Regions at WorkEureka! Nine Regional Projects Recognized for Innovation Across California

The Regional Leadership Forum is a place for leaders to learn from one another, strengthen partnerships, and recognize excellence in serving local communities. One highlight is the presentation of the Eureka! Awards to celebrate the projects and programs that demonstrate innovation, collaboration, and regional leadership.

Echoing our state motto, the Eureka! Awardrecognizes initiatives that tackle complex challenges - like transportation, housing, sustainability, and public health, that transcend local boundaries. Together, our awardees show what is possible when local governments, regional agencies, and community partners work together to turn shared challenges into practical solutions.

This year, nine award winners were selected from the hundreds of programs implemented by regional agencies across California. If you ask the judges, the hardest part was limiting the awardees to just nine. But each highlighted an innovation that pushed beyond common practice. Together, they exemplify how regional collaboration delivers improved service levels that are difficult to achieve in isolation.

We also want to thank our partner HNTB for helping us present these awards that highlight how regional partnerships are advancing innovative solutions to some of California's most pressing issues.

And with no further ado, here are the 2026 Eureka! Award recipients:

• FRESH SGV (San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments). The FRESH SGV initiative works with cities across the region to recover edible food from businesses that would otherwise go to waste and redistribute it to residents facing food insecurity. While the program primarily serves those most in need, it also helps communities reduce organic waste.

• South Bay Local Travel Network (South Bay Cities Council of Governments). The South Bay Local Travel Network reimagines neighborhood streets as a connected system for micromobility, helping residents use e-bikes, scooters, and other small electric vehicles for short everyday trips. By focusing on practical, lower-cost infrastructure improvements, the network connects neighborhoods to schools, parks, and job centers while improving safety and reducing congestion.

• Equity Through Participatory Budgeting (Transportation Agency for Monterey County). This program places community voices at the center of transportation planning by using participatory budgeting to fund Safe Routes to School improvements. Residents across the Salinas Valley helped identify and vote on projects designed to improve safety for students traveling to school, demonstrating how inclusive engagement can shape better public investments.

• Calexico East Port of Entry Bridge Widening Project (Imperial County Transportation Commission). This complex infrastructure effort modernizes a critical international crossing at California's southern border. By coordinating across multiple levels of government and maintaining operations during construction, the project improves freight mobility, reduces congestion, strengthens trade, and enhances safety for travelers moving between the United States and Mexico.

• Doorway Housing Portal (Metropolitan Transportation Commission and Association of Bay Area Governments). The Doorway Housing Portal is a regional digital platform that simplifies the process of searching and applying for affordable housing across the Bay Area. By allowing residents to determine eligibility and apply for multiple listings through a single system, the platform helps thousands of households' access housing opportunities while providing valuable regional data.

• Engage, Empower, Implement Program (Sacramento Area Council of Governments). This regional funding initiative partners with local governments with community-based organizations to co-create transportation and infrastructure projects. By incorporating lived experience and local priorities into project development, the program strengthens community engagement and builds a pipeline of equitable projects with broad public support.

• Inland Regional Energy Network (Western Riverside Council of Governments). The Inland Regional Energy Network helps local governments improve energy efficiency, strengthen public infrastructure, and develop workforce pathways in the clean energy economy. Through technical assistance, workforce training, and regional partnerships, the program connects sustainability goals with economic opportunity.

• Madera County Triage Center (Madera County Transportation Commission). The Madera County Triage Center creates a coordinated pathway from crisis to stability for individuals experiencing homelessness. By combining modular bridge housing with supportive services and case management, the project strengthens the region's continuum of care and expands access to housing solutions.
  
• CV Link (Coachella Valley Association of Governments). CV Link transforms an underutilized corridor into a regional network for walking, biking, and low-speed electric mobility. Spanning multiple communities across the Coachella Valley, the corridor connects residents and visitors to jobs, schools, parks, and destinations while promoting cleaner air and healthier lifestyles. 
  

Over the coming weeks, CALCOG will feature each of these award-winning projects in more detail, highlighting the partnerships, ideas, and leadership that made them possible.

Together, these initiatives demonstrate the power of regional collaboration, and why California's regions continue to be laboratories for innovative solutions to shared challenges.