Transportation planning can be complex, technical, and controversial. Few non-professionals fully understand it, and the populations who are most affected are often those with the fewest resources to participate in the process. SB 375 attempts to bridge this gap by setting out specific requirements for public outreach by MPOs.8 But to meet their regions’ needs, MPOs should go above and beyond these requirements and ensure that local residents and community organizations are meaningfully involved at each stage in the process.
MPOs around the state have worked to increase the breadth and depth of public participation, and one of the most successful has been the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG). Prior to the passage of SB 375, SACOG reached out to a wide range of stakeholders during its Blueprint regional visioning process.10 Through advisory committees and other contexts for ongoing dialogue, it worked to deepen these relationships over time.11 By creating an atmosphere of trust, collaboration, and continuing engagement across multiple planning
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