SACOG official briefs Yuba City on 2025 Blueprint: regionwide growth forecast, $40 billion in constrained funding and emphasis on maintenance and lower-cost 'sh

Casey Luzon, Deputy Executive Director of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG), briefed the Yuba City Council on SACOG’s 2025 Blueprint update and the organization’s outreach and technical analysis behind it.

Luzon described the Blueprint as SACOG’s long-range transportation and land-use plan, updated roughly every four years and required by state and federal rules. She said the board adopted a “triple bottom line” framework — aligning economic, social and environmental goals — and that SACOG conducted broader-than-usual outreach for this cycle including focus groups, a scientific telephone poll, surveys and community workshops.

SACOG staff presented draft growth projections for the region and noted that, even though growth has slowed compared with prior decades, the Sacramento region is still outpacing both the state and nation. Luzon said SACOG’s draft projects about a 25% increase in regional population over the plan horizon, with jobs growing nearer to 20% and housing closer to 30%; Yuba City’s share of projected growth includes infill and some strategic expansion in areas referenced in staff maps (Bogue, Stewart and East Lincoln were cited as examples).

On funding, Luzon said the financially constrained plan currently assumes about $40,000,000,000 of revenue over 20 years (federal, state, local and other sources), which does not cover all identified needs. She said SACOG is prioritizing maintenance and repair, safety, lower-cost or “quick-build” projects and technology solutions that make better use of existing roadway capacity. Luzon offered examples from elsewhere in the region ranging from coordinated signal timing on Highway 50 to quick-build traffic reroutes that reduced cut-through traffic in neighborhoods.

The presentation highlighted regional projects and coordination efforts, including work on passenger rail (Valley Rail) and “mega-region” coordination with neighboring regional agencies on priority corridors between the Sacramento region and the Bay Area and San Joaquin Valley.

Yuba City staff (Ashley and Ben) explained local projects that tie into the Blueprint implementation: sewer infrastructure to enable planned housing, a proposed regional trails network and downtown infill opportunities tied to ongoing general-plan and zoning updates.

Council members asked about priorities (a council member said jobs should be emphasized; Luzon said outreach results showed housing affordability and safety were top concerns in 2023), regional equity and how SACOG is supporting northern growth corridors versus the more populous counties to the south. Luzon said SACOG is seeking partnerships to prioritize projects and pointed to interregional collaboration on projects such as Valley Rail and corridor technology pilots.

Luzon said SACOG planned to publish the draft plan and release an Environmental Impact Report for public comment in May, with adoption scheduled at the SACOG board in November. She invited local staff to coordinate on implementation priorities and on preparing applications for limited state funding rounds.