housing. What kind?
Housing demands of the future may be very different from historic trends.
Research
shows that millennials indicate preferences for living in denser, mixed-use urban areas well-served by transit, rather than decentralized suburban areas. These preferences are contributing to
increasing demand
for multi-family housing units and comparatively
lower demand
for the traditional suburban cul-de-sac.
What happens if we do nothing?
Rising costs threaten to
price-out
many low and middle-income workers, including
teachers, police officers, and many other
greatly needed professional groups. Or, and as mentioned above, overcrowding into existing units will occur. Either way, it's a big problem.
Affordability and supply issues are considered by firms when deciding on the location of a new or expanded business operation. As a result, a shortage of housing affordable to all income levels has the ability to
impact the region's ability to compete for top employers
and overall economic development. Another BIG problem.
So where do we go from here?
Governor Brown has developed a
proposal
to address the shortage of affordable housing that
would reduce some of the hurdles to the development of multi-family buildings in order to produce a greater a mix of affordable housing
.
Thomas Bannon
, CEO of the California Apartment Association has called for California to veer away from restrictions-base solutions, and seek resolutions through open dialogue with all stakeholders. Similarly, venture capitalist and philanthropist
F. Noel Perry
calls for state and local leaders to "work together to create more opportunities for the construction of homes and rental properties." The bottom line is that no single party seems to hold the answer, though many agree that there is a growing problem with both the overall supply and affordability of housing in the state and here in the Inland Empire. The implications of the issue are far reaching and affect a variety of interests.
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July 21
WRCOG Technical Advisory Committee (9:30 a.m.), County of Riverside Admin. Ctr., 5th Floor, Conf. Room C, Riverside.
July 27
WRCOG Clean Cities Coalition (1:00 p.m.), County of Riverside Admin. Ctr., 3rd Floor, Conf. Room A, Riverside.
July 28
WRCOG Finance Directors' Committee (10:00 a.m.), Lake Elsinore Cultural Center, 183 N. Main Street, Lake Elsinore.
July 28
Western Riverside Energy Leader Partnership (WRELP) Quarterly Meeting (10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.) City of Menifee (City Council Chambers 29714 Haun Road Menifee, CA 92586)
August 1
WRCOG Executive Committee (2:00 p.m.), County of Riverside Admin. Ctr., 3rd Floor, Conf. Room A., Riverside.
August 10
DARK: WRCOG Administration & Finance Committee
August 11
WRCOG Planning Directors' Committee (9:00 a.m.), location to be determined.
August 11
WRCOG Public Works Committee (2:00 p.m.), Transportation Annex, 14th Street, Conf. Room #3, Riverside.
August 17
WRCOG Solid Waste Committee (1:00 p.m.), location to be determined.
August 18
WRCOG Technical Advisory Committee (9:30 a.m.), County of Riverside Admin. Ctr., 5th Floor, Conf. Room C, Riverside.
September 8
WRCOG Planning Directors' Committee (9:00 a.m.), location to be determined.
September 8
WRCOG Public Works Committee (2:00 p.m.), Transportation Annex, 14th Street, Conf. Room #3, Riverside.
September 12
WRCOG Executive Committee (2:00 p.m.), County of Riverside Admin. Ctr., 1st Floor Board Chambers, Riverside.
September 14
WRCOG Administration & Finance Committee (12:00 p.m.), County of Riverside Admin. Ctr., 5th Floor, Conf. Room C, Riverside.
September 15
WRCOG Technical Advisory Committee (9:30 a.m.), County of Riverside Admin. Ctr., 5th Floor, Conf. Room C, Riverside.
September 15
RCHCA Board of Directors (11:00 a.m.), County of Riverside Admin. Ctr., 1st Floor Board Chambers, Riverside.
September 22
WRCOG Finance Directors' Committee (10:00 a.m.), Lake Elsinore Cultural Center, 183 N. Main Street, Lake Elsinore.
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