California to invest $757M into clean transportation, affordable housing

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday that his state, along with the California Strategic Growth Council, will invest $757 million into building affordable housing and clean transportation.

The funding will be used to purchase 150 zero-emission buses while building 50 miles of new bikeways in jobs-rich neighborhoods where the state will also build more than 2,500 affordable homes. Once the project is complete, officials said, the investment will eliminate 800,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of taking 178,000 gas-powered cars off of the state’s roads for one year.

“As we consider the billions in federal funding on the table, today’s investment not only provides safe and affordable housing and transportation options, but also attracts additional dollars that stimulate local economies and create jobs,” Lynn von Koch-Liebert, Executive Director of the California Strategic Growth Council, said. “We would like to thank our partners, including our Council, the Governor, and HCD and CARB for their partnership in creating a proven model for climate-friendly homes and thriving communities.”

The governor said his state is re-imagining neighborhoods and communities to address ways communities are changing and to adapt to climate change while confronting the scarcity of housing in cities.

The project is funded through the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) program that is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative putting cap-and-trade dollars to work in that state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen the economy and improve public health and the environment. The program is a partnership between the California Strategic Growth Council, California Department of Housing and Community Development, and California Air Resources Board.