California Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation selects SacRT for Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Program grant

The California Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI) has selected the Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) as a round one grantee of the Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Program. The $449,900 grant funding will help provide much-needed heat-resilient bus shelters in the Sacramento, Calif., region to protect transit riders from extreme heat. 

The funding will enable SacRT to deploy up to 20 heat-resilient shelters at bus stop locations that are shelter-ready with space requirements, many of which serve disadvantaged and low-income communities disproportionately affected by rising temperatures. 

“Gov. [Gavin] Newsom’s climate agenda takes historic action to address the climate crisis and investing in building community resilience to extreme heat is at the very center,” said Governor’s Office of LCI Director Samuel Assefa. “The Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Program empowers California's communities to build essential projects and partnerships that will safeguard residents and vital systems from the impacts of extreme heat." 

SacRT notes the Enhancing Public Health with Heat-Resilient Shelters project aligns with its Bus Stop Improvement Plan (BSIP), developed in collaboration with Civic Thread, a community-based organization focused on advocacy and public engagement. The project will deploy new shelters in locations identified in the BSIP, including the county and in the cities of Citrus Heights, Folsom, Rancho Cordova and Sacramento. 

As part of this project, SacRT will: 

• Research and design: Assess innovative shelter designs with a focus on heat resilience, ventilation and sun protection. 
• Engage communities: Partner with stakeholders and community members to align on project goals and incorporate feedback on shelter options. 
• Install and monitor: Procure and install shelters at pre-identified shelter-ready stops and conduct ridership and satisfaction evaluations post-installation to ensure the shelters meet rider needs and improve comfort. 

The project is expected to kick off during spring 2025.