Started as a simple Facebook page devoted to cycling in the San Gabriel Valley by Monterey Park resident Vincent Chang (at the time an MPK Environmental Commissioner and President of the local Chamber of Commerce), ActiveSGV was launched by a group of concerned community members who shared a vision of a cohesive network of people-friendly streets in the San Gabriel Valley.
Since 2010 ActiveSGV’s team of staff organizers, board members, volunteers and supporters have dedicated thousands of hours to fostering civic engagement in communities across the San Gabriel Valley to effect policy, program and environmental change. Working in cities that suffer from some of California’s highest rates of childhood obesity - including Baldwin Park (28.7%), South El Monte (34.5%) and El Monte (28.3%) - ActiveSGV has made significant strides in accelerating the development of safer, more people-friendly streets.
• Facilitating the development of a dozen local communities, including the cities of Azusa, Baldwin Park, El Monte, South El Monte, San Gabriel, Glendora, Irwindale, La Puente, Montebello, Monrovia, and South Pasadena
• Coordination of three 626 Golden Streets ciclovias, including the historic, 8-community, 18.5-mile event in 2017 to celebrate the Foothill Gold Line Azusa extension
• Launch of the San Gabriel Valley Regional Greenway Network vision, a long-term project to create a 100+ mile regional greenway network along existing flood control channels which has been formally endorsed by the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments (SGVCOG) and other community partners
• Development of the San Gabriel Valley’s first Bicycle Education Center, community Bike Park, and Traffic Garden at the Jeff Seymour Family Center in El Monte
• Implementation of one of the first E-Bike Rebate programs in the United States (2016-18)
• Launch of one of California’s first ‘Traffic Diversion’ programs in 2017, following passage of AB 902, to provide people cited while riding bicycles an opportunity to go to ‘traffic school’ for the first time, in lieu of paying fines of $150 to $800 or more.
Active San Gabriel Valley (ActiveSGV) is headquartered in the heart of the San Gabriel Valley at the Jeff Seymour Family Center in the City of El Monte. In 2016, ActiveSGV worked with El Monte City School District to develop the SGV’s first “bicycle campus” as part of the redesign of the decommissioned Mulhall Elementary School campus. The ambitious project converted two former classrooms into a youth-focused bicycle cooperative providing low/no cost recycled and access to professional tools and expertise; constructed the SGV’s first bicycle skills park; and integrated a “traffic garden” for teaching safe cycling skills into an urban forestry grant led by partner Amigos de los Rios.
Underpinning ActiveSGV’s work are core values that include a strong commitment to build local capacity to effect long-term, sustainable change by: 1) providing culturally-sensitive programming; 2) investing time and resources in youth/young adult development; and 3) graduating passionate local volunteers into part- and full-time positions with transit, sustainability, conservation and other related public agencies and community-based organizations. Specific examples of the latter include Metro Los Angeles, Foothill Transit, Nature for All, and the office of District 1 County Supervisor Hilda Solis.
Our Mission is to support a more sustainable, equitable, and livable San Gabriel Valley. ActiveSGV believes a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is essential to achieve this mission.
ActiveSGV is committed to the communities we serve, particularly low-income communities of color in the San Gabriel Valley disproportionately impacted by environmental injustices (ie: air pollution, unsafe streets) and health disparities (ie: high rates of childhood obesity and diabetes). The San Gabriel Valley consists of 47 unique neighborhoods (source: LA Times) and it is the largest majority Latinx and Asian American region in the U.S., approximately 45% Latinx, and 28% Asian, as of 2010 (source: Tropics of Meta).
People of color share similar barriers with other historically marginalized groups such as people with low incomes, people with disabilities, LGBTQ communities, womyn, older adults and young people.
People of color tend to experience social, economic, and health barriers more deeply due to institutional racism. By addressing the barriers experienced by people of color, we will also identify solutions and remove barriers for other disadvantaged groups.
ActiveSGV recognizes the intersectionality of marginalized identities and to achieve social justice, issues must be addressed holistically.
The San Gabriel Valley is stronger through the creation of quality jobs, living wages, employment mobility, a strong economy, clean water and air, accessible parks, stable and affordable housing, safe and efficient transportation, and a healthy built environment that supports sustainability. In pursuing diversity, equity and inclusion, ActiveSGV aims to eliminate barriers so our communities can lead happier, healthier lives.
ActiveSGV strives to make this commitment evident across all levels: in our organizational structure, policies, advisory board, staff, volunteers, donors, goals, and vision. We welcome people of all backgrounds and aim to maintain a culture of respect, openness, learning, integrity, honesty, and a sense of fun.
Multi-cultural Community Outreach, Engagement, and Material Design (including Spanish- and Chinese-language)
Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) and Youth-Based Participatory Research (YBPR)
Active Transportation Proposal Writing
Community Ride Planning and Organization
Data Collection (Bike/Ped counts, Bike Parking Audits, Community Street Audits, Mapping)
Bicycle Safety and Education Classes (Learn-to-Bike, City Cycling, Bicycle Repair and Maintenance)
Bicycle Valet
Community Event Support
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