Zeros in,
“We’ve got to aggressively deal with the
housing issue NOW!”
SCAG President Bill
Jahn
Sets Housing &
Broader Collaboration as Policy Priorities
May 4, 2019 Palm
Desert, California ____ Addressing
the housing crisis and developing broader collaborations at the state and
regional level top Bill Jahn’s policy priorities as the newly installed
President of the Southern California
Association of Governments (SCAG).
Jahn,
a City of Big Bear Lake Council member, was sworn in Thursday (May 2, 2019) to
lead the nation’s largest metropolitan planning organization after serving the
past year as SCAG’s First Vice President. The swearing in took place on the
first full-day of SCAG’s 2019 Annual Regional Conference and General Assembly.
“For me, it’s all about housing. We’ve got a crisis
on our hands – not just here in Southern California but across the state. It’s
such a complicated issue, and it’s going to take all of us working together to
begin to begin to solve it,” Jahn said. “I grew up in the housing business, and
I see an opportunity to work with the governor’s office and experienced,
qualified developer to break down some of the barriers that stand in the way of
bringing more affordable, workforce housing to our communities.”
SCAG, the nation’s largest metropolitan planning
organization representing 191 cities, six counties and nearly 19 million people, has
identified the high cost of housing as one of the most significant economic
challenges for our region. It impacts companies’ ability to pay a living wage,
their willingness to do business in California and the amount of disposable
income families have. It also congestion and mobility challenges as employees
are forced to move farther away from their jobs in order to afford a house or
apartment.
“We’ve
got to aggressively deal with the housing issue now if we’re going have any
kind of meaningful impact in our lifetimes,” said Jahn, who succeeds
Ontario City Council member Alan Wapner as SCAG Presidenty.
Other
priorities for Jahn include:
Greater Regional Collaboration. Jahn would like to see SCAG work more closely with the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG),
the planning agency and transportation authority for San Diego County, to
ensure that Southern California as a broader region is fully represented at the
state and federal level.
Transportation. SCAG has begun developing Connect SoCal, its 2020-2045 Regional
Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy for the six-county region.
The plan will lay out a strategy for how to improve mobility, reduce congestion
and meet the region’s air-quality goals. SCAG research has shown that Angelenos
waste more than 100 hours per year stuck in traffic. Among the solutions being
discussed is congestion pricing, the subject of a recent SCAG study showing a
21% reduction in vehicle miles traveled if a pricing model were implemented.
Jahn
is serving his fourth term on the Big Bear Lake City Council and during that
time has served five one-year terms as Mayor. He is a former President of the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority
(SBCTA) and has served on SCAG’s Regional
Council since 2010.
He
is a former City Council member in Chino, former member of California Water
Quality Control Board and Past President of the Building Industry Association
(BIA) Baldy View Chapter.
In
2016, Jahn received Larry Chimbole Public Service Award by his colleagues at
the League of Cities Desert Mountain Division.
He
is Executive Vice President of The Northridge Group Inc., and has more than 40 years experience in the building industry. Jahn has been
married to his wife Mary Jo for 33 years. They have six grown children, 13
grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
In addition to Jahn, SCAG officers elected
Thursday are: First Vice-President:
Randon Lane, City Council member for Murrieta, and Second Vice-President: Rex
Richardson, City Council member for Long Beach. Wapner will serve as Immediate
Past President.
About Southern
California Association of Governments (SCAG)),
SCAG is the nation’s largest metropolitan planning organization, representing
six counties, 191 cities and more than 18 million residents. SCAG undertakes a
variety of planning and policy initiatives to plan for a livable and
sustainable Southern California now and in the future.
For more
information about SCAG’s regional efforts, please visit www.scag.ca.gov
By Editor E T RUSSELL 052019