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Valley Vision 30th Anniversary Celebration – Video & Photos (2024)

Thirty years ago, Valley Vision was founded to establish a vibrant future for the Sacramento region. Today, Valley Vision serves as the region’s trusted civic leadership hub. During our history, we have led hundreds of projects touching every aspect of the region’s well-being, including healthcare, air quality, workforce training, economic development, and empowering vulnerable populations.

At our 30th Anniversary celebration on Thursday, September 12th, 2024, we shared the video produced by our friends at KJ2 Productions, which highlights our history and work to date, as well as what the future holds for Valley Vision:

We are also thrilled to have worked with Tia Gemmell to capture event photos. A few favorites are below:

Valley Vision 30th Anniversary Report (2024)

Thirty years ago, Valley Vision was founded to establish a vibrant future for the Sacramento region. Today, Valley Vision serves as the region’s trusted civic leadership hub. During our history, we have led hundreds of projects touching every aspect of the region’s well-being, including healthcare, air quality, workforce training, economic development, and empowering vulnerable populations.

In 2024, Valley Vision reflects on the past three decades and celebrates its impact on the region with this 30-Year Impact Report:

30th Anniversary Impact ReportDownload

Air Quality and Public Health in South Sacramento – September 18th (Spanish/English)

Come learn about community resources to improve public health and air quality in Sacramento! There will be free food, entertainment, and giveaways!

Join residents and community-based groups on Wednesday September 18th, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM at the Millennium Event Center (560 Power Inn Rd #500, Sacramento, CA 95824) to learn about important vehicle emissions impacts to public health and air quality in South Sacramento.

Register at air-quality-and-public-health-sept18.eventbrite.com.

Sacramento residents face many health challenges due to poor air quality and some communities are more impacted than others by vehicle emission exposure due, in part, to their proximity to major roads and freeways. This community-led event is one of many efforts across Sacramento County to address and take action on public health impacts from vehicle emissions.

This event is a part of the Sacramento County Vehicle Emissions Project funded by the California Department of Justice. The effort is led by a diverse coalition conducting mobile air monitoring and assessing health impacts in the West Arden Arcade, North Highlands, South Sacramento, North Vineyard and Gardenland-Northgate areas.

This will be a Spanish primary language event, with English language translations. If you have other language needs or require additional accommodations, please email Kathy Saechou by end of day September 6th, 2024 at kathy.saechou@valleyvision.org.

Air Quality and Public Health in South Sacramento – September 25th (Vietnamese/English)

Come learn about community resources to improve public health and air quality in Sacramento! There will be free food, entertainment, and giveaways!

Join residents and community-based groups on Wednesday September 25th, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM at the Millennium Event Center (560 Power Inn Rd #500, Sacramento, CA 95824) to learn about important vehicle emissions impacts to public health and air quality in South Sacramento.

Register at air-quality-and-public-health-sept25.eventbrite.com.

Sacramento residents face many health challenges due to poor air quality and some communities are more impacted than others by vehicle emission exposure due, in part, to their proximity to major roads and freeways. This community-led event is one of many efforts across Sacramento County to address and take action on public health impacts from vehicle emissions.

This event is a part of the Sacramento County Vehicle Emissions Project funded by the California Department of Justice. The effort is led by a diverse coalition conducting mobile air monitoring and assessing health impacts in the West Arden Arcade, North Highlands, South Sacramento, North Vineyard and Gardenland-Northgate areas.

This will be a Vietnamese primary language event, with English language translations. If you have other language needs or require additional accommodations, please email Kathy Saechou by end of day September 13th, 2024 at kathy.saechou@valleyvision.org.

Cleaner Air Partnership Quarterly Luncheon (August 2024)

At the Cleaner Air Partnership’s August 2024 Quarterly Luncheon, attendees learned about the benefits of urban forests and tree canopies in addressing regional air quality and climate issues, and discussed the challenges of expanding tree canopy in the region.

CAP events are an opportunity to learn about important air quality topics affecting the Sacramento region. Thank you to the generous contributors to the Cleaner Air Partnership: Sac Metro Air District, Teichert, CEMEX, SMUD, Sutter Health, Sacramento Association of REALTORS®, Placer County Air Pollution Control District, Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District, El Dorado County Air Quality Management District, and PG&E.

Many thanks to the Sacramento Tree Foundation!

Resources shared at the event are below:

Sac Tree Foundation PresentationDownload

Cleaner Air Partnership Quarterly Luncheon – August 23, 2024

Join the Cleaner Air Partnership on Friday, August 23rd from 12:00 to 1:30 PM at the Sierra 2 Center for the Arts and Community to learn about the benefits of urban forests and how the region can grow thriving and livable communities. Register here!

CAP events are an opportunity to learn about important air quality topics affecting the 6-county Sacramento region. Thank you to the generous contributors to the Cleaner Air Partnership: Sac Metro Air District, Teichert, SMUD, Sutter Health, Sacramento Association of REALTORS®, Placer County Air Pollution Control District, Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District, CEMEX, PG&E, and the El Dorado County Air Quality Management District.

All CAP events are free to attend; registration is required for food and space planning purposes. If you have any questions, email Kathy Saechou at kathy.saechou@valleyvision.org.

Community Air Protection (SNAAQ)

Project Overview

In 2017, Assembly Bill 617 was signed into law, which created the Community Air Protection Program run by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The Community Air Protection Program empowers California’s most polluted communities to monitor their air quality and guide investments to reduce carbon emissions and improve public health in frontline neighborhoods.

Through this program, CARB has awarded a series of three Community Air Grants to a group of local nonprofit organizations – Valley Vision, Civic Thread, Breathe CA Sacramento Region, and Green Tech Education – to help the North Sacramento, Oak Park/Fruitridge, and Meadowview neighborhoods monitor their air, understand how air quality impacts health, and develop a plan to reduce exposure to air pollution.

CARB has posted online announcements of the first, second, and third grants awarded to this coalition. Click here for more information and background about why these neighborhoods were selected.

This map shows the 19 communities selected in to date by CARB for the AB 617 program.

Accomplishments:

As part of the Sacramento Neighborhoods Activating on Air Quality (SNAAQ) project, the coalition has worked with residents of the project neighborhoods to accomplish the following:

Air Monitoring

  • Sited and placed 19 Clarity Node-S air monitors in locations determined by community members, with live-updating data linked to a public online portal;
  • Maintained a publicly accessible online data portal and project website with regular updates;

Coalition Building

  • Established an all-resident Steering Committee to make key decisions and guide a consequential participatory budgeting (PB) process to spend $100,000 in grant funds on aspects of the work;
  • Deferred to resident advisory committee in decision-making;
  • Developed an MOU between core partners at the outset of both projects;

Education & Workshops

  • Conducted outreach and engagement, including four multilingual listening sessions with live translation services, in English, Spanish, Hmong, and Vietnamese (the main languages spoken in our project areas);
  • Sent 29,000 physical mailers to households in North Sacramento and Oak Park/Fruitridge to gather resident priorities for clean air projects;
  • Developed Community Air Action Plans for each neighborhood, coupled with appendices, that were informed by a community-based planning campaign that included intimate, neighbor-led Environmental Justice listening circles, walking tours, and other events;
  • Partnered with Breakthrough Sacramento to develop and deploy an Air Quality & Environmental Justice educational curriculum directed at middle school-age students of color, which included hands-on activities such as building box fan air filters and training on how to advocate effectively;
  • Organized a virtual SNAAQ “Design Challenge” event in February 2022 which also served as a regional air quality policy symposium;
  • Offered monetary incentives to participating residents in accordance with community engagement best practices;
  • Stayed apprised of statewide AB 617 conversations and best practices from other communities;

Air Quality Survey Mailers sent to households in North Sacramento and Oak Park/Fruitridge neighborhoods.

Click here to view or download a Fact Sheet about the project.

Project Areas

North Sacramento: Bordered by Main Avenue in the North, Rio Linda Blvd and rail lines in the East, the American River in the South, and rail lines in the West.
Oak Park/Fruitridge: Bordered by R Street in the North, Stockton Blvd in the East, Fruitridge Road in the South, and Franklin Blvd and Alhambra Blvd in the West.
Meadowview: Bordered by Fruitridge Road in the North, Amherst Street in the East, and 24th Street in the West.

Updates

Four community listening sessions were held by Civic Thread in January 2021, which allowed residents to share their concerns about air quality in North Sacramento and Oak Park. Live translation was available in the languages specified. Click here to access the media toolkit for the sessions with flyers, social media posts, and more in all four languages.

  1. Wednesday, Jan.13, 6:00 – 7:30 PM
  2. Wednesday, Jan. 20, 6:00 7:30 PM
  3. Tuesday, Jan. 26, 6:00 – 7:30 PM
  4. Thursday, Jan. 28, 6:00 – 7:30 PM

Survey: Civic Thread also developed a survey to inform locations for air monitors and to allow residents to express their interest in serving on a Neighborhood Coalition which will review community feedback and decide on the final locations of the monitors (20 Clarity Node-S air monitors split between the project neighborhoods). Monitoring will take place for one year and inform a Community Air Action Plan for each neighborhood, which will set the stage for investments to reduce emissions and improve public health.

Equipment deployment: Neighborhood Coalition members for each project area have been determined from the applications that were submitted, and were offered incentives/stipends for their participation. Across two meetings on April 20th and May 17th, 2021, residents serving on each Coalition determined locations for the 20 air monitors (shown on this map), with a 21st being co-located with regulatory monitors at 1309 T Street. Valley Vision has identified site hosts, secured permissions, and deployed the equipment as viewable on the map below.

The deployment of equipment attracted local media attention, linked below:

Breakthrough Sacramento students using food coloring and other household items to learn about how their daily activities contribute to air pollution.

Educational curriculum: Starting in March 2021, the SNAAQ project team, PAC, and Neighborhood Coalitions developed educational curriculum designed to increase awareness of air quality and empower advocacy among underserved youth. The curriculum also includes hands-on activities where students build their own air filters out of a box fan, HEPA air filter, and masking tape, and use food coloring to learn about indoor air quality. This curriculum was deployed in July 2021 in partnership with Breakthrough Sacramento with materials and support provided by SMUD. Click here to access the full Environmental Justice and Air Quality curriculum, and reach out to Katie Smet with any questions or comments.

Air Quality Design Challenge: On February 26, 2022, SNAAQ held a successful 4-hour virtual event for residents of North Sacramento and Oak Park to learn about block-by-block air quality conditions and design solutions to improve air quality, with generous support from SMUD. Participants received $100 stipends for their participation, with residents receiving an additional $50 for lunch. Attendees selected one of three working sessions on (1) Equipment, (2) Engagement, and (3) Data Analysis to share their priorities for action in each of these areas. Input informed the development of the Community Air Action Plans for each neighborhood.

Community Air Action Plans

The main product of the SNAAQ project is a one-page Action Plan for each project area that encompasses feedback gathered throughout the process. These products were shaped by residents through the Community-Based Planning process led by Civic Thread, which included intimate listening circles led by Neighborhood Coalition members, self-guided Environmental Justice Tours, virtual community block parties, and more.

The SNAAQ project team sought to ensure all education and outreach efforts were as accessible as possible by providing live and written translations in primary languages spoken in both project areas; partnering with trusted community-based organizations; and using the PAC’s expertise of their neighborhoods to build a diverse stakeholder contact list. Recognizing technological barriers that many community members face, laptops and Wi-Fi hotspots were provided to those in need to be able to participate in the project’s virtual events. Stipends and incentives were also provided to community members who participated throughout the project in an effort to recognize their time and expertise.

The Action Plans are intended to be simple and easy-to-understand – each is backed by an Appendix which summarizes resident input into the final set of priorities, solutions, and recommended actions.

North Sacramento Project Area

Oak Park Project Area

Air Monitoring Map

Live data from the Clarity Node-S air quality monitors are viewable from the portal above. Click on a specific monitor to view current Air Quality Index (AQI) information and levels of PM 2.5 (fine particulate matter). Click here to learn more about AQI and PM 2.5.

Analysis of air monitoring data has resulted in three products, made accessible to the public via the links below:

Sacramento Neighborhoods Activating on Air Quality (SNAAQ) is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment — particularly in disadvantaged communities.

Email Adrian Rehn or call (707) 813-1913 with any questions.

Air Quality and Public Health Event in South Sacramento (June 22, 2024)

Valley Vision, United Latinos and ClimatePlan co-hosted an educational community event on Saturday June 22nd, 2024 at Valley Hi-North Laguna Library, where more than 50 community members learned about vehicle emissions impacts to public health, and what they can do to improve air quality in South Sacramento.

Thank you to Teatro Nagual, Breathe California – Sacramento Region and Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District who contributed to the success of the event!

Interested in learning more about air quality in South Sacramento? If so, attend other air quality and public health events by signing up for updates at linktr.ee/southsacvep. 

The following are resources that were shared at the event:

June 22 Presentation _VEPDownload
  • Learn more about the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District’s Clean Cars 4 All Program, where income-qualified Sacramento residents can trade in their old vehicles and receive rebates for purchasing zero or near-zero emissions vehicles or electric bikes. *The program will re-open to new applications in August 2024*. 

These educational community events are a part of the Sacramento County Vehicle Emissions Project (VEP) funded by Sacramento County Department of Public Health and the State of California Department of Justice.

EV Blueprint Phase II

Overview:

The City of Sacramento’s EV Blueprint project is working to expand access to clean mobility options in underserved neighborhoods across the city.

Expanding access to Electric Vehicles (EVs) in underserved communities is important to address transportation, air quality, and infrastructure-related inequities. It is also an important step for meeting the state’s climate and EV goals of transitioning 100% of new cars to zero-emission vehicles by 2035, helping to reduce the impacts of air pollution in environmental justice communities. Some of the challenges communities currently face to accessing electric vehicles are upfront costs of purchasing an EV, lack of access to residential and public charging infrastructure, and lack of awareness about affordable EVs and programs.

As part of an award from the CA Energy Commission, the City is deploying three distinct types of infrastructure in communities in which the most significant barriers to EV access and adoption persist.

  • Level 2 electric vehicle chargers will be installed at 13 libraries, community centers, and parks in the City of Sacramento to provide convenient access for residents who may have challenges charging at their home or work.
  • In partnership with the Sacramento Air Quality Management District (SMAQMD), the City will expand the Our Community Car Share Program (OCCS) beginning with a hub at the Colonial Heights Library. Income-qualified residents near the hubs will be able to reserve an electric vehicle for personal use at an affordable rate. The goal is to enhance mobility for households with limited options and introduce residents to the benefits and ease of driving electric vehicles.
  • Through a collaboration with the Sacramento Public Library, an electric tricycle (eTrike) lending program was launched in August 2023 at the Colonial Heights Library. Library patrons 18 and older with a valid library card can check out an electric tricycle with cargo capacity for personal use at no charge for up to 1 week. The goal is to introduce the community to electric-assisted cycling as an alternative for short local trips. This project will bring meaningful infrastructure to the 66,000+ residents near the new charging sites and their larger communities and will address mobility needs while improving air quality in our region.

Valley Vision is the project team lead for the “Engagement and Relationship Building” component of the larger EV Blueprint Phase II project, and is supported by subcontractors Frontier Energy, ClimatePlan, and Diysl Consulting. Our role is to engage underserved communities to increase education and awareness of the EV Blueprint project and the new mobility options that are coming to their neighborhoods.

Visit the City’s project page for more information about EV Blueprint implementation and project updates.

How to check out an eTrike:

E-trikes available for check-out at:

  • Colonial Heights Library
  • Belle Cooledge Library (coming soon)
  • North Natomas Library (coming soon)
  • South Natomas Library (coming soon)

The City of Sacramento and Brent Trayce Sands at Impound Comics worked with the Sacramento Public Library’s System-wide Teen Advisory Board (S.T.A.B.) to create an innovative comic book about EVs and E-bikes that takes place in South Sacramento.

E-trike soft launch event held on May 13, 2023 at the Colonial Heights Library.
The ‘Our Community CarShare’ program launched in May 2017 to provide clean, zero-emission electric vehicles and access to mobility in underserved areas, with a focus on public housing communities.

Sacramento County Vehicle Emissions Project (VEP)

Where We Were in 2023

Led by a diverse coalition, the Sacramento County Vehicle Emissions Project (VEP) established a community-driven mobile air monitoring network in communities located in the West Arden Arcade, North Highlands, South Sacramento, Vineyard and Gardenland/Northgate neighborhoods to assess public health and environmental impacts due to vehicle emissions. 

In 2023, the VEP coalition, through community engagement and outreach efforts, provided residents in the neighborhoods with air quality information including the public health impacts of vehicle emissions exposure, in addition to gathering health data surveys. The project was initially funded by the Department of Justice until December 2023, but the Sacramento County Department of Public Health and the VEP coalition successfully advocated for an extension through September 30, 2024, in order to collect more air quality data and effectively share health survey findings with residents in the project areas. 

Learn about neighborhood specific health data in the community health report findings below:

Learn about county-wide health data in the report here. 

Read the full Vehicle Emissions Project summary here. 

Where We Are in 2024

In 2024, community-centered educational events and other engagement activities are currently in the planning process. These education and outreach activities will focus on sharing back community health data and air monitoring data collected in 2023, as well as equip community members with resources in protecting and advocating for their health and improving air quality. 

Valley Vision, United Latinos and ClimatePlan are leading the community educational events in the South Sacramento and North Vineyard neighborhoods. For more information about educational community events in your neighborhood, please contact Kathy Saechou at kathy.saechou@valleyvision.org.

Cap-to-Cap Air Quality Team Issue Papers (2024)

Valley Vision has a long history of participating in the Sacramento Metro Chamber’s Capitol-to-Capitol program, which serves as our region’s premier Federal advocacy opportunity each year. This year’s “Cap-to-Cap” was the largest on record, with 425 leaders participating. The meat of the program is fast-paced advocacy meetings with our legislative delegation as well as committee and agency staff.

The Cleaner Air Partnership, which Valley Vision staffs, staffs two of the thirteen policy-focused “teams” focused on (1) air quality and (2) wildfire. This year, our teams elevated funding for a comprehensive suite of air quality strategies as part of the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program, climate projects of regional significance, and technical but extremely important policy fixes like letting air districts “write off” smoke from preventative prescribed fire instead of getting dinged by U.S. EPA.

Please see below for the Issue Papers our team carried this year, as well as accompanying professionally designed “leave behinds” corresponding to each paper:

CAP Wildfire and Biomass Bus Tour (April 2024)

On April 8th, 2024, Valley Vision and Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) co-hosted a full day bus tour in Placer County where participants experienced firsthand wildfire impacts and explored strategies for improving regional resilience.

Video Recap (produced by Austin Twietmeyer, Placer County Water Agency):

Cleaner Air Partnership (CAP) events are an opportunity to learn about important air quality topics affecting the Sacramento region. Thank you to the generous contributors to the Cleaner Air Partnership: Sacramento Metropolitan Air District, Teichert, CEMEX, SMUD, Sutter Health, Sacramento Association of REALTORS®, Placer County Air Pollution Control District, Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District, El Dorado County Air Quality Management District, PG&E, and Nikola Motors.

Many thanks to Placer County Water Agency, the Placer County Air Pollution Control District, and the Placer Resource Conservation District for sponsoring and co-organizing this event!

Resources shared by speakers during the bus tour are provided below: