SCAG Creates Planning Sub-Region for the Valley

The Southern California Association of Governments formed a sub-region for regional planning in the San Fernando Valley. This is the first time that SCAG will study and plan for the region separately from the larger Los Angeles metropolitan region, which currently runs from Sylmar to San Pedro, according to Bob Scott, chairman of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association. “Defining an area as a distinct region with common issues of transportation and planning will give us better opportunity as a planning entity,” Scott said. According to Scott, the division would be significant in allocating state and federal funding. The next step is for a cooperative agreement to be drawn up by representative cities in the Valley Los Angeles, Calabasas, Burbank, Glendale and San Fernando that will then contract with SCAG, Scott said. Representatives of each city would then be elected in order to discuss Valley needs. SCAG is the metropolitan planning organization for six counties: Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura and Imperial. SCAG is responsible for research and planning for transportation, growth, waste management and air quality. “Historically, Los Angeles and neighboring cities have not been as collaborative as they should at looking at the larger picture,” Scott said.