Intentional Engagement

Multiple people standing in beside a road in discussion with Caltrans staff..

As public servants, we aim to connect Californians by prioritizing their transportation needs, mobility, and safety. To achieve our mission and uphold our values, we must connect with the communities we serve with purpose, frequency and a willingness to listen. Our engagement efforts must be intentional and integrated into our processes; otherwise, we undermine our efforts and fail those we serve.

In my professional life before Caltrans, I traveled across the country assisting community groups, advocates, and neighborhoods with amplifying their voices in governmental systems. And so, I know first-hand that adding voices can be complicated. Challenges are inevitable in this work, but they are worth it.

Pictured: Caltrans staff and community members engaging in conversation in October 2023.

Nailah Pope-Harden

Deputy Director, Director’s Office of Equity & Tribal Affairs

Announcements

Advancing Community Engagement (ACE) Office - In April, The Director’s Office of Equity & Tribal Affairs welcomed the Office of Transportation, Equity and Community Engagement (OTECE). We are pleased to announce a new name for this team: the Advancing Community Engagement Office (ACE). Their work continues to focus on developing guidance, tools, and training for conducting equitable engagement for Caltrans plans and projects. ACE works to breakdown silos from planning to project delivery to support early, continuous, and meaningful engagement that is incorporated into transportation planning and project development processes. Learn more about ACE!

Website Updates - Our office has a new page! Visit the ETA site to learn more about the teams that make up our office and their key initiatives.

Caltrans Director's Transit Policy - Caltrans is seeking public feedback on the draft Caltrans Director’s Transit Policy. Read the draft policy and provide your comments by Monday, August 18th.

NAAC Meeting in August - The Native American Advisory Committee will meet statewide virtually on August 6, 2025.

EAC Subcommittees will host 3 Meetings in August - The Community Engagement Policies & Practices Subcommittee will meet on August 18. The Data Implementation Subcommittee will meet on August 19. The Transportation Planning & Program Guidance Subcommittee will meet on August 25. All meetings will be virtual via Zoom. Meeting information and agendas will be posted ten days before the meetings.

On the Road with Caltrans:

Department Highlights

Caltrans Engagement Portal – A New Way to Engage

The Caltrans Engagement Portal (Portal) offers a new way to engage with Caltrans. Currently, only a few plans and projects are listed but more will continue to be added in the coming months. Within the Portal, you can learn about projects in your area, participate in surveys and live-streamed hybrid public meetings, submit comments, and more. Caltrans invested in the Portal to increase accessibility and transparency for the public and to enhance how Caltrans conducts and integrates engagement throughout a project lifecycle. Check out the Portal today!

Meet our Advisory Committees: Member Spotlight

Native American Advisory Committee (NAAC)

June Nachor

Vice Chairwoman

Tejon Indian Tribe

📍Caltrans District 6

June started serving on the NAAC in 2025. With Kern County having the 3rd largest 'land area' in the State of California, and new to the transportation equity space, she felt it was her responsibility as Vice Chair of the only federally recognized tribe in the county to represent the native community.

“Tejon Indian Tribe was reaffirmed in 2012 and has since been rebuilding their Tribal Nation. After being without land for over 150 years, they purchased land that now houses their governmental offices and where they are able to hold tribal community events."

Pictured: Member June Nachor posing for a headshot.

Learn about the NAAC

Equity Advisory Committee (EAC)

Naomi Iwasaki

Senior Planner

HDR - LA

📍Caltrans District 7

Naomi is a Senior Planner/Transportation Equity Lead with HDR, based in Los Angeles. She has over 20 years of experience in transportation planning projects and equity initiatives in the nonprofit, public, and private sectors. Naomi was born and raised in Los Angeles, in a close-knit Japanese American community. Her community's resilience from WWII internment camps has fueled her efforts to advance social justice on behalf of marginalized communities. For her, transportation equity means access to resources, freedom to move without harm, and resistance against discrimination. She is honored to be serving on her first term with the EAC

"HDR partners with community organizations and technical experts to support jurisdictions and agencies seeking to improve mobility options and quality of life across communities. HDR helps bring resources and capacity to the public sector through planning, engineering, data analysis and mapping, and strategic communications."

Pictured: Member Naomi Iwasaki posing for a headshot.

Learn about the EAC

Staff Learning Corner

Tune into what our team is reading and listening to this month!

Engagement Planner, Cassidy Ellis, read an essay titled "From Community Building to Community Weaving" by Fabian Pfortmüller. She shares, “This essay talks about how they used to view community building through a framework, which on the surface seemed to make sense. However, the structure was misleading because community building is not so linear. I felt like this mirrored how we view engagement in Caltrans. We want predictable inputs and outputs, like an engineer's blueprints, but reality is messier.”

WEBSITE

EMAIL US