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EAC narrows equity priorities: safety, accountability and implementation for new vision and mission
Summary
EAC members, commissioners and staff spent the bulk of the meeting refining themes for a proposed vision and mission: justice, inclusion, transparency, accountability, safety and implementation. Staff will task the Safety & Climate subcommittee with drafting statements to forward to the incoming cohort for adoption in March 2025.
At the joint meeting in Riverside, the Equity Advisory Committee and commission staff moved toward a concise foundation for a draft vision and mission on transportation equity that will be handed to the incoming EAC cohort for final adoption.
Caltrans senior staff summarized survey responses and prior workshop results, identifying recurring values: justice, collaboration, transparency, inclusion, sustainability and accountability. Deputy Director Nayla Poughardon (Caltrans Office of Equity and Tribal Affairs) framed the conversation and asked members to identify which words should anchor the statements and what emotions the statements should evoke.
Members repeatedly prioritized safety and accountability alongside community engagement. Vice Chair Martha Armas Kelly said she wanted the statement to “create a feeling of promise, accountability, and intention.” Member Connie Stewart urged that the EAC focus on implementation over theoretical discussion and suggested the committee leave the next cohort with concrete, actionable frameworks. Commissioner Darnell Grisby asked the group to emphasize how proposed actions reduce out‑of‑pocket costs for families — a framing that makes equity work tangible to the public.
Speakers discussed wording and scope — whether to frame climate action under the mantle of justice, how to convey outcomes for health and economic opportunity, and how to make the language relatable so Californians “see themselves” in the statement. Staff summarized the discussion and said two subject‑matter experts from the Safety & Climate subcommittee will prepare a draft for circulation; the subcommittee will meet December 16 and staff will present a draft to the incoming EAC cohort for possible adoption at the March 2025 meeting.
The meeting captured the EAC’s dual emphasis on principle and practice: members want aspirational language that signals values while insisting on accountability and measurable implementation steps so those statements lead to changes in how projects are scoped and funded.
