Southern California Association of Governments

Executive Director Kome Ajise leads the agency's administrative operations, while CFO Cindy Giraldo manages financial reporting and treasury functions. Major funding allocations, however, require approval from the Regional Council — a governing body of elected officials from member cities, counties, and tribal governments. This distributed governance means no single individual holds investment discretion in the private-sector sense.

No. SCAG is a public-sector metropolitan planning organization, not an investment vehicle. Its capital deployment consists of administering federal and state grants for regional transportation, housing, and environmental planning. The agency does not make equity investments, commit to private funds, or pursue market-rate returns.

SCAG's long-range plans signal where billions in public infrastructure dollars will flow over decades — creating visible demand for co-investment, public-private partnerships, and adjacent private development. Private infrastructure funds, real asset managers, and project developers monitor SCAG's Regional Transportation Plan to identify procurement opportunities in freight, transit, and clean-energy corridors before formal RFPs issue.

Transportation infrastructure dominates — highways, transit systems, active transportation networks, and goods-movement corridors. Housing policy and sustainable communities planning are closely integrated through the Sustainable Communities Strategy. Emerging priorities include zero-emission vehicle charging infrastructure, freight electrification, and transit-oriented development.

The Pechanga Band holds a voting seat on SCAG's Regional Council, as do other federally recognized tribes within the planning area. Tribal governments participate as full member jurisdictions with representation rights equal to incorporated cities, reflecting a government-to-government relationship rather than a vendor or advisory role.

SCAG operates a Scholarship Program that awards funds to high school and community college students in the region pursuing careers in planning, public policy, or related fields. This program is funded through agency resources and administered separately from the core transportation planning budget.

SCAG serves as the federally designated metropolitan planning organization for Southern California, giving it statutory authority to program funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and other federal transportation bills. This designation means all federally funded transportation projects within its six-county boundary must be consistent with SCAG's adopted plans, making the agency a mandatory partner for local governments seeking federal dollars.