Janice Lamb Snyder, director of community air protection, updated the board Oct. 23 on the South Sacramento communitys Community Emissions Reduction Plan (SERP) process under AB 617 and recent state-level legislative changes affecting program funding.

Snyder said the district worked with community members to develop milestones and working groups to identify and evaluate strategies. The planning process included brainstorming workshops, strategy development and feasibility analysis. Staff noted a community event at La Familia Maple Center that drew more than 85 residents; district staff said interpretation in Spanish, Farsi, Dari, Vietnamese and Hmong was provided and steering-committee members presented strategies directly to neighbors.

Potential strategies the community and staff have discussed include small-business education and outreach (for example, safer practices in nail and hair salons), installation of air filtration systems in community spaces, increased zero-emission infrastructure, school-based idling reduction education, and collaboration with local jurisdictions on active-transportation and safety improvements.

Snyder gave a provisional schedule: a draft plan will be released for public comment in January, staff will bring pieces of the draft back to the board in February–April, and the full plan will be presented for board adoption in May, after which the district will submit the plan to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for approval.

Snyder also summarized pending and recently passed state bills affecting the program. She said SB 105 reduces state funding for FY 2025–26, cutting district implementation funding by about 10% and reducing financial-incentive funding by about 80% relative to historical levels. SB 840 (cap-and-trade reauthorization) creates a continuous appropriation estimated at $250 million statewide for incentives and implementation (about a 20% reduction from historical allocations) with five-year reviews, and SB 352 adds program requirements including a five-year minimum for monitoring and additional annual reporting obligations for air district executive officers.

Directors Bang and Vice Chair Maple commended staff and community partners for outreach and centering community leadership in the process. Snyder said staff will continue outreach and coordination with the city and county, and will return with drafts and implementation discussions early next year.