Regional

Regional Agencies Unite Local Jurisdictions for a Common Purpose

Whether an association of governments, climate collaborative, air district, or transportation agency, regional government agencies provide substantial benefits by aligning and integrating broader solutions to common issues faced by local jurisdictions in a region. Innovations that make regional strategies effective are key. Ascent’s Innovate Openly core value often adds value to our work with regional agencies.

REGIONAL PROJECT TYPES
  • Community planning
  • Education
  • Energy
  • Parks, trails, and open space
  • Resource management
  • Sustainable Communities Strategies
  • Transportation
  • Water
  • Wildfire/forest heath
FEATURED PROJECTS
Ascent is assisting SANDAG with the Housing Acceleration Program (HAP) Technical Assistance Program, providing staffing support and assistance to local jurisdictions on housing policy and legislation, housing element implementation, and CEQA streamlining to assist SANDAG’s 19 member agencies. The program supports implementation of SANDAG’s 6th Cycle Regional Housing Needs Assessment Plan, 2021 Regional Plan, and Sustainable Communities Strategy.
San Diego County, California
SANDAG Technical Assistance Program
view project
In response to the region’s housing crisis, SCAG developed a comprehensive package of guidance materials to help local governments accelerate the CEQA and administrative processes to expedite needed additional residential supply. The materials include user-friendly resources and toolkits to help local planning agency staff with day-to-day housing application processing and simplifying internal entitlement processes, such as expanding the use of ministerial approvals, to avoid delays and added expenses that can exacerbate the housing crisis.
Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura Counties, California
SCAG Development Streamlining Guidance for Increasing Housing Supply
view project
OUR REGIONAL SERVICES

OUR REGIONAL SERVICES
SELECT REGIONAL CLIENTS
  • Association of Bay Area Governments
  • Fresno Council of Governments
  • Metropolitan Transportation Commission
  • Sacramento Area Council of Governments
  • San Diego Association of Governments
  • Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
  • Southern California Association of Governments
  • Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
  • Tahoe Transportation District
REGIONAL KNOWLEDGE
New CEQA Exemption for Nonmotorized Public Access
AB 2091 was signed by Governor Newsom on September 22, 2024, creating a new CEQA exemption for non-motorized public access. The new exemption applies to park districts and the Great Redwood Trail Agency (GRTA) when providing new nonmotorized public access to existing roads, trails, parking areas, and similar areas owned by the park district or GRTA. To use the new exemption, the lead agency must hold a public meeting to solicit input, consider effects on natural and tribal cultural resources, make required findings, and file a Notice of Exemption.
READ MORE
In CEQA, What is a “Rare” Species?
What is a “rare” species? In the context of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, this became a central question in the recent court decision, Nassiri v. City of Lafayette, et al., First District Court of Appeals, June 27, 2024. The Section 15380 definition of “Endangered, Rare or Threatened Species” has long been a part of the Guidelines. This section also mandates lead agencies to consider a species endangered, rare, or threatened if it can be shown to meet the qualifying criteria described therein, even when the species is not listed under either the California Endangered Species Act (CESA) or federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). Public agencies serving as a CEQA lead or responsible agency carry the responsibility to consider a species’ qualification as endangered, rare, or threatened under CEQA based on the facts of the project. This responsibility raises important issues for the environmental practitioner.
READ MORE
AB 1757 Nature-Based Solutions Climate Targets Released
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) issued a Restoration Management Permit(RMP) to California State Parks in December 2023 for the Mount Diablo State Park Vegetation Treatment Project. The RMP is the first approved for a CalVTP vegetation treatment project. It is part of CDFW’s Cutting the Green Tape program to accelerate the pace and scale of restoration throughout the state. CSP’s CalVTP project qualified for the first RMP because it would create ecological benefits for the covered species, Alameda whipsnake.
READ MORE
Back To Top