COGCast

As we launch the new year, the COGCast sits down with WRCOG Executive Director, Rick Bishop, to reflect on 2019 and look forward to 2020. Tune in today to learn about some of WRCOG's upcoming 2020 projects! 

The Homeless Point in Time Count is federally mandated by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, also known as HUD, to count and survey the sheltered and unsheltered homeless populations in cities and counties throughout the nation. The 2020 Riverside County Homeless Point in Time Count will take place on Wednesday, January 29, 2020. This episode of the COGCast will feature Laura Gonzalez-Rivera, Social Services Planner and the 2020 Homeless Point in Time Count Coordinator, from the County of Riverside. For more information on the 2020 Riverside Homeless Point in Time Count, visit www.rivcoexchange.com. 

Southern California Edison, also known as SCE, is the primary electricity supply company for Southern California. Serving approximately 15 million people over 5 million accounts, SCE plays a key role in our communities. Tune in for this episode of the COGCast, featuring Joshua Torres, Senior Policy Advisor at SCE, to share about this partner organization and provide insight on upcoming projects and technology. 

Throughout California, there is a housing affordability crisis spurred by a mounting shortage of housing supply. State housing officials estimate that more than 1.3 million homes need to be built in the six-county SCAG region between October 2021 and October 2029. In an effort to address this issue, the Regional Housing Needs Assessment, also known as RHNA, is mandated by State Housing Law as part of the periodic process of updating local housing elements of a jurisdiction’s General Plan.

On this episode of the COGCast, Ma’Ayn Johnson, Housing Program Manager at the Southern California Association of Governments, answers two major questions: What is RHNA? And what does it mean for jurisdictions?

This year, Riverside County’s annual Homeless Point in Time count found that there was a 20% increase in the number of people living on the streets compared to last year. County officials further provide perspective that the count is a one-day snapshot and merely represents the “visible” homeless population and not necessarily everyone who lacks a home. Nonetheless, the local impact of homelessness remains a key issue for the region.

On this episode of the COGcast, Monica Sapien and Aaron Petroff from the Social Work Action Group, also known as SWAG, share their organization's approach to help the homeless in Western Riverside County. 

In collaboration with the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA), WRCOG has developed the Resilient Inland Empire (IE) Guidebook that seeks to identify regional vulnerabilities to climate change and develop resources and tools to improve regional resiliency.

To better understand the need for resilience planning, consider the impacts to the Idyllwild area resulting from 2018’s record precipitation- torrential rain caused rain and debris flows to exceed capacity of existing infrastructure, which ultimately led the roads to buckle. For months, stretches of both State Routes 74 and 243 were closed for repairs that exceeded $100 million, isolating the community and extending commutes for residents significantly. This situation is one of many that call local leaders to prepare communities for the threats that weather can pose to the region. To share about the importance of resiliency planning, the COGcast welcomes Aaron Pfannenstiel, Principal at Atlas Planning Solutions.