Mobility 21 to Co-host Holiday Reception Honoring California Transportation Commission
Please join the join Mobility 21, Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce, Inland Action, Inland Empire Economic Partnership, Monday Morning Group, Riverside County Transportation Commission and San Bernardino County Transportation Authority on Wednesday, Dec. 3 for a holiday reception honoring the California Transportation Commission (CTC).
Wednesday, Dec. 3, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Riverside County Administrative Center
Registration
$125 Private Sector
$65 Public Sector, Nonprofits, Students, Elected Officials
Click here to register
Sponsorship
$2,000 – Host Level: Includes logo on event marketing and five complimentary tickets
$1,000 – Support Level: Includes logo on event marketing and two complimentary tickets
$500 – Small Businesses Level (Small businesses and nonprofits only): Includes logo on event marketing and one complimentary ticket
Contact Kristin Slocum to sponsor the event.
Mobility 21 Advisory Board Member Spotlight:
Ricky Choi
Director of Government and Community Relations
San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments
Ricky Choi is the Director of Government and Community Relations for the Alameda Corridor-East (ACE) Project at the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments (SGVCOG), a regional planning agency dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for over two million residents in the San Gabriel Valley. In this role, he oversees local, state, and federal policy and legislative advocacy, as well as strategic communications, public outreach, and stakeholder engagement for the ACE Project, a major initiative delivering safety upgrades and mobility improvements across 53 railroad crossings and 19 grade separation projects in Los Angeles County. With nearly 20 years of experience in government, public affairs, and strategic communications, Ricky has led construction outreach for major capital and transportation infrastructure projects, directed government affairs initiatives, and supported regulatory compliance and program implementation across all phases of project development, from environmental clearance and property acquisition to construction. Prior to his current role, he served as Communications Director at BuildLACCD, Community Relations Manager at SGVCOG and ACE Construction Authority, and as a legislative advisor and community liaison in the California State Assembly, California State Board of Equalization, and the Office of the California Lieutenant Governor.
Ricky is deeply committed to civic and community service. His nonprofit leadership spans numerous organizations, and he currently serves as a Trustee of the Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library. He has also served as a Planning Commissioner in Monterey Park and as Civil Service Commissioner and Parks and Recreation Commissioner in Alhambra. Ricky earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a concentration in American Politics and a minor in Public Policy from UCLA. He was recognized on the National Association of Asian Pacifics in Politics and Public Affairs’ “40 Under 40” list for his leadership and contributions.
Mobility 21 Advisory Board Member Spotlight:
Joe Toolson
Senior Vice President and South West Area Regional Manager
Mott MacDonald
M. Joseph Toolson is currently Senior Vice President and South West Area Regional Manager for Mott MacDonald (MM). As a part of this international full-service engineering organization of over 18,000 employees world-wide, he brings expertise in Rail and Transit, Highways and Bridges, Utilities, Airports, and transportation programs specifically in project delivery. His education includes a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from San Jose State University in 1988 with further education through international training at MM.
Throughout his 36-year career, he has focused in different sectors of transportation from planning, engineering, and environmental, to design, and construction implementation, and claims resolution.
He has a firm understanding of the issues which surround project delivery specifically in transportation infrastructure which he has learned from his participation with multiple self-help county programs starting with the original Measure A in Santa Clara County legislated to improve regional transportation. Along with this program in Santa Clara, he has supported the project delivery teams associated with many other transportation improvement programs throughout the State of California such as those in Alameda, San Bernardino, San Diego, Orange, and Los Angeles Counties.
Aside from fulfilling his role as a South West Portfolio Manager for MM, Mr. Toolson has also served many major regional projects including the I-405 Design-Build Highway Project, D Line Subway Extension Project, OC Bridges grade separations, SR-22 Design-Build, and others. Mr. Toolson’s past roles have also included serving as a practice lead for MM for Highways and Bridges and for the Program Management.
Metrolink Connects Record Number of Dodgers Fans to Championship Parade Festivities
On the morning of the Dodgers’ championship parade, tens of thousands of fans across Southern California made the same call: skip the traffic and trust Metrolink to get them to the celebration in Downtown Los Angeles. That choice powered a record-setting day. On Monday, Nov. 3, Metrolink logged 43,920 systemwide boardings — a new post-pandemic high that edged past the 42,562 boardings recorded during last year’s parade and marked the agency’s strongest single-day performance outside of free-fare events since May 2016.
Anticipating that demand, Metrolink scheduled additional trains on the Antelope Valley, Orange County and San Bernardino lines, making it as easy as possible for fans from outlying counties to access the festivities. With six lines serving LA Union Station, trains carried parade-goers to within a short walk of the route. Metrolink customers were also able to transfer to LA Metro rail and bus for free, including the Dodger Stadium Express, which took them to a ticketed event at the ballpark. Many infrequent and first-time riders experienced firsthand the convenience and simplicity of using the region’s interconnected public transportation network to get them to their destination and back again.
Meeting the moment required more than just adding service capacity. Employees from across the agency joined frontline colleagues at key stations, including LA Union Station, in an “all hands on deck” effort. They helped travelers purchase tickets, navigate crowded platforms and find the right connections, while also relaying real-time conditions back to dispatch and operations to support safe, orderly crowd movement.
High-profile days like the Dodgers parade showcase how regional rail can take pressure off freeways, make it easier for people to show up for major events and introduce new customers to transit. Metrolink’s SoCal Day Pass, paired with simple, no-cost transfers for first- and last-mile connections, made choosing the train straightforward and affordable. And the agency is using insights from this record-setting service day to refine how it scales capacity, determines staffing needs and coordinates with other operators as Southern California prepares for future large-scale events, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
OCTA works with cities to provide Measure M half-cent sales tax funds that reduce roadway pollution and protect local waterways, which to date has removed 80 million gallons of trash, enough to cover Angel Stadium’s entire playing field nearly 100 feet deep in waste.
OCTA Awards Over $3 Million to Improve Orange County’s Water Quality
The Orange County Transportation Authority has approved $3.1 million to fund eight local projects that help keep Orange County’s waterways clean by capturing transportation-related trash and debris before it reaches storm drains and the ocean.
The funding for the water quality improvement projects, recently approved by the OCTA Board of Directors as part of the Measure M2 Environmental Cleanup Program, supports projects in the cities of: Anaheim, Irvine, Mission Viejo, Newport Beach, Orange, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, and Seal Beach.
Funding for the program comes from Measure M, the voter-approved half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements, which also includes a strong commitment to environmental protection.
“OCTA continues to deliver on the promise to move people safely and efficiently while protecting the environment we all share,” said OCTA Chair Doug Chaffee. “These projects demonstrate that even as we invest in our roads, freeways, and transit systems, we’re also helping to ensure that Orange County’s beaches and waterways remain clean and healthy for generations to come.”
Protecting Water Quality Across Orange County
Through the latest Tier 1 Environmental Cleanup Program funding, OCTA will help cities install a variety of devices that capture and remove pollutants near the source before they can reach waterways. The devices to be installed throughout the county include connector pipe screens, automatic retractable screens, hydrodynamic separators, and full trash capture units.
In total, this round of funding will help install:
- 904 connector pipe screens
- 381 automatic retractable screens
- 30 full trash capture units
- 4 grated inlet trash screens
- 54 brush inlet screens
- 1 trash rover
- 2 hydrodynamic separators
These systems prevent litter and roadway debris from entering storm drains and ultimately the Pacific Ocean.
The projects by city include:
A Decade of Cleaner Water
Since the Environmental Cleanup Program began in 2011, the OCTA Board has approved more than $43 million for 241 similar projects, estimated to have captured more than 80 million gallons of trash that would have otherwise entered Orange County’s waterways.
That’s the equivalent of covering Angel Stadium of Anaheim’s entire playing field nearly 100 feet deep in waste, creating a nearly 10-story-tall pile of trash.
The program’s two-tiered approach includes:
Tier 1 – smaller-scale, city-level projects focused on visible trash and debris reduction.
Tier 2 – larger, regional projects such as constructed wetlands and bioswales that capture heavy metals and other pollutants.
Together, these efforts reinforce OCTA’s long-term environmental commitment under Measure M2, which also includes preserving more than 1,300 acres of open space and restoring natural habitat throughout the county.
For more information on OCTA’s environmental initiatives, visit www.octa.net/water.
CVAG Officially Opens CV Link
Spanning more than 40 miles across the Coachella Valley, CV Link is a significant breakthrough in alternative transportation by creating a safe pathway for walking, running, biking, or using low-speed electric vehicles like golf carts. Largely located along the Whitewater River/ Coachella Valley Storm Water Channel, CV Link also provides significant environmental, health, air quality and economic benefits to generations of current and future residents and visitors.
The project would not have been possible without the steadfast support of CVAG’s elected leadership, Caltrans, the Coachella Valley Water District, Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC), as well as funding partners such as California Transportation Commission, South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), Desert Healthcare District/ Foundation, California Strategic Growth Council and Riverside County Parks.
CVAG officially celebrated the project with six grand opening celebrations in the project’s participating cities. The celebrations started on November 5 and extended through November 10 in the cities of Cathedral City, Coachella, Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert and Palm Springs. The events featured local mayors; SCAG Executive Director Kome Ajise; RCTC Executive Director Aaron Hake; U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz; California Assemblymembers Jeff Gonzalez and Greg Wallis; and Riverside County Supervisor V. Manuel Perez, who is also chair of CVAG this year. Each grand opening event ended with an inaugural ride down CV Link – although plenty of cyclists and running enthusiasts such as Mr. Hake were enjoying the pathway even before the ribbon was cut.
“Far too many people have been discouraged from running and walking along our roadways because they see how dangerous it can be. Investments like CV Link are a gamechanger because they result in real mode-shifts,” CVAG Executive Director Tom Kirk said. “Connecting our valley through a bike and pedestrian pathway has been a vision that has been shared by a long list of community stakeholders, active transportation advocates, health care industry representatives, air quality experts and the tourism community. We couldn’t have gotten to this point without the support of so many stakeholders here and across the state.”
CVAG has planned for the construction of CV Link since 2011. CV Link typically features a dual-path structure: a broad concrete lane catering to cyclists and low-speed electric vehicles, alongside a narrower decomposed granite trail designed for pedestrians and runners. The on-street sections of the CV Link, located mainly in the cities of Palm Springs and Palm Desert, adopted a protected cycle track layout that was a first for the Coachella Valley.
CV Link was built in segments that received initial approval from the California Transportation Commission (CTC) back in May 2019. This segmented approach allowed CVAG to complete large portions of the project as soon as they secured right-of-way for these segments, rather than delaying the entire project while waiting to obtain access to remaining parcels. This segmentation strategy ensured that the project’s advantages could be enjoyed sooner rather than later, including seven miles that have been previously opened in the cities of Palm Springs, Cathedral City and Palm Desert.
CV Link will ultimately serve as a backbone to the Coachella Valley’s entire active transportation network. CVAG is currently working with local cities to build community connectors such as the Arts and Music Line along Avenue 48 in the cities of La Quinta, Indio and Coachella. The 15-mile project embraces the use of bold color schemes, innovative lighting and artwork to create a safe and inviting route to destinations such as CV Link or the polo grounds in Indio, which is home to the world-renowned Coachella and Stagecoach art and music festivals. In addition, CVAG is looking to the future of CV Link, with feasibility studies underway assessing an extensions to both North Shore/Mecca and Desert Hot Springs.
For more on CV Link, go online to www.coachellavalleylink.com.
2025 Southern California Economic Update
The “2025 Southern California Economic Update” will be presented during the SCAG Joint Policy Committee Meeting on Dec. 4, 2025. This annual presentation provides a comprehensive overview of the region’s economic performance and outlook, with analysis to support Southern California’s local and regional policymakers in making informed decisions.
This update will feature an in-depth look at the SCAG region’s economy, which captures key dynamics shaping Southern California’s growth. The analysis examines wages and consumer spending, taxable sales, and labor market trends, while exploring shifts in demographics, household income, and patterns of new development.
SCAG is pleased to announce that the presentation and discussion of the “2025 Southern California Economic Update” will be moderated by Eric Garcetti, 42nd Mayor of Los Angeles. The presentation will also include county-level summaries and outlooks for all six counties within the SCAG region, highlighting emerging trends and challenges unique to each area. In addition, this year’s update includes an economic impact analysis of the upcoming 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, which estimates the economic output and job creation potential of Games-related spending and investment on each of the six counties of the SCAG region.
If you would like additional information and a link to livestream the presentation, please complete the interest form.
Sponsorships Now Available for the 61st Annual Regional Conference & General Assembly
SCAG will host the 61st annual Regional Conference and General Assembly on May 7-8, 2026, at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa in Palm Desert.
Sponsorship opportunities are now available. For sponsorship inquiries or questions, please contact Special Events Producer, Perla Lopez at lopezp@scag.ca.gov or visit the website. A link to the sponsorship brochure outlining tiers and associated benefits is also available for download and sharing.