Putting The Brakes On San Diego’s Transportation Plan

The first "Sustainable Communities Strategy" adopted to guide long-range land use and transportation planning under SB 375 now has the distinction of being the first such plan set aside for failing to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act. Last week, a San Diego judge ruled that the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) abused its discretion when it certified an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for its Regional Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy (RTP/SCS) that failed to address greenhouse gas (GHG) emission levels after 2020, in violation of an Executive Order signed by former Governor Schwarzenegger. Now, the state's regional planning agencies and communities will have to wait for an inevitable appeal to resolve uncertainty about planning for GHG emission reductions at the intersection of CEQA, SB 375, AB 32, and Executive Order S-03-05.