California Climate Policy and ClimatePlan


SB 375: A Chance to Fight Climate Change through Better Land Use and Transportation Options

About SB 375

For the past 50 years, poorly planned growth has led to an almost complete reliance on cars.  The long distances between housing, services, and workplaces is a big part of why transportation is now the largest and fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions in California.

SB 375, a groundbreaking new smart growth law, is creating an incredible window of opportunity to address this.  Under SB 375, every region in the state will be assigned transportation-related greenhouse gas reduction targets that they’ll then work to meet by improving transportation choices, land use, and housing options.

Making SB 375 Meaningful in Reducing Emissions from Transportation

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) just took a first step in implementing this law by releasing draft targets to reduce per capita emissions from transportation for 2020 and 2035. 

Unfortunately, the per capita reductions currently are too low to motivate some regions to make changes that will make it possible for more people to drive less.  The emissions reduction range for the Bay Area and Southern California is 3% to 12%; the major regions of the Central Valley just 1% - 7%.

This July, You Can Help Shape the Emissions Targets

During July CARB will host workshops throughout the State to get feedback on the draft emissions targets which will be finalized by the end of September, 2010. 

We believe the targets must be ambitious - more ambitious than what is currently being proposed.  We applaud the Bay Area’s Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Southern California Association of Governments for agreeing to create additional scenarios to more accurately estimate potential emissions reductions from better transportation and land use.

ClimatePlan, a collaboration of environmental, social equity, health and other organizations is working at the state level to ensure targets are ambitious. 

In the Bay Area, TransForm is advocating that the Metropolitan Transportation Commission set more ambitious targets.  Please join us in asking for ambitious targets at MTC meetings on July 9 and July 28, both at 10 a.m.  CARB will also host a public workshop in Oakland on July 21 at 10:30 a.m., and other locations around the state, to get feedback on the draft targets. 

Please email Carli for talking points if you can attend any of these meetings!