2019 Public Participation Plan Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments Council of San Benito Governments Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission Transportation Agency of Monterey County October 2019 Contents I. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 II. Regional Roles and Responsibilities ................................................................................ 4 III. Public Participation Requirements .............................................................................. 14 IV. PPP Procedures and Development Process ................................................................. 28 V. Interested Parties and Public Engagement .................................................................. 33 VI. Accountability .............................................................................................................. 41 Appendices Appendix A: List of Acronyms ..........................................................................................A-1 Appendix B: Public Participation Practices by Agency..................................................... B-1 Appendix C: Partner Transportation Agency Contacts .................................................... C-1 Appendix D: List of Stakeholders .....................................................................................D-1 Appendix E: Federal and State Regulations Concerning Interested Parties, Public Involvement and Consultation.............................................................................................................. E-1 Appendix F: Best Practices Guide of Public Participation Strategies............................... F-1 Appendix G: 2045 MTP/SCS Public Involvment Plan .......................................................G-1 Appendix H: Draft 2019 PPP Public Comments and Responses ......................................H-1 Appendix I: Public Notice for Draft 2019 PPP ................................................................... I-1 Figures Figures 1-1 ........................................................................................................................... 2 Figure 2-1 ............................................................................................................................ 5 Figure 2-2 ............................................................................................................................ 9 Figure 3-1 .......................................................................................................................... 20 Figure 4-1 .......................................................................................................................... 32 I. Introduction Background Summary The 2019 Public Participation Plan has been prepared by AMBAG in collaboration with the Council of San Benito County Governments (SBtCOG), the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (SCCRTC), the Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC), and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 5, with additional input and review by Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST), Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (Santa Cruz METRO or SCMTD), San Benito County Express/Local Transportation Authority (LTA) and the cities and counties in the tri-county Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG) metropolitan planning region. The above agencies are defined as Partners in this plan. SBtCOG, SCCRTC and TAMC are referred to as RTPAs in this plan. The purpose of this plan is to establish the process by which the public can participate in transportation planning, programming and project implementation including the development of the Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy for the AMBAG region and the Regional Transportation Plans for Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz counties. The 2019 Public Participation Plan incorporates strategies to ensure that, to the greatest extent possible, interagency consultation and public participation are an integral part of the regional transportation planning and decision making process. The public participation policies and procedures described in this plan are structured to comply with all applicable federal and state legislation, rules, and express the genuine regional value and interest for all residents of the Monterey Bay region to participate in the shaping and implementation of regional policies and decisions regarding the region’s multimodal transportation system. The 2019 Public Participation Plan was developed to conform to the 2015’s Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) legislation and pursuant to changes in the California Government Code 65080 that occurred with the passage of Senate Bill (SB) 375 in 2008. The “Monterey Bay region” covers the 18 cities and three counties within AMBAG’s tri county area of Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito Counties (Figure 1 1). The Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG) is a federal designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), and also serves as the regional forum for the study and discussion of regionally significant issues, which include but are not limited to: housing, transportation, energy efficiency, water conservation, and environmental quality. Elected officials within the Monterey Bay region’s 18 cities and three counties form the AMBAG’s Board of Directors. In pursuing its mission, “AMBAG provides strategic leadership and services to analyze, plan and implement regional policies for the benefit of the Counties and Cities of the Monterey Bay region balancing local control with regional collaboration.” AMBAG strives to inform and involve its local jurisdictions and the general public throughout its various programs, projects, and work activities conducted by the agency. AMBAG and RTPAs in the Monterey Bay region seek the participation of a diverse set of communities with an interest in regional planning efforts, including low income households, minority populations, Limited English Proficiency (LEP) populations, persons with disabilities, representatives from community and service organizations, tribal organizations, and other public agencies. Figure 1-1: AMBAG Tri-County Region of Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz Counties Map The seven guiding principles for public participation are as follows: 1. Valuing public participation and promoting broad based involvement by members of the community 2. Providing varied opportunities for public review and input 3. Treating all members of the public fairly, and respecting and considering all public input as an important component of the planning and implementation process 4. Promoting a culture of dialogue and partnership among residents, property owners, the business community, organizations, other interested members of the public, and public officials 5. Involving underserved communities and community groups, as well as other organizations 6. Encouraging active public participation throughout the entire process 7. Providing communications and agency reports that are clear, timely and broadly distributed AMBAG and the RTPAs perform a broad range of public participation and stakeholder engagement activities, such as: • Conducting public meetings • Establishing standing and ad hoc committees • Partnering on studies and projects • Providing educational and informational programs in accordance with statutory and regulatory directives All of the activities listed above are open to public involvement and review. AMBAG and the RTPAs (TAMC, SBtCOG and SCCRTC) have taken this opportunity to update the 2019 Public Participation Plan to further improve transportation decision making in the region and to reach out to underserved communities within the Monterey Bay region more effectively. II. Regional Roles and Responsibilities AMBAG, as the designated MPO, must follow federal and state legislation when developing and programming transportation projects. SBCOG, SCCRTC and TAMC, the RTPAs within the AMBAG region, are required to follow federal legislation and state legislation as well if they are utilizing federal funding. Federal and state legislation requirements related to the Public Participation Plan can be found in Appendix E. State Department of Transportation The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) - District 5 Caltrans oversees the state transportation planning, and the MPO’s transportation planning and programming processes. Caltrans’ primary responsibility is to ensure the function of the state highway system and develop transportation projects of statewide importance, including intercity rail projects. The State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) includes transportation projects from throughout California, including those from all Monterey Bay Area jurisdictions for approval to the California Transportation Commission (CTC), a policy making body appointed by the Governor and State legislature. In the Monterey Bay region, Caltrans District 5 is the liaison between our partner agencies and Caltrans Headquarters. Metropolitan Planning Organization Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG) Formed under a joint powers agreement in 1968, AMBAG is a voluntary association of cities and counties for the Monterey Bay region. Established by a joint powers agreement, AMBAG provides a forum for policy and planning issues of regional significance. AMBAG acts as the regional Council of Governments (COG) for Santa Cruz