Regional Planning

Richard Weinstein’s Nov. 27 commentary, “A Powerful Tool to Shape Growth,” addresses the critical need for regional comprehensive planning in Southern California. He is right in stating that transportation planning does shape growth and has an impact on the environment, economic and housing development, growth management and how local communities make decisions on social policy. We at the Southern California Assn. of Governments (SCAG), as a metropolitan planning organization (MPO), are responsible for coordinating city and county regional planning in air quality conformity, mobility, housing needs, growth management, water quality and hazardous-waste management. We recently expanded our executive committee from 23 members to 70, allowing wider and more diverse representation from throughout our region of six counties and 188 cities. This permits a true “bottom up” approach to planning and the ability to effectively respond on a regional basis to the growth management issues facing populous Southern California.

SCAG’s membership includes city council members and county supervisors, and some of these elected officials are, and have also been, members of county transportation commissions, bringing their expertise to SCAG’s decision-making process. This is also true of others who now, and in the past, have sat on our executive committee, who as elected officials, have used their knowledge of air/water issues, integrated waste management, human resources, energy, open space and conservation, economic development and government financing for regional decision-making.

The Southern California region is projected to increase in population to 20.5 million residents by the year 2010. This will require an orderly and objective regional growth management plan that SCAG is now in the process of developing. I truly feel that our 70-member board, along with our professional planners, has a sincere command of most of the public-policy issues facing this region and has the ability to approach these issues with regard to the best interests of everyone in Southern California.

JOHN LONGVILLE, SCAG President

Mayor of Rialto