Exhibit D - Phase 1 Application Submission and Attachments (Original).pdf — San Clemente City Council, February 18, 2025

Mobility Project Voucher Application
Phase 1 of 2

INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the Clean Mobility Options Voucher Pilot Project (CMO) Application for Mobility Projects.

Completed applications may be submitted after the application window opens on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 at 9:00 am Pacific Time and before it closes on Wednesday, April 5, 2023 at 11:59 pm Pacific Time. For CMO program information including the Implementation Manual, Application Guide, and supporting resources, please visit www.cleanmobilityoptions.org.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Before beginning the application process, please:

1. Review the Implementation Manual and
Application Guide at
www.cleanmobilityoptions.org/mpv-app-guide-1.

2. Check your organization's eligibility to apply.

3. Check that you have an eligible project proposal.

4. Confirm you are able and willing to comply with
the program's general provisions.

When you are ready to proceed:

1. Complete this application, referring to the
companion Application Guide, and save the
application prior to the opening of the application
window on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 at 9:00
am Pacific Time. You may save and return to
your application at any time prior to submission.

To be accepted, the application must contain all
true, accurate, and complete responses in all
required fields. Required fields are marked with
an asterisk (*).

IMPLEMENTATION MANUAL:

The Application Form (this page) and its
companion Application Guide are derived from
the Implementation Manual (IM). Please see the
IM for comprehensive information about
eligibility, general provisions, and related
information.

ACCESSIBILITY OPTIONS:

Applicants are highly encouraged to submit the
application online through this application portal.

However, if desired, applicants may request a
document-based application by email to
[email protected] or by
postal mail to:

Clean Mobility Options
c/o CALSTART
48 South Chester Avenue
Exhibit D

2. After the application window opens at the date
and time listed above, submit this application by
returning to your saved application and pressing
“SUBMIT” before the applican window closes on
Wednesday, April 5, 2023 at 11:59 pm Pacific
Time. The “SUBMIT” function will be enabled
once the application window opens.

3. Within 8 weeks of your submission, the Program
Administrator will notify the primary contact
whether the application has been approved and
will move on to the second and final phase. For
more information about Phase 2, see the
Application Guide at
www.cleanmobilityoptions.org/mpv-app-guide-1.

COMPANION APPLICATION GUIDE:

The Application Guide is a companion to this application form with tips for answering each question. We
recommend that you read the guide before starting the
application. "Guidance" links in the application questions below will take you to their corresponding sections in the guide to make this resource easy to use as you progress through your application.

Pasadena, CA, 91106
Mail-in applications will be timestamped as the
day they are mailed (by postmark or receipt at
the applicant's choice).

If you have any questions or need assistance,
please contact the CMO Application Technical
Assistance with your request.

MORE INFORMATION AND SUPPORT:

Technical assistance is available to help
complete the application:
 Email: [email protected]
 Phone: (626) 744-5760
 Web: www.cleanmobilityoptions.org/help
SECTION 1. PRIMARY CONTACT INFORMATION
Individual's Name
Jonathan Lightfoot
Title
Economic
Development
Officer
Email Address
lightfootj@sanclemente.org
Phone
(949) 361-
8254
Additional Information
SECTION 2. APPLICANT AND TEAM PROFILE
Lead Applicant Organization Name
City of San Clemente
Lead Applicant Organization Address
910 Calle Negocio, San Clemente, California 92673
Lead Applicant Organization Type
Public Agency
Indicate Which, if Any, Related CARB Programs the Lead Applicant Has Previously Received Funding For
None
Application Includes Sub-Applicants
No
Indicate the Lead Applicant's Relationship with the Mobility Operator We do not currently have a mobility operator. We will secure and confirm our mobility operator that meets the criteria within 3 months of voucher execution.

Additional Mobility Operator Information (Optional)
City staff have engaged Circuit Transit in preliminary conversations about operating as the mobility provider for this project. Circuit is an “experienced partner” listed in the CMO Clean Mobility Provider Directory. However, staff will reserve the final operator determination to the City Council.

SECTION 3. PROJECT NARRATIVE
Project Name
San Clemente NEV Shuttles
Project Overview
Based on the results of the surveys and community engagement activities underlying our needs assessment, the San Clemente NEV Shuttle program will provide all-electric on-demand shuttle services (or a similar "smart stops" program) that augments the existing transportation options in the City, focusing on last-mile oriented locations and catered to the needs of the local community. The program will be designed with the community’s input and participation to provide safe, convenient, affordable, and accessible first / last mile connections. The goals of the program will be to improve mobility options for the community, provide connections to public transit and key community services, improve social determinants of health related to transportation accessibility, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, and reduce congestion.

The shuttle will be administered by the City of San Clemente and operated by one of the authorized Mobility Operators referenced in ths Clean Mobility Provider Directory. City staff has met with Circuit Transit Inc. (Circuit) to confirm the feasibility of this proposal, but the City Council will make a final determination of the provider after a more thorough review of the rate structures of Circuit and other providers. Circuit (or similar) will provide a turn-key service, including employing and training a team of local driver ambassadors, providing and maintaining electric vehicles for service, obtaining appropriate storage and charging facilities, providing technology, and insurance for the service. Circuit currently operates in several nearby cities and will leverage its local Southern California teams and resources to quickly launch and effectively run the service.

The shuttle will operate as an on-demand (or "smart stops") service using a fleet of dedicated all-electric vehicles. Riders can request rides within a geo-fenced coverage zone through a mobile ride request app available on iOS and Android, by phone, and by waving down a vehicle. Rides will be available for a low flat rate fare to the general public, with reduced cost plans available for qualifying individuals. The service will include an electric ADA accessible vehicle for riders requiring ADA assistance, which can be indicated in the ride request app or when requesting by phone. If a fare is implemented, a contactless fare program will accept payment via credit card, debit card, or prepaid card, with accommodations for unbanked participants and those without a smartphone.

The service will operate up to 12 hours per day, 7 days a week, with adjustments made based on feedback from the community and City and as data from the service comes in to best align with the needs of the community.

The focus of the service area will be on key destinations for the local population and visitors, including healthcare, transportation hubs, grocery, senior living facilities, and other destinations as determined through community feedback. Over this period, the service can be adjusted and honed to the needs of this community, to the extent necessary and permitted by CMO.

The service will be provided primarily in the AB 1550 Low-income Communities west of Interstate 5, south of Avenida Pico and north of Avenida Valencia. This includes important transit connections (OCTA Route 1, San Clemente Trolley), grocery stores, shopping, and job centers. While the southernmost section is not classified as a Low-Income community, it does contain important community amenities, connections, and resources that align with the needs assessment. Circuit, the City, and community partners, will work with the community to identify key hot spots within this geofenced zone. Based on the Community feedback, the City may alternatively operate the program as a "smart stops" or "hub and spoke" with more clearly defined target pickup locations that overlap the City's public Trolley route.

The service will be reviewed by the project team monthly, quarterly, and on an as needed basis. Hours, vehicles, and/or service territory will be reviewed and may be adjusted as needed according to service data and input from the community.

The City will assist its selected Mobility Operator in coordinating storage, maintenance, and charging locations at a local facility.

No additional infrastructure is expected to be installed for this program. No additional transportation enhancement is proposed other than the core project model. Data from this service may be used to inform other transportation and urban planning.

The City will also engage community partners such as the San Clemente Downtown Business Association, the San Clemente Chamber of Commerce, the San Clemente Senior Center (operated by AgeWell), youthoriented nonprofits, and others to provide outreach and community engagement to continually promote and improve the service. Circuit or (or other selected Mobility Operator) will provide regular data reports to the City.

Service Models
Innovative transit services (e.g., on-demand shuttle or micro-transit) Innovative Transit Services - Type
Shuttle On-Demand Service
Vehicle Types to be Deployed
Light-Duty Battery-Electric Vehicles (CVRP-Eligible)
Medium-Duty Battery-Electric Vans and Buses (HVIP-Eligible) Section
Enter Your Requested Voucher Amount
$1,500,000.00
Indicate the Stage of Your Project
New
Indicate the Status of Service Models in Your Community That are of the Same Type Which You Propose
The Same Type of Service(s) Already Exist and
Is/Are Currently Operating in the Community
No
The Same Type of Service(s) Previously Existed
in the Community and Has/Have Ceased
No
SECTION 4. COMMUNITY TRANSPORTATION NEEDS

ASSESSMENT
Section
Transportation Access Data – 3 Data Sources
Source 1: US EPA Walkability Index
Source 2: Average Cost Per Week For Fueling Car (AAA)
Source 3: Existing Public Transit Stops (OCTA)
Survey of Project Area Residents
This needs assessment leverages the most recent Travel & Employment Survey conducted by True North Research for OCTA. While the survey included all of Orange County, more localized breakdowns of important data was also reported by smaller Supervisorial Districts.

Methodology:
“...2,019 randomly selected Orange County adult residents participated in the tracking survey between September 12 and September 30, 2022. The survey followed a mixed-method design that employed multiple recruiting methods (email, text and telephone) and multiple data collection methods (telephone and online). The interviews averaged 15 minutes in length and were conducted in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. The results presented in this report are representative at the countywide level, as well as within the five Supervisorial Districts identified in Figure 1.” (2) Notable demographics:
“The sample profile matches Orange County’s adult population profile on age, ethnicity, and homeownership based on the most recent Census American Community Survey (ACS) estimates, and is also balanced across Supervisorial Districts.” (43)
September 2022 demographic highlights:
45% Male, 53% Female, 0.3% Other

37.7% Caucasian/White, 32.3% Latino/Hispanic, 1.5% Af Amer/Black, 20.0% Asian American, 3.4% Mixed or Other

44.3% Rent, 51.7% Own

84.2% Always, 8.2% Sometimes, 5.9% Rarely have access to a personal vehicle OCTA’s “Directions 2045” Long Range Transportation Plan (January 2023) further informed this needs assessment.

Copy of Survey Used
Employment Travel Survey FINAL Report - 2022.pdf
Community Engagement – Activity 1
This needs assessment leverages community engagement activities originally undertaken as part of San Clemente’s Housing Element.
“Public participation for the 2021-2029 Housing Element included two online Housing Element and Safety Element Community Workshops on October 22, 2020 and January 26, 2021. Members of the community were invited to address concerns and give input on the contents of the Housing Element and Safety Element. The workshops included poll questions for participants to answer throughout the presentation.

Special invitations were sent to housing developers, housing professionals, and agencies and organizations that provide supportive housing services to lower and moderate income households and persons with special needs (see Appendix A for mailing list). Notices were also posted on City website and social media platforms and the City published press releases. The October 2020 workshop was attended by 22 persons and the January 2021 workshop was attended by 17 persons. Presentations for both workshops were translated to Spanish and available on the City’s website. During the October 2020 workshop, participants identified affordable housing and housing for the homeless as priority housing needs in the community, and seniors and young adults as the most underserved groups. During the January 2021 workshop, residents suggested North El Camino Real and Rancho San Clemente Specific Plan as appropriate areas for additional housing, but also suggested avoiding concentration of new housing in specific areas. The meeting recordings are available on the City’s YouTube channel. To further facilitate the community in assessing appropriate areas for increased housing, the City conducted an online survey from February 5 to March 26, 2021. The survey asked residents for their input and density preferences for the potential rezone sites as discussed in the January 2021 webinar. The City published the survey on their website and notified residents through email, two press releases, a special City Council presentation, and social media. As of March 2021, 617 responses were received. The City presented the potential sites for rezoning along before the Planning Commission on April 7, 2021 to solicit further input on the potential sites.”
Link: San Clemente Housing Element (Section 2, Public Participation) https://www.sanclemente.org/home/showdocument?id=72040&t=638092106683668550 Community Engagement – Activity 2
This needs assessment leverages community engagement activities originally undertaken as part of the South Orange County Multimodal Transportation Study.
“Public engagement was a key component of the study process and set a foundation for future stages of development. In total, seven public events were hosted engaging nearly 700 members of the community.

The survey and project information reached more than 400,000 people, which resulted in a total of 2,381 surveys collected. The feedback collected during each phase had a common theme that the public and stakeholders would like to see more alternatives to driving such as light rail, trolleys, active transportation, and improved public transit availability and accessibility. The public indicated a willingness to use alternative modes of transportation if the benefits and ease of use were more appealing than using a personal vehicle.”
Link to study: https://www.octa.net/Projects-and-Programs/Plans-and-Studies/South-Orange-CountyMultimodal-Transportation-Study/#!Resources Link to Appendix A Public and Stakeholder Participation Report:
https://www.octa.net/pdf/SOCMTS_FinalReportAppendices.pdf Community Engagement – Additional (Optional)
The City has engaged the Community multiple times over the past two years in regards to its Trolley program, jointly funded with OCTA (find Trolley info here: https://www.san-clemente.org/recreationcommunity/beaches/san-clemente-trolley). Although the Trolley did not operate in 2020 due to Covid, the service was reintroduced in 2021. In 2020, The City supported local businesses by creating a "parklet" program to allow for outdoor dining, which did remove some parking to make way for these installations.

The City began collecting small fees from the "parklet operators" in 2021 to support expanded trolley services. While the Trolley was intended to only operate during the summers, the City began providing weekend service in the fall through New Years due to community feedback. Most recently, the City Council agendized a further winter extension of its Trolley line as well as a pilot of a "green line" route in the AB1550 area and extending to the southern end of town. This location was selected from public feedback, including interest from the CA State Parks (operating San Clemente State Park, where a stop will be located). The City is funding this 3 month pilot as one way to further explore mobility improvements and demonstrates the City's commitment to public engagement and investment in exploring new mobility alternatives.

Summary Report of Findings
Summary of Report Findings - CMO App 2023.docx
Was Your Needs Assessment Developed by a Previous CTNA Awardee Who Is Not Part of This Proposal?
No
SECTION 5. PROJECT AREA
Where is Your Project Located?
AB 1550 Low-income Communities (see Map Reference)
Map Reference:
https://cleanmobilityoptions.org/projectarea-mapping-tool Select a Method for Describing the Boundaries of the Project Area Description of Project Boundaries Using Street Names and Cross Streets Description of Project Boundaries Using Street Names and Cross Streets The service will be provided primarily in the AB 1550 Low-income Communities west of Interstate 5, south of Avenida Pico and north of Avenida Valencia. The western boundary consists of the Pacific Ocean.

Project Area Setting Description
Most or all of one city/town
Section
Name of County (or Counties)
Orange
Name of City/Cities or Town(s)
San Clemente
SECTION 6. ATTESTATIONS AND SIGNATURE
Signature Signature Date
3/1/2023
Signed by
Jonathan Lightfoot
Position
Economic Development Officer
Upload Signature (as needed)
Are You Ready to Submit the Application?
Yes *Application Window
opens at 9:00 am PT on
Wednesday, March 1, 2023

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Table of Contents
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 i . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

T ABLE OF C ONTENTS
Table of Contents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i List of Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii List of Figures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Motivation for Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Overview of Methodology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Organization of Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Disclaimer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 About True North . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Key Findings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Local Issues & The Pandemic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Most Important Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Question 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Expectations for Coronavirus Pandemic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Question 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Employment & Commute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Question 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Question 16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Employment Status. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Days Working Per Week . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Question 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Question 17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Working from Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Question 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Question 18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Commute Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Question 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Question 19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Commute Distance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Question 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Employer’s Policy on Working from Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Question 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Remote Work Impacts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Question 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Changing Employers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Question 13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Question 14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Current & Expected Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Personal Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Question 15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Question 28 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Future Work Arrangements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 More or Less Remote Work in Future?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Remote Work Status - Employee’s Preference? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Question 20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Question 22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Question 24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Working Fewer Days from Home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Question 21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Working Same Days from Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Question 23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Table of Contents
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 ii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Working More Days from Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Question 25 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Do You Anticipate Changing Employers? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Question 26 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Question 27 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Background & Demographics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Questionnaire Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Programming, Pre-Test & Translation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Sample, Recruiting & Data Collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Statistical Margin of Error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Data Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Rounding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Questionnaire & Toplines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 List of Tables
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 iii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

L IST OF T ABLES
Table 1 Top Issue Facing County by Supervisorial District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Table 2 Top Issues Facing County by Study Version. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Table 3 Net Impacts of Working From Home by Study Version. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Table 4 Percentage Change in Days Per Month Performing Personal Activities: Sep 2022 vs Sep 2023 Expectations by Overall & Supervisorial District. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Table 5 Demographics of Sample by Study Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 List of Figures
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv

L IST OF F IGURES
Figure 1 Map of Supervisorial Districts and ZIP Codes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Figure 2 Most Important Issue Facing County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Figure 3 Opinion of Coronavirus Outbreak by Survey Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Figure 4 Opinion of Coronavirus Outbreak by Age & Employment Status Sep vs One Year. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Figure 5 Opinion of Coronavirus Outbreak by Years in Orange County, Supervisorial District & Gender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Figure 6 Opinion of Coronavirus Outbreak by Ethnicity & Hsld Income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Figure 7 Employment Status: Feb 2020, Jun 2020, Sep 2021 & Post-Pandemic Expectations, Sep 2022 & Sep 2023 Expectations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Figure 8 Employment Status: Sep 2022 & Sep 2023 Expectations by Overall & Age. . . . . . . 17 Figure 9 Employment Status: Sep 2022 & Sep 2023 Expectations by Ethnicity & Hsld Income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Figure 10 Work Days Per Week: Feb 2020, Jun 2020, Sep 2021 & Post-Pandemic Expectations, and Sep 2022 & Sep 2023 Expectations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Figure 11 Work Days Per Week Sep 2022 vs Sep 2023 Expectations by Overall, Supervisorial District & Age. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Figure 12 Work Days Per Week Sep 2022 vs Sep 2023 Expectations by Ethnicity & Hsld Income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Figure 13 Work Days Per Week Sep 2022 vs Sep 2023 Expectations by Employment Status Sep 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Figure 14 Telework Days Per Week: Feb 2020, Jun 2020, Sep 2021 & Post-Pandemic Expectations, and Sep 2022 and Sep 2023 Expectations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Figure 15 Telework Days Per Week Sep 2022 vs Sep 2023 Expectations by Overall, Supervisorial District & Age. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Figure 16 Telework Days Per Week Sep 2022 vs Sep 2023 Expectations by Ethnicity & Hsld Income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Figure 17 Telework Days Per Week Sep 2022 vs Sep 2023 Expectations by Employment Status Sep. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Figure 18 Commute Mode: Feb 2020, Jun 2020, Sep 2021 & Post-Pandemic Expectations, Sep 2022 and Sep 2023 Expectations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Figure 19 Commute Mode Sep 2022 vs Sep 2023 Expectations by Supervisorial District . . . . 24 Figure 20 Work Commute Miles: Feb 2020, Jun 2020, Sep 2021 & Sep 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Figure 21 Telework Option: Feb 2020, Jun 2020, Sep 2021 & Sep 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Figure 22 Telework Option Sep 2022 by Industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Figure 23 Telework Option Sep 2022 by Occupation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Figure 24 Impact of Working From Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Figure 25 Negative/Positive Impacts of Each Aspect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Figure 26 Change Employers in Past 18 Months . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Figure 27 Change Employers in Past 18 Months Years in Orange County & Age . . . . . . . . . . 30 Figure 28 Change Employers in Past 18 Months by Hsld Income & Supervisorial District. . . . 30 Figure 29 Change Employers in Past 18 Months by Telework Option in Sep & Ethnicity. . . . . 30 Figure 30 Main Reason For Changing Employers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Figure 31 Percentage of Days Per Month Performing Personal Activities: Feb 2020, Jun 2020, Aug 2021, Post-Pandemic Expectations, Aug 2022 & Sep 2023 Expectations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Figure 32 Personal Activities: Aug 2022 vs Sep 2023 Expectations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Figure 33 Percentage Change in Days Per Month Performing Personal Activities:

Aug 2022 vs Sep 2023 Expectations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Figure 34 Expected Sep 2023 Telework Status Among All Employees by Overall & Percentage Telework Days in Sep 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 List of Figures
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v Figure 35 Expected Sep 2023 Telework Status Among All Employees by Supervisorial District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Figure 36 Expected Sep 2023 Telework Status Among All Employees by Hsld Income. . . . . . 37 Figure 37 Sep 2023 Expected Telework Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Figure 38 Fewer Telework Days Next Year (Sep 2023): Employer Requirement vs Employee Preference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Figure 39 Same Number of Telework Days Next Year (Sep 2023): Employer Requirement vs Employee Preference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Figure 40 More Telework Days Next Year (Sep 2023): Employer Requirement vs Employee Preference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Figure 41 Employment Status in Next 12 Months by Overall & Supervisorial District . . . . . . . 41 Figure 42 Employment Status in Next 12 Months by Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Figure 43 Employment Status in Next 12 Months by Hsld Income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Figure 44 Main Reason For Changing Employers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Figure 45 Maximum Margin of Error Due to Sampling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Introduction
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

I NTRODUCTION
The arrival of coronavirus in California triggered a statewide shelter-in-place mandate in March 2020, effectively shuttering many sectors of the world’s fifth largest economy for several months and sending ripple effects through most aspects of daily life. In addition to the direct economic impacts including job losses, salary cuts, and reduced spending, the threat of COVID-19 and the closure of non-essential businesses dramatically altered how and where people work, play, shop, and travel. Although the State began a phased reopening of the economy several months later, public health restrictions remained throughout 2020 and into 2021, and many businesses and employees found themselves forced to operate under altered work arrangements. Within four months of the pandemic’s arrival, full-time employment in Orange County declined by 9%, the number of employees who worked from home at least one day per week jumped from 23% to 61%, and the average number of days worked from home among all employees increased from

0.76 to 2.52 per week. The pandemic also prompted dramatic changes in travel behavior, with Orange County residents reporting significant reductions in the number of days they drive alone, carpool, or use public transit.1
Although the widespread availability of COVID-19 vaccines and relaxation of public health guidelines in 2021 allowed many workers the option to return to the office, many preferred to keep their remote work status. Eighteen months after vaccines were made widely available to all adults, questions still remain as to what percentage of workers have returned to the office, how they are commuting, and whether they anticipate these patterns will change or if this is effectively the new normal. The answers to these questions are highly relevant to OCTA’s mission to develop an integrated and balanced transportation system that supports the diverse travel needs and reflects the character of Orange County.

MOTIVATION FOR RESEARCH The purpose of the study described in this report was to develop a statistically reliable understanding of how public attitudes, working arrangements, travel behaviors, and mode choice have been altered over the course of the pandemic, as well as how these patterns could change in the upcoming year. This tracking survey represents the third in the study series. A baseline survey (presented to OCTA in August 2020) profiled work arrangements, travel behavior, and relevant activities among Orange County residents prior to the pandemic (January & February 2020) and several months into the pandemic (June 2020) to document changes. A tracking survey conducted in September 2021 captured the same information for the September 2021 period, as well as respondents’ expectations for what was referred to as the post-pandemic period. This third tracking survey gathered the same employment and activity data for the current period (September 2022) and expectations a year from now (September 2023).

Specifically, the current tracking survey was designed to:
• Identify the issues that residents view as the most important facing Orange County today • Gauge residents’ expectations for the coronavirus pandemic

1. Source: Employment and Travel Survey: Summary Report on Pandemic Impacts, report prepared for OCTA by True North Research, August 12, 2020.

Introduction
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 • Profile their employment status, work schedule, frequency of remote work, and commute behavior in September 2022 and expectations for a year from now (September 2023) • Profile their use of rideshare, transit, and active transportation, as well as their shopping and dining habits in September 2022 and expectations for September 2023 • Among employees who work from home, gauge the impacts of doing so on their work experiences and performance OVERVIEW OF METHODOLOGY A full description of the methodology used for this study is included later in this report (see Methodology on page 44). In brief, a total of 2,019 randomly selected Orange County adult residents participated in the tracking survey between September 12 and September 30, 2022.2 The survey followed a mixed-method design that employed multiple recruiting methods (email, text and telephone) and multiple data collection methods (telephone and online). The interviews averaged 15 minutes in length and were conducted in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. The results presented in this report are representative at the countywide level, as well as within the five Supervisorial Districts identified in Figure 1.

FIGURE 1 MAP OF SUPERVISORIAL DISTRICTS AND ZIP CODES

2. A total of 6,776 interviews were completed between the baseline survey and two tracking surveys. 92618
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IRVINE

ANAHEIM
ORANGE
SANTA
ANA
BREA

FULLERTON
TUSTIN

YORBA LINDA

NEWPORT BEACH

HUNTINGTON
BEACH

COSTA MESA

LAKE FOREST

MISSION
VIEJO

SAN CLEMENTE

GARDEN GROVE

SEAL BEACH

LAGUNA NIGUEL
BUENA
PARK

LA HABRA

WESTMINSTER

CYPRESS

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO

PLACENTIA

ALISO VIEJO

DANA POINT

FOUNTAIN
VALLEY

STANTON

LAGUNA BEACH
LAGUNA
HILLS
RANCHO
SANTA

MARGARITA
LOS

ALAMITOS

LAGUNA WOODS
LA
PALMA
VILLA
PARK
Orange County Zip Codes by Supervisorial District
October 5, 2011 Portions of this map copyrighted by Thomas Bros. Maps and reproduced with permission. W:\Requests\EA\Marketing\ZipCodes\OCZIPCodes_SupeDist_2011-1005.mxd Source: OCTA
I024 1
Miles
1 2
4 3
5 Zip Code Boundary
Supervisorial District Boundary
Introduction
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 ORGANIZATION OF REPORT This report is designed to meet the needs of readers who prefer a summary of the findings as well as those who are interested in the details of the results.

For those who seek an overview of the findings, the section titled Key Findings is for you. It provides a summary of the most important factual findings of the surveys and a discussion of their implications. For the interested reader, this section is followed by a more detailed question-byquestion discussion of the results from the surveys by topic area (see Table of Contents), a description of the methodology employed for collecting and analyzing the data (see Methodology on page 44), and the questionnaire used for the interviews (see Questionnaire & Toplines on page 47).

Where appropriate, the results of the baseline survey (August 2020) and the initial tracking survey (September 2021) have been incorporated into graphics and analyses in this report alongside data collected in the 2022 tracking survey to provide a more complete picture of how employment arrangements, travel behavior, and activities have changed over the trajectory of the pandemic.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS True North thanks OCTA for the opportunity to assist the agency with this important study, especially Alice Rogan, Kurt Brotcke, and Darrell Johnson. Their collective expertise, local knowledge, and insight improved the overall quality of the research presented here.

DISCLAIMER The statements and conclusions in this report are those of the authors (Dr. Timothy McLarney and Richard Sarles) at True North Research, Inc. and not necessarily those of OCTA. Any errors and omissions are the responsibility of the authors.

ABOUT TRUE NORTH True North is a full-service survey research firm that is dedicated to providing public agencies with a clear understanding of the values, perceptions, priorities, and concerns of their residents and customers. Through designing and implementing scientific surveys, focus groups, and one-on-one interviews, as well as expert interpretation of the findings, True North helps its clients to move with confidence when making strategic decisions in a variety of areas—such as planning, policy evaluation, performance management, organizational development, establishing fiscal priorities, and developing effective public information campaigns.

During their careers, Dr. McLarney (President) and Mr. Sarles (Principal Researcher) have designed and conducted over 1,200 survey research studies for public agencies, including more than 500 studies for California municipalities, special districts, and transportation planning agencies.

Key Findings
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

K EY F INDINGS
This study was designed to provide OCTA with a statistically reliable understanding of how Orange County residents’ attitudes, working arrangements, travel behaviors, and activities were altered over the course of the pandemic, as well as how these patterns may have change as the pandemic recedes. Whereas subsequent sections of this report are devoted to conveying the detailed results of the survey, in this section we attempt to ‘see the forest through the trees’ and note how the collective results of the survey answer some of the key questions that motivated the research.

Is the coronavirus pandemic still top-of-mind
for Orange County residents?
When asked in June 2020 to identify the most important issue facing Orange County, the coronavirus pandemic/COVID-19 naturally topped the list, being mentioned by more than one-third (34%) of respondents.

The next nearest specific issues were homelessness (12%), housing availability/affordability (7%), traffic congestion (6%), and public safety/ drugs/crime (5%).

Residents’ concerns about the coronavirus in June 2020 were driven, in part, by what they saw as the pandemic’s trajectory in Orange County moving forward. Nearly two-thirds of respondents (63%) were pessimistic about the coronavirus outbreak in Orange County at the time, anticipating that the worst is yet to come. Approximately 20% were optimistic, feeling that the worst is behind us. The remaining respondents were either uncertain (16%) or preferred to not share their opinion (1%).

By September 2021, Orange County residents were far more optimistic about the path of the pandemic, with 53% feeling that the worst is behind us, 21% anticipating the worst is yet to come, and the remainder being unsure (25%) or unwilling to share their opinion (1%). Although still top of mind for many residents, the pandemic was no longer viewed as the most important issue facing the County, being replaced by homelessness (23%) and concerns about housing availability/affordability (15%) at the top of the list. Just 12% of respondents in the 2021 tracking survey identified the pandemic/COVID-19 as the most important issue facing Orange County today.

Fast forward to September 2022 and it’s clear that the pandemic is old news for many Orange County residents. When asked to identify the number one issue facing Orange County today, less than 1% mentioned COVID-19 or the pandemic, focusing instead on homelessness (25%), housing availability/affordability (18%), public safety/drugs/crime (11%), cost of living (9%), traffic congestion (9%), and public transportation (5%).

Consistent with this finding, three-quarters of respondents (74%) in 2022 expected that the worst of the pandemic is behind us, while just 10% anticipated the worst is yet to come, and 16% were unsure or unwilling to share their opinion.

Key Findings
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 How has the pandemic
impacted Orange
County residents’
employment?
Consistent with the sharp increase in unemployment recorded statewide during the months of April, May and June 2020 in response to the pandemic,3 the baseline survey results revealed that Orange County residents experienced significant job losses between February and June, 2020. Full-time employment declined 9% during this period, with additional declines in part-time employment (-1%) and self-employment (-1.6%). Meanwhile, the percentage of individuals surveyed who were unemployed/looking for work, laid-off, or furloughed increased from 4% to 18% between February and June, 2020.

In addition to the net loss of jobs noted above, there were other less obvious impacts that occurred in the first few months of the pandemic.

Among those who remained employed, the number of days worked per week declined from 4.95 days on average in February 2020 to 4.73 days per week in June 2020. Approximately 4% of individuals who were employed in February and June were also compelled to switch employers in the interim, with young adults (18 to 24) and those in households earning less than $25,000 annually being the most likely to have switched employers during this period.

More than a year later (September 2021), the initial tracking survey indicated that although employment had rebounded in Orange County from the early months of the pandemic, it remained depressed when compared to pre-pandemic levels. Sixty-four percent (64%) of respondents in the tracking survey indicated they were employed full-time (48%), parttime (9%), or self-employed (8%), compared to 71% in February 2020.

The 2021 patterns notwithstanding, Orange County residents anticipated at that time that their levels of employment would return to prepandemic levels once the pandemic was over, with 56% expecting to work full-time, 9% part-time, and 7% self-employed during the post-pandemic period.

The 2022 tracking survey results reveal that little has changed over the past year in terms of employment. The percentage of individuals employed full-time (49%), part-time (9%), or self-employed (7%) is strikingly similar to that found in 2021, collectively just 1% higher. As was the case in 2021, however, respondents in 2022 were optimistic about their future employment, expecting that one year from now (September 2023) their levels of employment (55% full-time, 8% part-time, 8% selfemployed) would be similar to pre-pandemic levels. And just as they were the most likely to suffer unemployment in the early months of the pandemic, younger adults and those in low-income households were

3. According to the California Employment Development Department (EDD), the unemployment rate in California jumped from 4.2% in February to 15.5% in April 2020, reached 16.4% in May 2020, and tapered to 14.9% in June 2020.

Key Findings
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 also the most likely to anticipate a positive change in their employment status by 2023.

How has the pandemic
impacted where
employees work?
Concerns about COVID-19 transmission in the work place and guidelines issued by the State of California and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) prompted many Orange County businesses to shift to a remote work model when the pandemic struck, with employees working from home rather than coming to a central work site. This study not only confirmed there was a dramatic shift in where business was being conducted in Orange County during the initial months of the pandemic, it has also demonstrated that the tide of remote work witnessed in 2020 ebbed only modestly in 2021 and appears to be settling into a new normal in 2022 well-above pre-pandemic levels.

Prior to the pandemic in February 2020, less than one-quarter (23%) of employed Orange County residents indicated they worked from home at least one day per week, which translated to an overall average of 0.76 days per week working from home per employee. Four months later in June 2020, 61% of employed residents reported that they worked from home at least one day per week, and the average number of days working from home per employee had jumped to 2.52 per week.

Although the widespread availability of COVID-19 vaccines and relaxation of public health guidelines in 2021 allowed many workers the option to return to the office, the first tracking survey in 2021 indicated that only a modest percentage decided to do so. Reporting on their work arrangements in September 2021, 48% indicated that they worked from home at least one day per week, with the average number of days worked from home among all employees being 1.97—not far below the

2.52 reported in June 2020. When asked at that time what they expect when the pandemic is over, the percentage of employees who anticipated working from home at least one day per week (44%) was double pre-pandemic levels, as was the expected average number of days worked from home per week (1.55).

Interestingly, the survey also reveals that some employees aspire to increase the days they work from home over the next year, as the average expected number of days worked from home one year from now (September 2023) is 1.60.

Key Findings
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Which industries and
occupations are working remotely?
Although all industries and occupational categories experienced an increase in remote working during the pandemic, by September 2022 the patterns were far from even. Certain industries such as finance & insurance, information, wholesale trade, real estate, rental & leasing, and professional, scientific & technology apparently lend themselves to working from home, with three-quarters or more of employees surveyed in these industries indicating that their employers give them the option to work from home. At the other end of the spectrum, less than one-third of employees in industries that generally require in-person services or labor such as utilities, accommodation & food services, education, and construction reported that their employer gives them the option to work from home at least one day per week.

Similarly, remote work patterns varied dramatically across occupations in September 2022, with far more office professionals reporting that their employers allow them the option to work from home when compared to those working in manual or skilled labor positions. At the extremes, more than three-quarters of employees working in legal, business and financial positions, and computer or math science reported that their employer allows them to work from home, compared to less than 10% of employees in protective services and construction/extraction positions.

How has working from
home impacted
employees’ work experiences and lives?
Employees who currently work at home at least one day per week were generally positive when asked how remote work has impacted various aspects of their job performance and their personal lives. Indeed, for all but two dimensions tested, the percentage of employees who felt that remote work had helped was substantially higher than the percentage who felt it had hurt.

The largest net positive outcomes were reported for the impacts of remote working on their expenses, job satisfaction, productivity, ability to manage their time, and ability to strike a balance between work and their personal life. To a lesser degree, remote work was also generally viewed to have a net positive impact on the quality of their work and their ability to communicate with external customers and partners.

Where remote work was perceived to be harmful focused on employees’ abilities to communicate and collaborate with other employees.

How has the pandemic
impacted commute patterns?
The dramatic increase in remote working that occurred in the initial months of the pandemic had a direct impact on commute patterns in Orange County. With far more employees reporting that they only worked from home in June 2020 (47%) when compared to February 2020 (12%), the percentage who commuted to a work site at least occasionally declined from 89% to 54% during this period. The net reduction in work commutes was felt in every mode category, with the percentage of employees reporting that they typically commute to work by driving alone declining from 77% to 48%, and use of public transit, active trans- Key Findings
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 portation, and carpool/vanpool for commuting was cut in half during the same period.

By September 2021, many workers had resumed their commutes to a work location outside of their home (at least once per week), although as noted above the amount of work taking place in the home remained well above pre-pandemic levels. Of the 70% of employees who commuted to work in September 2021, 60% indicated they typically drove alone, 4% took public transit, 3% carpooled or vanpooled, 2% used active transportation (walk/run/bike/E-bike), and 2% used a different mode.

With respect to alternative modes of transportation, the trend back toward pre-pandemic commute patterns was expected to continue when employees were surveyed in 2021. Once the pandemic is over, 5% of employees anticipated that they would typically use public transit for their commute, 4% expected to carpool or vanpool, 2% expected to use active transportation, and 2% other modes. Approximately seven-in-ten employees (69%) anticipated that they would drive alone to work once the pandemic is over, which is approximately 10% less than pre-pandemic due to the higher percentage of employees (18%) who anticipate only working from home and thus will not be commuting.

Fast-forward to September 2022 and the patterns are nearly identical to what employees forecast in 2021 for the post-pandemic period. Of the 81% of employees who commuted to work in September 2022, 69% indicated they typically drove alone, 5% took public transit, 1% carpooled or vanpooled, 4% used active transportation (walk/run/bike/E-bike), and 2% used a different mode. Employees also anticipated that these mode choice patterns would hold over the next year, with expectations for September 2023 being nearly identical to the current period.

In what other ways has
the pandemic impacted
residents’ activities?
In the first few months of the pandemic, Orange County residents made significant changes in their travel, shopping, and dining habits. With respect to travel behavior, the percentage of days they drove alone in a vehicle declined from 65% in February 2020 to 43% in June 2020, use of on-demand rideshare declined from 4% of days in February to 1% in June, carpooling with someone they don’t live with declined from 4% of days in February to 1% in June, riding a bus declined from 3% of days on average in February to 1% in June, while riding Metrolink or Amtrak declined from 1% of days in February to 0.2% in June.

With respect to shopping and dining, the dramatic decline in the percentage of days respondents reported eating a meal at a restaurant (24% in February vs 5% in June) was only partially offset by an increase in the percentage of days they ordered food for pick-up (12% in February vs 17% in June) or delivery (6% in February vs 8% in June). When compared to the patterns in February, there was also a modest uptick in the percentage of Key Findings
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 days Orange County residents purchased groceries online (2% in February vs 5% in June) and purchased other products online (20% in February vs 25% in June).

By August 2021, many of the activities had bounced back toward prepandemic levels. When compared to June 2020, the percentage of days respondents drove alone in a vehicle increased from 43% to 56%, use of on-demand rideshare increased from 1% of days to 3%, carpooling with someone they don’t live with increased from 1% to 4%, riding a bus increased from 1% of days to 3%, while riding Metrolink or Amtrak increased from 0.2% of days in June 2020 to 1% in August 2021. Interestingly, the changes in shopping and dining behavior between June 2020 and August 2021 were comparatively slight, with the exception of eating a meal at a restaurant, which increased from 5% of days in June 2020 to 17% of days in August 2021.

When asked in 2021 to think ahead to the post-pandemic period, respondents anticipated small changes in the number of days they would engage in most activities when compared to August 2021, including purchasing products online (-4%), eating a meal at a restaurant (+3%), ordering food for pick-up from a restaurant (-2%), ordering food for delivery from a restaurant (-1%), purchasing groceries online (-0.5%), carpooling (+1%), using on-demand rideshare (+0.8%), riding a bus (+1%), riding Metrolink or Amtrak (+1%), and vanpooling (+0.2%). The one notable exception was a large decline in the percentage of days they anticipated driving alone in a vehicle (-20%) once the pandemic is over when compared to August 2021.

The 2022 tracking survey found that little actually changed during the prior year, as the patterns closely matched those found in August 2021.

Although respondents in 2021 had anticipated a large decline in the number of days they would drive post-pandemic, the percentage of days respondents drove alone in a vehicle decreased just 2% by August 2022 (from 56% to 54%), use of on-demand rideshare increased from 3% of days to 5%, carpooling with someone they don’t live with stayed the same at 4%, riding a bus increased from 3% of days to 4%, while riding Metrolink or Amtrak increased from 1% of days in August 2021 to 2% in August 2022. Interestingly, most of the changes in shopping and dining behavior between August 2021 and August 2022 were slight (2% or less), with the exception of ordering food for pick-up from a restaurant (-3%) and purchasing products online (-3%).

Local Issues & The Pandemic
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 L OCAL I SSUES & T HE P ANDEMIC At the outset of the interview, respondents were asked to identify the most important issues facing Orange County today, as well as their expectations for the coronavirus pandemic in the County.

MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES The opening question in this series asked respondents to identify the most important issue facing Orange County today. Question 2 was presented in an open-ended manner, which allowed respondents to mention any issue that came to mind without being prompted by—or restricted to—a particular list of issues. True North later reviewed the verbatim responses and grouped them into the categories shown in Figure 2.

Question 2 Thinking about Orange County as a whole, what would you say is the most important issue facing Orange County today? FIGURE 2 MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE FACING COUNTY Homelessness was top-of-mind for many respondents, with one-quarter (25%) identifying it as the most important issue facing Orange County today. Other specific issues mentioned in response to Question 2 included housing availability/affordability (18%), public safety/drugs/ crime (11%), cost of living (9%), traffic congestion (9%), and public transportation (5%). It is also worth noting that 16% of respondents could not identify an issue they felt was the most important facing Orange County as a whole.

25.0 18.3

15.6 10.7

9.3 8.6

5.4 2.9

2.9 2.9

2.8 2.6

2.1 2.0

1.7 1.7

1.7 1.3

1.1 0 5 10 15 20 25
Homelessness
Housing availability, affordability
Not sure, cannot think of anything
Public safety, drugs, crime
Cost of living
Traffic congestion
Public transportation
Development, loss of open space
Population, overcrowding
Infrastructure maintenance, repair
Environmental issues, concerns
Water supply issues, concerns, drought
Economy, unemployment
High gas prices
High taxes
Political division
Illegal immigration issues
Leadership, government
Education, schools
% Respondents
Local Issues & The Pandemic
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Table 1 shows how responses to Question 2 varied by Supervisorial District. Although the rank order varied somewhat, homelessness, housing availability/affordability, and public safety were the top three concerns in four of five districts. Moreover, Table 2 demonstrates that although COVID-19 was the top concern for residents back in 2020, it no longer ranks among the top concerns. In fact, the percentage of respondents citing COVID-19/pandemic as the top issue in Orange County in 2022 was less than 1%, which is why it does not appear in Figure 2. TABLE 1 TOP ISSUE FACING COUNTY BY SUPERVISORIAL DISTRICT TABLE 2 TOP ISSUES FACING COUNTY BY STUDY VERSION One Two Three Four Five
Homelessness Homelessness
Housing
availability,
affordability
Homelessness
Housing
availability,
affordability
Not sure, cannot
think of anything
Housing
availability,
affordability
Not sure, cannot
think of anything
Housing
availability,
affordability
Homelessness
Housing
availability,
affordability
Not sure, cannot
think of anything Homelessness Not sure, cannot
think of anything
Not sure, cannot
think of anything
Public safety,
drugs, crime
Public safety,
drugs, crime
Traffic
congestion Cost of living Public safety, drugs, crime
Cost of living Cost of living Public safety,
drugs, crime
Traffic
congestion Cost of living
Traffic
congestion
Public
transportation Cost of living Public safety, drugs, crime Traffic
congestion
Public
transportation
Traffic
congestion
Public
transportation
Public
transportation
Environmental
issues, concerns
Environmental
issues, concerns
Development,
loss of open space
Population,
overcrowding High gas prices Public transportation
Infrastructure
maintenance,
repair
Economy,
unemployment
Environmental
issues, concerns High taxes Water supply issues, concerns Political division Population,
overcrowding
Development,
loss of open
space
Infrastructure
maintenance,
repair
Population,
overcrowding
Supervisorial District
Baseline
Jul 2020
Tracking
Sep 2021
Tracking II
Sep 2022
COVID-19
concerns, issues Homelessness Homelessness
Not sure, cannot
think of anything
Housing
availability,
affordability
Housing
availability,
affordability
Homelessness Not sure, cannot
think of anything
Not sure, cannot
think of anything
Housing
availability,
affordability
COVID-19
concerns, issues
Public safety,
drugs, crime
Traffic
congestion
Traffic
congestion Cost of living
Study Version
Local Issues & The Pandemic
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 EXPECTATIONS FOR CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC Anticipating that in certain waves of the survey respondents would identify the coronavirus/COVID-19 as the most important issue facing Orange County, the surveys explored respondents’ views regarding the trajectory of the pandemic. When it comes to the coronavirus outbreak in Orange County, do they think the worst is behind us—or is the worst yet to come?
As shown in Figure 3, opinions about the pandemic have changed dramatically over the past two years. In the baseline survey conducted in July 2020, nearly two-thirds of respondents (63%) were pessimistic about the coronavirus outbreak in Orange County, anticipating that the worst is yet to come. Approximately 20% were optimistic, feeling that the worst is behind us. The remaining respondents were either uncertain (16%) or preferred to not share their opinion (1%). By September 2021, Orange County residents were far more optimistic about the path of the pandemic, with 53% feeling that the worst is behind us, 21% anticipating the worst is yet to come, and the remainder being unsure (25%) or unwilling to share their opinion (1%). In this latest tracking survey (2022), three-quarters of respondents (74%) expected that the worst of the pandemic is behind us, while just 10% anticipated the worst is yet to come, and 16% were unsure or unwilling to share their opinion.

Question 3 Which comes closer to your view about where Orange County stands in the coronavirus outbreak: the worst is behind us OR the worst is yet to come? FIGURE 3 OPINION OF CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK BY SURVEY YEAR † Statistically significant change (p < 0.05) between the 2021 and 2022 studies.

Figures 4-6 on the next page show how expectations for the coronavirus pandemic in Orange County in the tracking survey (September 2022) varied by age, employment status in September 2022 and one year from now, length of residence in Orange County, Supervisorial District, gender, ethnicity, and household income. Although certain groups (e.g., high income households) were more optimistic than others, it is striking that the dominant opinion in every identified subgroup was that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic is behind us.

74.0†

52.9 20.4

9.8†

21.2 63.0

15.0†

24.7 15.5
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 90
100
Baseline Study
Jul 2020
Tracking Study
Sep 2021
Tracking Study II
Sep 2022
Study Version
% Respondents
Prefer not to
answer
Not sure
Worst is yet
to come
Worst is
behind us
Local Issues & The Pandemic
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 FIGURE 4 OPINION OF CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK BY AGE & EMPLOYMENT STATUS SEP VS ONE YEAR FIGURE 5 OPINION OF CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK BY YEARS IN ORANGE COUNTY, SUPERVISORIAL DISTRICT & GENDER 77 78 77
71 67
72 22
13 9
6 5
5 10
7 16 16
60 70
75 82
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 90
100
18 to 24 25 to 34 35 to 44 45 to 54 55 to 64 65 or older Employed Sep & in
one year
Not
employed
Sep & in
one year
Employed
Sep but not
in one year
Not
employed
Sep,
employed in
one year
Age (QD1) Employment Status Sep vs in One Year (Q4,16)
% Respondents
Worst is behind us Worst is yet to come
75 71 73
81 66
80 81
69 11 13 13
9 9 10 11
5 16
6 6
13 74 71
67 73
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 90
100
Less than 33 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 or
more
One Two Three Four Five Male Female
Years in Orange County (Q1) Supervisorial District Gender (QD2) % Respondents
Worst is behind us Worst is yet to come
Local Issues & The Pandemic
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 FIGURE 6 OPINION OF CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK BY ETHNICITY & HSLD INCOME 76 56
64 69
74 80
88 6
13 14 11 11
19 13 12
8 7
5 83
68 73
68 0
10 20
30 40
50 60
70 80
90 100
Caucasian
/ White
Latino /
Hispanic
Af Amer. /
Black
Asian
American
Mixed or
other
Less than
$25K
$25K to
$49K
$50K to
$74K
$75K to
$99K
$100K to
$149K
$150K or
more
Ethnicity (QD5) Hsld Income (QD6)
% Respondents
Worst is behind us Worst is yet to come
Employment & Commute
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

E MPLOYMENT & C OMMUTE
As noted in the Introduction, the primary purpose of the study described in this report was to develop a statistically reliable understanding of how the pandemic has altered working arrangements, travel behaviors, and mode choice for Orange County residents. To identify the changes that have occurred, the surveys asked a series of questions that profiled respondents’ employment status, working arrangements, and commute behavior in February 2020 (before the pandemic), in June 2020 (during the pandemic), in September 2021 (during the pandemic), and in September 2022 (waning pandemic). Respondents in the 2021 tracking survey were also asked about their anticipated work and commute characteristics once the pandemic is over (post-pandemic), while those in the 2022 tracking survey were asked about their work and commute expectations for one year from now. The results from all three surveys are combined in the graphics presented in this section to allow for easy comparisons, although it is important to note that the question numbering aligns with the 2022 tracking survey.

Question 4 We're interested in how your activities may have changed in response to the pandemic. First, let me ask about your current situation. Which best describes your current employment status? Are you employed full-time, employed part-time, self-employed, laid-off or furloughed, not employed but looking for work, a student, a homemaker, or retired? Question 16 Next, let me ask you about the future, one year from now. If you aren't sure about an answer, please give me your best estimate. One year from now, do you expect to be employed full-time, employed part-time, self-employed, laid-off or furloughed, not employed but looking for work, a student, a homemaker, or retired?
FIGURE 7 EMPLOYMENT STATUS: FEB 2020, JUN 2020, SEP 2021 & POST-PANDEMIC EXPECTATIONS, SEP 2022 & SEP 2023 EXPECTATIONS

48.8 55.1

9.2 8.0 7.6 7.3

7.9 0.8

0.3 6.9

5.5 2.0

5.0 1.6

6.9 3.9

5.8 4.8 5.9 5.9

3.2 3.7 3.9 3.5 4.0 2.3

14.7 15.0 17.9 18.2 18.9 18.9

53.3 44.5 47.6

55.5 10.3 9.1

9.2 9.3

6.5 5.7

7.3 0.4

2.5 1.9

11.0 2.3
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 90
100
Feb 2020 Jun 2020 Sep 2021 PostPandemicSep 2022 Sep 2023 Baseline Study Tracking Study Tracking Study II
% Respondents Who Provided Opinion
Retired
Homemaker
Student
Not employed,
looking for work
Laid-off /
Furloughed
Self-employed
Employed parttime
Employed fulltime
Employment & Commute
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 EMPLOYMENT STATUS Consistent with the sharp increase in unemployment recorded statewide during the months of April, May and June 2020 in response to the pandemic,4 the baseline survey results revealed that Orange County residents experienced significant job losses in the early months of the pandemic. Full-time employment declined 9% between February and June 2020, with additional declines in part-time employment (-1%) and self-employment (-1.6%).

Meanwhile, the percentage of individuals surveyed who were unemployed/looking for work, laidoff, or furloughed increased from 4% to 18% between February and June, 2020 (see Figure 7).

More than a year later (September 2021), the tracking survey indicated that although employment had rebounded in Orange County from the early months of the pandemic, it remained depressed when compared to pre-pandemic levels. Sixty-four percent (64%) of respondents in the 2021 tracking survey indicated they were employed full-time (48%), part-time (9%), or selfemployed (8%), compared to 71% in February 2020. The patterns at that time notwithstanding, Orange County residents anticipated that their levels of employment would return to pre-pandemic levels once the pandemic is over, with 56% expecting to work full-time, 9% part-time, and 7% self-employed during the post-pandemic period.

The 2022 tracking survey results reveal that little has changed over the past year in terms of employment. The percentage of individuals employed full-time (49%), part-time (9%), or selfemployed (7%) is strikingly similar to that found in 2021, collectively just 1% higher. As was the case in 2021, however, respondents in 2022 were optimistic about their future employment, expecting that one year from now the levels of employment (55% full-time, 8% part-time, 8% selfemployed) would be similar to pre-pandemic levels.

Figures 8 and 9 highlight patterns of employment in September 2022 and expectations for a year from now (September 2023) among key subgroups of Orange County residents. The top two layers of the bar focus on those whose employment status is expected to change between September 2022 and a year from now. Across all subgroups, the percentage that expected a change in employment status during this period ranged between 5% and 28%, with the dominant type of change being a transition from not being employed in September 2022 to gaining employment a year from now. When compared to their respective counterparts, younger residents (under 35) and low-income residents (under $25,000 annually) were the most likely to anticipate a change in employment status.

4. According to the California Employment Development Department (EDD), the unemployment rate in California jumped from 4.2% in February to 15.5% in April 2020, reached 16.4% in May 2020, and tapered to 14.9% in June 2020.

Employment & Commute
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 FIGURE 8 EMPLOYMENT STATUS: SEP 2022 & SEP 2023 EXPECTATIONS BY OVERALL & AGE FIGURE 9 EMPLOYMENT STATUS: SEP 2022 & SEP 2023 EXPECTATIONS BY ETHNICITY & HSLD INCOME DAYS WORKING PER WEEK In addition to a change in employment status, some workers experienced a reduction in the number of days they worked per week during the first few months of the pandemic. As shown in Figure 10 on the next page, 86% of employees reported that they worked at least five days per week in February 2020, with the average number of days worked among all employed individuals being 4.95. By June 2020, those figures had declined to 77% working at least five days per week, and 4.73 days worked per week, on average. The first tracking survey results revealed that by September 2021, the average number of days worked per week returned to pre-pandemic levels (4.90) with little change expected once the pandemic is over (4.91). The patterns in September 2022 were similar, with employees working an average

4.89 days. That said, one year into the future (September 2023), employees anticipated a slight reduction in the average number of days worked per week (4.82).

83.8 64.9

15.6 9.2

27.0 78.0

2.6 0.4 1.4 3.3 2.2 5.6 4.9 4.2

80.5 76.6

51.9 63.0

26.7 12.0 9.7

26.6 2.5

6.0 15.5

7.9 8.8 9.5
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 90
100
18 to 24 25 to 34 35 to 44 45 to 54 55 to 64 65 or older Overall Age (QD1)
% Respondents Who Provided Opinion
Not employed
Sep, employed in
one year
Employed Sep but
not in one year
Not employed
Sep & in one year
Employed Sep &
in one year

66.3 34.0

61.1 63.1 63.3

70.8 76.7

16.6 38.0

26.3 25.3 29.6

24.0 16.4

5.0 2.6

3.3 2.4

2.3 3.9 2.2 1.1 3.3 13.8

25.5 10.4 7.7 4.9 4.1 3.6

59.7 67.3

77.1 63.8

32.5 28.9

16.4 17.6

2.8 1.8

4.7 1.5 6.0 12.3
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 90
100
Caucasian
/ White
Latino /
Hispanic
Af Amer.
/ Black
Asian
American
Mixed or
other
Less than
$25K
$25K to
$49K
$50K to
$74K
$75K to
$99K
$100K to
$149K
$150K or
more
Ethnicity (QD5) Hsld Income (QD6)
% Respondents Who Provided Opinion
Not employed
Sep, employed in
one year
Employed Sep but
not in one year
Not employed
Sep & in one year
Employed Sep &
in one year
Employment & Commute
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Question 5 How many days per week do you typically work? Question 17 One year from now, how many days per week do you expect to work? FIGURE 10 WORK DAYS PER WEEK: FEB 2020, JUN 2020, SEP 2021 & POST-PANDEMIC EXPECTATIONS, AND SEP 2022 & SEP 2023 EXPECTATIONS
Figures 11-13 broaden the work days analysis to include all respondents (regardless of their employment status in September 2022) to provide a wider perspective on current and expected working days. As shown in the figures, the vast majority of respondents in all subgroups anticipated they will work the same number of days one year from now as they did in September 2022 (i.e., no change). Among those who did anticipate a change in work days, the patterns varied across subgroups with some (under 25 years of age, mixed ethnicity, lower income, part-time employees, and those not currently employed) expecting to work more days one year from now, while others (African Americans, full-time employees, and self-employed) anticipating they will work fewer days.

0.0 1.4 0.9 1.4

4.5 6.0 6.4

9.5 10.8

65.8 71.9 74.1 68.2

69.9 10.0 7.9 9.8 8.0 9.9

8.0 3.8 3.7 3.1 3.6 4.1 2.7

0.4 1.9 0.7 0.7

4.1 1.2 2.0 1.7 4.7

6.0 4.6

10.7 7.4 7.9 7.3

72.5 0
10 20
30 40
50 60
70 80
90 100
Avg = 4.95
Days
Avg = 4.73
Days
Avg = 4.90
Days
Avg = 4.91
Days
Avg = 4.89
Days
Avg = 4.82
Days
Feb 2020 Jun 2020 Sep 2021 Post-Pandemic Sep 2022 Sep 2023 Baseline Study Tracking Study Tracking Study II
% Employed Respondents
Seven
Six
Five
Four
Three
Two
One
Employment & Commute
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 FIGURE 11 WORK DAYS PER WEEK SEP 2022 VS SEP 2023 EXPECTATIONS BY OVERALL, SUPERVISORIAL DISTRICT & AGE
FIGURE 12 WORK DAYS PER WEEK SEP 2022 VS SEP 2023 EXPECTATIONS BY ETHNICITY & HSLD INCOME FIGURE 13 WORK DAYS PER WEEK SEP 2022 VS SEP 2023 EXPECTATIONS BY EMPLOYMENT STATUS SEP 2022

13.7 11.0

30.7 14.7 15.1 9.3 6.0 4.8

76.0 77.3

57.4 74.5 74.8 81.1 84.9 89.8

7.8 7.6 10.3 11.8 11.9 10.8 10.1 9.7 9.1 5.4

13.2 15.2 14.6 10.9

77.3 81.5 74.5 77.5

9.5 10.3
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 90
100
One Two Three Four Five 18 to 24 25 to 34 35 to 44 45 to 54 55 to 64 65 or older
Overall Supervisorial District Age (QD1)
% Respondents Who Provided Opinion
Fewer days per
wk in Sep 2023
Same days per wk
in Sep 2023
More days per wk
in Sep 2023

22.6 31.7

21.6 14.6 9.9 6.1 5.6

67.4 59.3

67.7 75.4 79.4 85.5 84.5

20.2 7.6 10.1 8.9 10.7 10.1 10.7 8.4 9.9

9.6 4.3

19.1 10.2

70.5 75.5

80.7 82.8

9.0 10.4
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 90
100
Caucasian
/ White
Latino /
Hispanic
Af Amer.
/ Black
Asian
American
Mixed or
other
Less than
$25K
$25K to
$49K
$50K to
$74K
$75K to
$99K
$100K to
$149K
$150K or
more
Ethnicity (QD5) Hsld Income (QD6)
% Respondents Who Provided Opinion
Fewer days per
wk in Sep 2023
Same days per wk
in Sep 2023
More days per wk
in Sep 2023

72.8 25.7

36.9 4.0

27.2 74.3

63.1 96.0

21.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

2.0 37.8

10.3 73.2

85.0 26.8

68.1 44.6

17.6 13.0
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 90
100
Employed
full-time
Employed
part-time
SelfemployedLaid-off,
furloughed
Not
employed,
looking
Student Homemaker Retired
Employment Status Sep (Q4)
% Respondents Who Provided Opinion
Fewer days per
wk in Sep 2023
Same days per wk
in Sep 2023
More days per wk
in Sep 2023
Employment & Commute
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 WORKING FROM HOME Concerns about COVID-19 transmission in the work place and guidelines issued by California and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) prompted many Orange County businesses to shift to a remote working model when the pandemic struck, with employees working from home rather than coming to a central work site. As shown in Figure 14, the pandemic created a dramatic shift in where business is being conducted in Orange County that has endured even as the pandemic has waned.

Question 6 Of the < insert from Q5 > days per week you typically work, how many of these days do you primarily work from home?
Question 18 Of the < insert from Q15 > days per week you expect to work, how many of these days do you expect to primarily work from home one year from now? FIGURE 14 TELEWORK DAYS PER WEEK: FEB 2020, JUN 2020, SEP 2021 & POST-PANDEMIC EXPECTATIONS, AND SEP 2022 AND SEP 2023 EXPECTATIONS
Although the widespread availability of COVID-19 vaccines and relaxation of public health guidelines in 2021 allowed many workers the option to return to the office, the first tracking survey in 2021 indicated that only a modest percentage decided to do so. Reporting on their work arrangements in September 2021, 48% indicated that they worked from home at least one day per week, with the average number of days worked from home among all employees being

57.4 51.2

6.5 8.3

4.9 7.7 8.6 11.0

5.5 8.5

7.6 5.7

5.1 5.2 4.7

6.5 33.5

24.9 14.2 13.9 13.7

0.6 2.2 2.1 1.1 1.2 1.4

56.0 51.7

38.9 76.7

5.0 4.6

5.4 5.2

4.5 5.6

5.6 2.9

5.1 9.4

2.3 0
10 20
30 40
50 60
70 80
90 100
Avg = 0.76
Days,

15.1% of Days
Worked
Avg = 2.52
Days,

52.8% of Days
Worked
Avg = 1.97
Days,

39.4% of Days
Worked
Avg = 1.55
Days,

31.2% of Days
Worked
Avg = 1.49
Days,

30.1% of Days
Worked
Avg = 1.60
Days,

32.9% of Days
Worked
Feb 2020 Jun 2020 Sep 2021 Post-Pandemic Sep 2022 Sep 2023 Baseline Study Tracking Study Tracking Study II
% Employed Respondents
Seven
Six
Five
Four
Three
Two
One
None
Employment & Commute
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

1.97—not far below the 2.52 reported in June 2020. When asked at that time what they expect when the pandemic is over, the percentage of employees who anticipated working from home at least one day per week (44%) was double pre-pandemic levels, as was the expected average number of days worked from home per week (1.55).

The 2022 tracking survey indicates that the average number of days worked from home has declined only slightly over the past year, even as the pandemic has waned. The patterns match closely to what employees in 2021 expected for the post-pandemic period. In September 2022, 43% of Orange County employees offered that they worked from home at least one day per week, with the average number of days worked at home among all employees being 1.49 (double prepandemic levels). Interestingly, the survey also reveals that some employees aspire to increase the days they work from home over the next year, as the average expected number of days worked from home one year from now (September 2023) is 1.60.

In a manner similar to that described above for the work days analysis, Figures 15-17 broaden the teleworking analysis to put remote working patterns in the context of all respondents. As shown in the figures, the majority of respondents in all subgroups anticipated that the number of days they work from home each week a year from now (September 2023) will be the same as the number they worked in September 2022. Younger employees (under 35), those residing in Supervisorial District 2, Latinos and those of mixed ethnicity, individuals from households earning less than $50,000 per year, and those currently laid off, furloughed, unemployed, or not looking for work were the most likely to expect an increase in the number of days they telework in the coming year.

FIGURE 15 TELEWORK DAYS PER WEEK SEP 2022 VS SEP 2023 EXPECTATIONS BY OVERALL, SUPERVISORIAL DISTRICT & AGE

13.0 10.4

18.7 21.5

14.4 8.9 10.4 4.2

79.7 79.0

75.3 70.9

76.6 78.4 77.9 91.9

5.6 10.5 7.3 10.5 6.0 7.6 9.0 12.7 11.7

3.9 10.8 17.2 13.0 12.8

78.0 77.2

78.7 78.5

8.5 9.2
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 90
100
One Two Three Four Five 18 to 24 25 to 34 35 to 44 45 to 54 55 to 64 65 or older
Overall Supervisorial District Age (QD1)
% Respondents Who Provided Opinion
Fewer days per
wk in Sep 2023
Same days per wk
in Sep 2023
More days per wk
in Sep 2023
Employment & Commute
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 FIGURE 16 TELEWORK DAYS PER WEEK SEP 2022 VS SEP 2023 EXPECTATIONS BY ETHNICITY & HSLD INCOME FIGURE 17 TELEWORK DAYS PER WEEK SEP 2022 VS SEP 2023 EXPECTATIONS BY EMPLOYMENT STATUS SEP COMMUTE MODE The dramatic increase in remote working that occurred between February and June 2020 had a direct impact on commute patterns in Orange County. With far more employees reporting that they only worked from home in June (47%) when compared to February (12%), the percentage who commuted to a work site at least occasionally declined from 89% in February to 54% in June 2020 (see Figure 18). The net reduction in work commutes was felt in every mode category, with the percentage of employees reporting that they typically commute to work by driving alone declining from 77% to 48%, and use of public transit, active transportation, and carpool/vanpool for commuting was cut in half during the same period.

By September 2021, many workers had resumed their commutes to a work location outside of their home (at least once per week), although as noted in the previous section the amount of work taking place in the home remained well above pre-pandemic levels. Of the 70% of employees who commuted to work in September 2021, 60% indicated they typically drove alone, 4%

21.3 17.4 19.2 13.7 11.0 10.6 8.8

69.8 76.6 74.2 78.6 82.2 79.3 78.4

16.9 9.5 8.9 6.0 6.5 7.7 6.7 10.1 12.8

9.9 19.0 12.2 9.5

80.0 81.0 70.9

75.6 5.4 10.0
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 90
100
Caucasian
/ White
Latino /
Hispanic
Af Amer.
/ Black
Asian
American
Mixed or
other
Less than
$25K
$25K to
$49K
$50K to
$74K
$75K to
$99K
$100K to
$149K
$150K or
more
Ethnicity (QD5) Hsld Income (QD6)
% Respondents Who Provided Opinion
Fewer days per
wk in Sep 2023
Same days per wk
in Sep 2023
More days per wk
in Sep 2023

44.7 9.6

20.5 2.4

55.3 90.4

79.5 97.6

23.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

46.4 11.2 17.6 12.6

70.1 65.6

53.6 75.9

11.5 12.3
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 90
100
Employed
full-time
Employed
part-time
SelfemployedLaid-off,
furloughed
Not
employed,
looking
Student Homemaker Retired
Employment Status Sep (Q4)
% Respondents Who Provided Opinion
Fewer days per
wk in Sep 2023
Same days per wk
in Sep 2023
More days per wk
in Sep 2023
Employment & Commute
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 took public transit, 3% carpooled or vanpooled, 2% used active transportation (walk/run/bike/Ebike), and 2% used a different mode.

Employees also anticipated that these mode choice patterns would hold over the next year, with expectations for September 2023 being nearly identical to the current period.

Question 7 When you commute to a work destination outside of your home, how do you typically commute to work? Question 19 When you commute to a work destination outside of your home one year from now, how will you typically commute to work?
FIGURE 18 COMMUTE MODE: FEB 2020, JUN 2020, SEP 2021 & POST-PANDEMIC EXPECTATIONS, SEP 2022 AND SEP 2023 EXPECTATIONS
Figure 19 on the next page shows how the September 2022 and anticipated September 2023 commute modes varied by Supervisorial District.

19.0 19.5

68.8 69.1

4.6 5.1 4.7 1.4 2.0 2.2 3.8 3.0

18.3 29.5

46.5 11.5

47.6 60.4

68.9 76.8

3.5 4.1 1.6

4.3 2.4 3.3 4.3

1.6 0.9 1.8
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 90
100
Feb 2020 Jun 2020 Sep 2021 PostPandemicSep 2022 Sep 2023 Baseline Study Tracking Study Tracking Study II
% Employed Respondents
Other mode
Walk / Run / E-bike
Carpool / Vanpool
Public transit
Drive alone
Only work from
home
Employment & Commute
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 FIGURE 19 COMMUTE MODE SEP 2022 VS SEP 2023 EXPECTATIONS BY SUPERVISORIAL DISTRICT COMMUTE DISTANCE Although the percentage of employees commuting to work has fluctuated dramatically over the course of the pandemic, the average commute distance among those still commuting to work has remained fairly consistent—averaging 16.38 miles prior to the pandemic, 15.3 miles in June 2020, and 18.76 miles in September 2021, and 17.20 miles in September 2022 (Figure 20).

Question 8 In miles, what is the approximate one-way commute distance between your home and your place of work?
FIGURE 20 WORK COMMUTE MILES: FEB 2020, JUN 2020, SEP 2021 & SEP 2022

28.0 26.9

17.1 15.1

23.4 21.7

61.3 64.0

66.5 72.7

66.9 70.2

4.7 7.2

4.5 7.9 4.9 3.3

12.4 16.6 15.7 18.7

78.3 70.4 65.4 73.0

3.3 4.7 4.6 2.6
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 90
100
Sep 2022 Sep 2023 Sep 2022 Sep 2023 Sep 2022 Sep 2023 Sep 2022 Sep 2023 Sep 2022 Sep 2023 One Two Three Four Five
Supervisorial District
% Employed Respondents
Other mode
Public transit
Walk / Run / E-bike
Carpool / Vanpool
Drive alone
Only work from
home

9.5 15.7

10.8 15.4

12.5 12.0

9.4 5.5

8.0 6.9

4.0 2.3 4.9 5.9

11.8 49.1

30.2 19.6

7.4 5.7

7.5 4.7

8.2 13.1

18.7 16.6

20.2 12.3

9.5 17.3

16.9 8.4
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 90
100
Avg = 16.38 Miles Avg = 15.29 Miles Avg = 18.76 Miles Avg = 17.20 Miles Feb 2020 Jun 2020 Sep 2021 Sep 2022
Baseline Study Tracking Study Tracking Study II
% Employed Respondents
More than 40
26 to 40
16 to 25
11 to 15
6 to 10
3 to 5
Less than 3
None, only work
from home
Employment & Commute
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 EMPLOYER’S POLICY ON WORKING FROM HOME The ability for an employee to work from home requires an employer that embraces (or at least accepts) the practice. Prior to the arrival of COVID-19, most employed Orange County residents (70%) indicated that their employer did not offer them the option to work from home at least one day per week. Approximately one-quarter of individuals (24%) worked for an employer who allowed remote working and took advantage of the opportunity by working from home at least one day, whereas an additional 7% were given the opportunity to work from home, but declined to do so (see Figure 21).

By June 2020, the pandemic had forced many employers to change their policies regarding remote work. Whereas seven-in-ten employees reported in February their employer did not allow them to work from home at least one day per week, by June 2020 that figure had been cut in half to 34%. Two-thirds of employed Orange County residents in June 2020 reported that their employer allowed them to telework from home at least one day per week, with 62% reporting that they did so.

The widespread availability of COVID-19 vaccines and relaxation of public health guidelines in 2021 appeared to prompt some Orange County employers to rescind their policies allowing remote work, as nearly half (47%) of employees surveyed in September 2021 indicated that their employer did not allow them the option of working from home at least once day per week. A similar percentage (49%) indicated their employer allowed remote work and they work from home at least one day per week, whereas 5% indicated they had the option to work from home, but choose not to do so. One year later (September 2022), the number of individuals working for an employer who does not allow remote work increased significantly to 53%, the number who indicated their employer does allow remote work and they work from home at least one day per week declined significantly to 43%, whereas the number with the option to work from home that choose not to remained about the same (4%).

Question 9 Does your employer currently give you the option to work from home at least one day per week?
FIGURE 21 TELEWORK OPTION: FEB 2020, JUN 2020, SEP 2021 & SEP 2022 † Statistically significant change (p < 0.05) between the 2021 and 2022 studies.

46.8 42.9† 48.6

61.6 23.7

4.8 4.6

4.4 6.7

52.7†

69.6 33.7
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 90
100
Feb 2020 Jun 2020 Sep 2021 Sep 2022
Baseline Study Tracking Study Tracking Study II
% Employed Respondents
Employer did not
offer, or not sure
Employer offered,
but did not work
from home
Employer offered,
worked at least one
day from home
Employment & Commute
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Although all industries and occupational categories experienced an increase in remote working during the pandemic, by September 2022 the patterns were far from even (see Figure 22). Certain industries such as finance & insurance, information, wholesale trade, real estate, rental & leasing, and professional, scientific & technology apparently lend themselves to working from home, with three-quarters or more of employees surveyed in these industries indicating that their employers give them the option to work from home. At the other end of the spectrum, less than one-third of employees in industries that generally require in-person services or labor such as utilities, accommodation & food services, education, and construction reported that their employer gives them the option to work from home at least one day per week.

FIGURE 22 TELEWORK OPTION SEP 2022 BY INDUSTRY
Similarly, remote work patterns varied dramatically across occupations in September 2022, with far more office professionals reporting that their employers allow them the option to work from home when compared to those working in manual or skilled labor positions (see Figure 23 on next page). At the extremes, more than three-quarters of employees working in legal, business and financial positions, and computer or math science reported that their employer allows them to work from home, compared to less than 10% of employees in protective services and construction/extraction positions.

83.5 79.8

75.4 74.6

74.3 55.3

51.6 41.7

41.0 40.9

40.9 38.9

37.1 28.2

25.4 20.2

18.7 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Finance & Insurance
Information
Wholesale Trade
Real Estate, Rental & Leasing
Professional, Scientific & Tech
Arts, Entertainment & Recreation
Public Administration
Other Services
Manufacturing
Admin & Support
Health Care & Social Assistance
Transportation & Warehousing
Retail Trade
Construction
Educational
Accommodation & Food Services
Utilities
% of Employers That Offered Work From
Home at Least One Day Per Week
Employment & Commute
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 FIGURE 23 TELEWORK OPTION SEP 2022 BY OCCUPATION
REMOTE WORK IMPACTS Employees who currently work at home at least one day per week were asked to describe how remote work has impacted various aspects of their job performance, their ability to collaborate with other employees, as well as their personal life and living arrangements. For each item shown on the left of Figure 24 on the next page, employees were asked whether they find that working from home has helped, had no impact, or hurt this aspect of their job and/or life. Although the items were asked in a random order to avoid a systematic position bias, they are sorted in the figure from high to low based on the percentage who indicated the dimension has been impacted (helped or hurt).

Employees reported that working from home has had the most impact on their ability to strike a balance between work and their personal life, and their expenses, job satisfaction, ability to manage their time, and productivity, with at least three-quarters of employees reporting either a positive or negative impact for each dimension. At least half of employees also reported that working from home has had an impact on the quality of their work, their ability to collaborate with other employees, their ability to communicate with other employees, and their ability to communicate with external customers or partners.

83.6 82.0

78.9 67.5

63.9 63.3

56.8 49.8

40.9 39.9

36.4 35.8

35.3 24.4

23.5 17.6

16.0 7.0

5.3 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Legal
Business, financial
Computer, math science
Architecture, engineering
Management
Arts, sports, media
Sales
Life, physical, social science
Office, admin support
Food prep, serving
Personal care, service
Other occupation
Transportation
Education, training, library
Healthcare practitioner, tech
Healthcare support
Install, maintenance, repair
Construction, extraction
Protective services
% of Employers That Offered Work From
Home at Least One Day Per Week
Employment & Commute
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Question 12 Next are a few questions about your experiences working from home during the past year. In general, do you find that working from home has helped, had no impact, or hurt:
_____?
FIGURE 24 IMPACT OF WORKING FROM HOME
For every dimension tested, some employees felt that remote work arrangements helped, while others perceived they hurt. Figure 25 displays the findings of Question 12 in a format that makes it easier to identify dimensions for which the net impact across all employees was generally positive or negative.

FIGURE 25 NEGATIVE/POSITIVE IMPACTS OF EACH ASPECT

46.2 42.3

44.0 42.3

36.5 30.7

15.7 16.8

18.8 18.4

29.4 23.8

20.1 21.6

12.1 9.3

12.6 17.5

19.0 20.6

23.2 23.3

37.6 38.6

46.2 49.3

8.4 21.9

14.2 6.4

4.8 3.1

3.3 3.7

1.7 8.8

5.2 26.2

11.2 11.4

4.5 8.5

10.4 24.7

5.8 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Your ability to strike balance between work, personal life Your expenses
Your satisfaction with your job
Your ability to manage your time
Your productivity
The quality of your work
Your ability to collaborate with other employees
Your ability to communicate with other employees
Your ability to communicate with external customers, partners % Employees Working From Home at Least 1 Day Per Week
Helped a lot Helped somewhat No impact Hurt somewhat Hurt a lot +65
+72
+68
+62
+63
+52
+28
+26
+31
-18
-9
-12
-14
-14
-10
-33
-28
-19
Your ability to strike balance between work, personal life Your expenses
Your satisfaction with your job
Your ability to manage your time
Your productivity
The quality of your work
Your ability to collaborate with other employees
Your ability to communicate with other employees
Your ability to communicate with external customers, partners Neg/Pos Impact of Each Aspect,
% Employees Working From Home at Least 1 Day Per Week
Employment & Commute
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 For all but two of the dimensions tested (ability to collaborate with other employees and ability to communicate with other employees), more employees perceived that working from home was generally helpful than hurtful. The largest net positive impacts (helpful % - hurtful %) were found with respect to their expenses (63%), job satisfaction (56%), productivity (49%), ability to manage their time (48%), and ability to strike a balance between work and their personal life (47%).

For the interested reader, Table 3 shows how the net positive perceived impacts of working from home changed between September 2021 and September 2022. For all dimensions, employees in 2022 reported greater net positive impacts of working from home when compared to their counterparts in the 2021 survey. This was especially the case for the impacts of remote work on their productivity (+13%) and job satisfaction (+12%).

TABLE 3 NET IMPACTS OF WORKING FROM HOME BY STUDY VERSION CHANGING EMPLOYERS One of the unanticipated outcomes of the pandemic has been a sharp increase in the number of employees who quit their jobs. Coined by economists as the Great Resignation, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the number of employees who left their jobs in November 2021 was the highest ever recorded in the United States, and this followed six months of record-setting rates of resignations beginning in April 2021. By the end of 2021, more than 47 million Americans had left their jobs. Accordingly, it was of interest to ask Orange County employees whether they had changed employers during the past 18 months and—if yes—to state the reason for their move.

Question 13 Did you change employers in the past 18 months? FIGURE 26 CHANGE EMPLOYERS IN PAST 18 MONTHS
Among currently employed Orange County residents in September 2022, approximately one-quarter (27%) indicated they had changed employers during the prior 18 months (Figure 26). The tendency to have changed employers during this period was more common among those who had
lived in Orange County less than five years, those
under 25 years of age, individuals from lower
income households, and African Americans (see figures 27-29).

Tracking
Sep 2021
Tracking II
Sep 2022
Your productivity +35.4 +48.6 +13.1
Your satisfaction with your job +44.5 +56.2 +11.7
The quality of your work +33.8 +42.2 +8.4
Your ability to strike balance between work, personal life +38.5 +46.7 +8.2 Your ability to manage your time +40.1 +47.9 +7.9
Your ability to communicate with external customers, partners +5.0 +12.1 +7.1 Your ability to collaborate with other employees -12.5 -5.6 +6.9 Your ability to communicate with other employees -5.2 -1.6 +3.6 Your expenses +61.8 +62.3 +0.5
Study Version Difference in Net
Impact
2021 to 2022
Prefer not to
answer

1.8 Yes, changed
employers

26.5 Did not change
employers

71.7 Employment & Commute
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 FIGURE 27 CHANGE EMPLOYERS IN PAST 18 MONTHS YEARS IN ORANGE COUNTY & AGE FIGURE 28 CHANGE EMPLOYERS IN PAST 18 MONTHS BY HSLD INCOME & SUPERVISORIAL DISTRICT FIGURE 29 CHANGE EMPLOYERS IN PAST 18 MONTHS BY TELEWORK OPTION IN SEP & ETHNICITY

25.1 38.0

29.9 25.1 26.1

17.2 35.1

41.7 26.0 26.5

14.2 0
10 20
30 40
50 Less than
3 3 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 or
more
18 to 24 25 to 34 35 to 44 45 to 54 55 to 64 65 or
older
Years in Orange County (Q1) Age (QD1)
% Employed Respondents That Changed
Employers in Past 18 Months

25.3 26.5 26.8 27.5 27.0 27.8

23.0 29.2

21.5 29.3

41.2 0
10 20
30 40
50 Less than
$25K
$25K to
$49K
$50K to
$74K
$75K to
$99K
$100K to
$149K
$150K or
more
One Two Three Four Five
Hsld Income (QD6) Supervisorial District
% Employed Respondents That Changed
Employers in Past 18 Months

27.6 43.1

23.1 24.6

27.0 24.2 26.7 27.6
0 10
20 30
40 50
Employer
offered,
worked at
least 1 day
from home
Employer
offered, but
did not
work from
home
Employer
did not
offer, or not
sure
Caucasian /
White
Latino /
Hispanic
Af Amer. /
Black
Asian
American
Mixed or
other
Telework Option in Sep (Q9) Ethnicity (QD5)
% Employed Respondents That Changed
Employers in Past 18 Months
Employment & Commute
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Those who had changed employers in the past 18 months were subsequently asked in an openended manner to describe the main reason for the change (Figure 30). A desire for better pay/ salary was the most common response (41%), followed by a collection of other specific reasons (16%), layoffs/company when out of business (12%), wanting a flexible schedule (11%), and a change in career (9%). It is also worth noting that 4% mentioned they changed employers because their prior employer mandated the COVID-19 vaccine, whereas less than 1% sought to move to an employer that would require vaccines for all employees.

Question 14 What was the main reason why you changed employers? FIGURE 30 MAIN REASON FOR CHANGING EMPLOYERS

40.6 15.8

12.0 10.6

8.9 4.3

3.9 2.6

1.1 0.2

0.1 0 10 20 30 40 50
Better pay / salary
Other reasons
Layoffs or company went out of business
Flexible schedule
Change career
Wanted to relocate to a different area
Employer was mandating vaccine
Better benefits
Wanted to work from home
Shorter commute
Wanted employer who mandated vaccine
% Respondents Employed in September 2022 Who
Changed Employers in Past 18 Months
Current & Expected Activities
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 C URRENT & E XPECTED A CTIVITIES Having profiled respondents’ employment status, working arrangements, and commute behavior in February 2020, June 2020, September 2021, September 2022, as well as their future expectations, the study transitioned to identifying how other aspects of their travel behavior and related activities may have changed in response to the pandemic.

PERSONAL ACTIVITIES For each of the activities shown in Figure 31, respondents were asked to report how many days they engaged in the activity during February 2020 (prior to the pandemic), June 2020 (during the pandemic), August 2021 (during pandemic), their 2021 expectations for when the pandemic is over, September 2022 (waning pandemic), and their expectations for September 2023. Because the number of days in these months are not equal, the figure reports the average percentage of days in each month that respondents reported engaging in the activity.

Question 15 In the past month, approximately how many days during the month did you: ____? Question 28 Thinking ahead to one year from now, approximately how many days in a typical month do you expect to: _____? FIGURE 31 PERCENTAGE OF DAYS PER MONTH PERFORMING PERSONAL ACTIVITIES: FEB 2020, JUN 2020, AUG 2021, POST-PANDEMIC EXPECTATIONS, AUG 2022 & SEP 2023 EXPECTATIONS 1 2 4555 87 12 18
19 33
1 2
4 4
5 4
5 6
12 18
21 54
1 2
4 544
8 7
13 20
20 35
1 1
3 43
5 6
8 15
17 24
56 001
1 1
4 5
8 17
5 25
43 1
1 3
44 2
56 12
24 20
65 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Vanpool
Ride Metrolink or
Amtrak rail
Ride a bus
Carpool with people you
don’t live with
Use on-demand
rideshare
Purchase groceries
online
Ride a bicycle
Order food for delivery
from a restaurant
Order food for pick-up
from a restaurant
Eat a meal at a
restaurant
Purchase products
online
Drive alone in a vehicle
Average Percentage of Days
Feb 2020
Jun 2020
Aug 2021
Post-Pandemic
Aug 2022
Sep 2023
Current & Expected Activities
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 In the first few months of the pandemic, Orange County residents made significant changes in their travel, shopping, and dining habits. With respect to travel behavior, the percentage of days they drove alone in a vehicle declined from 65% in February 2020 to 43% in June 2020, use of on-demand rideshare declined from 4% of days in February to 1% in June, carpooling with someone they don’t live with declined from 4% of days in February to 1% in June, riding a bus declined from 3% of days on average in February to 1% in June, while riding Metrolink or Amtrak declined from 1% of days in February to 0.2% in June.

With respect to shopping and dining, the dramatic decline in the percentage of days respondents reported eating a meal at a restaurant (24% in February vs 5% in June) was only partially offset by an increase in the percentage of days they ordered food for pick-up (12% in February vs 17% in June) or delivery (6% in February vs 8% in June). When compared to the patterns in February, there was also a modest uptick in the percentage of days Orange County residents purchased groceries online (2% in February vs 5% in June) and purchased other products online (20% in February vs 25% in June).

By August 2021, many of the activities had bounced back toward pre-pandemic levels. When compared to June 2020, the percentage of days respondents drove alone in a vehicle increased from 43% to 56%, use of on-demand rideshare increased from 1% of days to 3%, carpooling with someone they don’t live with increased from 1% to 4%, riding a bus increased from 1% of days to 3%, while riding Metrolink or Amtrak increased from 0.2% of days in June 2020 to 1% in August 2021. Interestingly, the changes in shopping and dining behavior between June 2020 and August 2021 were comparatively slight, with the exception of eating a meal at a restaurant, which increased from 5% of days in June 2020 to 17% of days in August 2021.

The 2022 tracking survey found that little actually changed during the prior year, as the patterns closely matched those found in August 2021. Although respondents in 2021 had anticipated a large decline in the number of days they would drive post-pandemic, the percentage of days respondents drove alone in a vehicle decreased just 2% by August 2022 (from 56% to 54%), use of on-demand rideshare increased from 3% of days to 5%, carpooling with someone they don’t live with stayed the same at 4%, riding a bus increased from 3% of days to 4%, while riding Metrolink or Amtrak increased from 1% of days in August 2021 to 2% in August 2022. Interestingly, most of the changes in shopping and dining behavior between August 2021 and August 2022 were slight (2% or less), with the exception of ordering food for pick-up from a restaurant (-3%) and purchasing products online (-3%).

Current & Expected Activities
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Looking ahead to 2023, respondents anticipated engaging in most activities at the same frequency as they do today. The main exception to this pattern was found for driving alone in a vehicle, for which respondents anticipated a large decline (from 54% of days down to 33%) over the next year. However, this is the same decline respondents anticipated occurring back in the 2021 tracking survey that has yet to materialize.

Figure 32 presents the information gathered in Questions 15 and 28 in a different format, noting the percentage of respondents who reported less, the same, or more days engaging in each activity in August 2022 when compared to what they expect a year from now (September 2023).

In most cases, the percentage who are doing less of an activity now vs. what they expect a year from now was offset by a similar percentage who anticipated they are doing more of the activity now. Activities in which the net difference was at least 10% included driving alone in a vehicle (net 35% more August 2022) and riding a bicycle (net 14% more September 2023). FIGURE 32 PERSONAL ACTIVITIES: AUG 2022 VS SEP 2023 EXPECTATIONS Finally, Figure 33 on the next page normalizes the comparison by noting the percentage change in expected days spent engaged in each activity between August 2022 and a year from now. The largest anticipated increases occurred with respect to riding a bicycle (+52%), purchasing groceries online (+18%), and ordering goods for delivery (+10%). The largest anticipated decreases were reported for vanpooling (-63%) and driving alone in a vehicle (-41%). Table 4 shows how the percentage change in expected days spent engaged in each activity by next year varied by Supervisorial District.

94.3 73.9

9.5 20.1
4 11.3

14.8 19.4

16.6 17.9

24.3 29.6

25.7 23.0

83.6 29.4

43.9 45.1

50.8 63.5

75.0 74.4

67.3 84.6
2 9.0

25.3 23.5
5 11.3

5.6 52.7

31.8 13.5
6 12.6
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Vanpool
Ride Metrolink or Amtrak rail
Ride a bus
Carpool with people you don’t live with
Use on-demand rideshare
Purchase groceries online
Ride a bicycle
Order food for delivery from a restaurant
Order food for pick-up from a restaurant
Eat a meal at a restaurant
Purchase products online
Drive alone in a vehicle
% Respondents
Aug 2022 < Sep 2023 Aug 2022 = Sep 2023 Aug 2022 > Sep 2023 Current & Expected Activities
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 FIGURE 33 PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN DAYS PER MONTH PERFORMING PERSONAL ACTIVITIES: AUG 2022 VS SEP 2023 EXPECTATIONS TABLE 4 PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN DAYS PER MONTH PERFORMING PERSONAL ACTIVITIES: SEP 2022 VS SEP 2023 EXPECTATIONS BY OVERALL & SUPERVISORIAL DISTRICT +52
+18
+10
+9
+8
+8
+6
-1
-3
-10
-41
-63
-150 -125 -100 -75 -50 -25 0 25 50 75 100 125 150
Ride a bicycle
Purchase groceries online
Order food for delivery from a restaurant
Ride Metrolink or Amtrak rail
Ride a bus
Use on-demand rideshare
Carpool with people you don’t live with
Order food for pick-up from a restaurant
Eat a meal at a restaurant
Purchase products online
Drive alone in a vehicle
Vanpool
Average Days Per Month, Percentage Change From Aug 2022 to Sep 2023 One Two Three Four Five
Ride Metrolink or Amtrak rail +52 +82 +41 +60 +39 +43
Vanpool +18 +18 +15 +15 +20 +23
Ride a bicycle +10 +3 +7 +5 +24 +18
Ride a bus +9 -50 +2 +62 +67 +109
Carpool with people you don’t live with +8 +3 +2 +61 +7 +32 Use on-demand rideshare +8 +25 -19 +31 +12 +17
Eat a meal at a restaurant +6 +5 +5 -19 +9 +20
Purchase groceries online -1 -5 -6 -5 +23 -5
Order food for delivery from a restaurant -3 -2 +3 -3 -12 -4 Purchase products online -10 -8 -4 -14 -8 -16
Order food for pick-up from a restaurant -41 -36 -46 -50 -27 -45 Drive alone in a vehicle -63 -83 -33 +108 -33 +41
Overall
Supervisorial District
Future Work Arrangements
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 F UTURE W ORK A RRANGEMENTS The final substantive questions of the survey focused on employees’ anticipated work arrangements in 2023, including changes to the amount of time they expect to work from home, the extent to which their employers’ preferences may be driving their expected remote work patterns, and whether they anticipate changing employers in the next year.

MORE OR LESS REMOTE WORK IN FUTURE? To set the stage for the discussion in this section, figures 34-36 summarize employees’ expectations for the amount they will be teleworking a year from now (September 2023). The figures represent all employees, including those who are not currently teleworking. Overall, 74% of employees residing in Orange County expect that the amount they telework in September 2023 will be the same as now (September 2022), whereas 13% expect to work fewer days a year from now and 14% anticipated working more from home in 2023. As shown in the figures, the higher the percentage of days an employee currently works from home, the more likely they are to expect they will reduce the amount of days working remotely in 2023. FIGURE 34 EXPECTED SEP 2023 TELEWORK STATUS AMONG ALL EMPLOYEES BY OVERALL & PERCENTAGE TELEWORK DAYS IN SEP 2022

11.1 44.4

16.9 22.4

44.5 18.5 21.4

13.7 16.1

83.9 61.7

59.1 73.7

12.6 0
10 20
30 40
50 60
70 80
90 100
0% 1 to 24% 25% to 49% 50% to 74%
Overall Percent Telework Days in Sep (Q6)
% Respondents Employed in Sep 2022
and Sep 2023 Who Provided Opinion
Fewer telework
days per wk in
Sep 2023
Same telework
days per wk in
Sep 2023
More telework
days per wk in
Sep 2023
Future Work Arrangements
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 FIGURE 35 EXPECTED SEP 2023 TELEWORK STATUS AMONG ALL EMPLOYEES BY SUPERVISORIAL DISTRICT FIGURE 36 EXPECTED SEP 2023 TELEWORK STATUS AMONG ALL EMPLOYEES BY HSLD INCOME REMOTE WORK STATUS - EMPLOYEE’S PREFERENCE? Regardless of their expectations for how the amount they work from home may change over the next year, all employees were asked whether their anticipated 2023 remote work status is their preference. As shown in Figure 37 on the next page, there is a clear pattern between the type of change expected in their remote work status by September 2023 and whether employees’ preferences dictated the outcome.

Among employees who anticipated working fewer days from home by September 2023, just 41% indicated that this is their preferred outcome. Most employees (61%) who expected to maintain their current remote work patterns offered that this is their preference. Meanwhile, among employees who expected to work more often from home by September 2023, 73% stated that they preferred this arrangement.

10.9 73.3

15.9 10.8 15.8

11.9 18.3

10.1 15.7

74.0 73.4

74.0 73.9

7.7 14.0
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 90
100
One Two Three Four Five
Supervisorial District
% Respondents Employed in Sep 2022
and Sep 2023 Who Provided Opinion
Fewer telework
days per wk PostPandemic
Same telework
days per wk PostPandemic
More telework
days per wk PostPandemic

11.8 7.8

74.7 76.6

10.9 10.5 13.4 15.6

13.5 16.7 20.0 18.0

69.3 71.1 69.7 76.1

13.7 10.7
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 90
100
Less than
$25K
$25K to
$49K
$50K to
$74K
$75K to
$99K
$100K to
$149K
$150K or
more
Hsld Income (QD6)
% Respondents Employed in Sep and PostPandemic Who Provided Opinion Fewer telework
days per wk PostPandemic
Same telework
days per wk PostPandemic
More telework
days per wk PostPandemic
Future Work Arrangements
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Question 20 You indicated that you expect to work fewer days from home one year from now when compared to your current schedule. Is this because you prefer to reduce the number of days you work from home?
Question 22 You indicated that you expect to work the same number of days from home one year from now when compared to your current schedule. Is this because you prefer to keep the number of days you work from home the same?
Question 24 You indicated that you expect to work more days from home one year from now when compared to your current schedule. Is this because you prefer to increase the amount of days you work from home? FIGURE 37 SEP 2023 EXPECTED TELEWORK STATUS WORKING FEWER DAYS FROM HOME Employees who indicated they anticipated working fewer days from home one year from now were subsequently asked if their employer would allow them to continue working from home the same number of days as their current schedule.

Figure 38 on the next page shows that the most common answer to this question was yes—their employer would allow them to continue working from home as often as they do currently (54%).

The figure also shows the relationship between employees’ preferences and their employers’ when it comes to their September 2023 work arrangements. Among those who anticipated working fewer days from home in 2023 and preferred to do so, most (71%) indicated that their employer would have allowed them to continue working from home as often as their current schedule. Conversely, those who anticipated working less from home in the future and did not prefer this outcome were far more likely (56%) to report that their employer would not allow them to continue working from home as often as they do currently.

3.6 41.4

61.3 72.9

56.3 23.5

33.3 5.4 2.3
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 90
100
Fewer telework days per
week in Sep 2023
Same telework days per
week in Sep 2023
More telework days per
week in Sep 2023
Post-Pandemic Telework Status (Q6,18)
% Respondents Employed in Sep 2022 and
Sep 2023 Who Provided Opinion
Prefer not to
answer
Do Not Prefer Sep
2023 Telework
Status
Prefer Sep 2023
Telework Status
Future Work Arrangements
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Question 21 One year from now, do you expect that your employer will allow you to continue working from home < insert from Q6 > days per week? FIGURE 38 FEWER TELEWORK DAYS NEXT YEAR (SEP 2023): EMPLOYER REQUIREMENT VS EMPLOYEE PREFERENCE WORKING SAME DAYS FROM HOME Employees who indicated they anticipated working the same number days from home next year were subsequently asked if their employer will be requiring employees to work from home at least part of the time during this period. Few employees in this situation (8%) indicated that remote work will be required by their employer and the percentage varied little according to the whether the employees did/did not prefer to work from home the same number of days by September 2023.

Question 23 Has your employer indicated that - one year from now - employees must work from home at least part of the time? FIGURE 39 SAME NUMBER OF TELEWORK DAYS NEXT YEAR (SEP 2023): EMPLOYER REQUIREMENT VS EMPLOYEE PREFERENCE

4.2 40.3

71.3 54.1

28.2 55.6

43.3 2.5 0.5
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 90
100
Overall Yes, Prefer to Reduce
Telework Days
Do Not Prefer to
Reduce Telework Days
Prefer to Reduce Number of Telework Days in
Sep 2023? (Q20)
% Respondents Who Expect to Work
Fewer Telework Days in Sep 2023
Prefer not to
answer
Employer Would
Not Allow Same
Number of
Telework Days
Employer Would
Allow Same
Number of
Telework Days

1.3 4.5 8.1 10.4

86.8 88.6 94.3

3.3 2.8
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 90
100
Overall Yes, Prefer Same
Number of Telework
Days
Do Not Prefer Same
Number of Telework
Days
Prefer Same Number of Telework Days in Sep
2023? (Q22)
% Respondents Who Expect to Work
Same Telework Days in Sep 2023
Prefer not to
answer
Employer Will Not
Require Some
Telework Days
Employer Will
Require Some
Telework Days
Future Work Arrangements
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 WORKING MORE DAYS FROM HOME In a manner similar to that described above, employees who indicated they anticipated working more days from home a year from now were also asked if their employer will be requiring employees to work from home at least part of the time during this period. Overall, 14% of employees in this situation indicated that their employer will be requiring employees to work from home at least part of the time by September 2023.

Those who did not prefer to work more days from home next year were more likely (21%) than their counterparts (12%) to indicate that their employer will require remote work next year.

Question 25 Has your employer indicated that - one year from now - employees must work from home least part of the time? FIGURE 40 MORE TELEWORK DAYS NEXT YEAR (SEP 2023): EMPLOYER REQUIREMENT VS EMPLOYEE PREFERENCE DO YOU ANTICIPATE CHANGING EMPLOYERS? Whereas Question 13 asked respondents whether they had changed employers during the prior 18 month period, Question 26 asked employees whether they anticipated changing employers in the upcoming 12 month period (see Figure 41). Overall, 17% of individuals anticipated that they will be changing their employer within the 12 months following the interview, and an additional 4% indicated they are currently employed but do not anticipate being employed one year from now. Overall, 69% of individuals indicated they anticipated staying with their current employer for the next 12 months, and this expectation was more common among residents of Supervisorial District 5, those 35 to 54 years of age, and those who reside in higher-earning ($100,000+) households (see figures 41-43).

3.1 14.0 12.4

21.3 82.3

75.6 84.2

3.7 3.5
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 90
100
Overall Yes, Prefer to Increase
Number of Telework
Days
Do Not Prefer to
Increase Number of
Telework Days
Prefer to Increase Telework Days in Sep 2023?
(Q24)
% Respondents Who Expect to Work
Same Telework Days in Sep 2023
Prefer not to
answer
Employer Will Not
Require Some
Telework Days
Employer Will
Require Some
Telework Days
Future Work Arrangements
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Question 26 Do you anticipate that you will change employers in the next 12 months? FIGURE 41 EMPLOYMENT STATUS IN NEXT 12 MONTHS BY OVERALL & SUPERVISORIAL DISTRICT FIGURE 42 EMPLOYMENT STATUS IN NEXT 12 MONTHS BY AGE

64.1 74.7

19.0 12.6

2.8 2.1

4.5 4.0

12.3 8.7

68.7 61.3

72.9 71.5

16.5 12.0 16.5

22.0 3.6 4.3

11.3 12.4 12.3 9.9
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 90
100
One Two Three Four Five
Overall Supervisorial District
% Respondents Employed in Sep
2022 and/or Sep 2023
Not employed
Sep 2022,
employed Sep
2023
Employed Sep
2022 but not
Sep 2023
Employed Sep
2022 & Sep
2023 (different
employer)
Employed Sep
2022 & Sep
2023 (same
employer)

75.1 67.0

13.2 3.7

0.4 1.6 4.7

10.1 7.0

19.2 82.7

75.4 63.0

38.5 23.4

13.0 9.2

32.0 8.2

3.1 10.6

21.3 11.1 6.4
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 90
100
18 to 24 25 to 34 35 to 44 45 to 54 55 to 64 65 or older Age (QD1)
% Respondents Employed in Sep
2022 and/or Sep 2023
Not employed
Sep 2022,
employed Sep
2023
Employed Sep
2022 but not
Sep 2023
Employed Sep
2022 & Sep
2023 (different
employer)
Employed Sep
2022 & Sep
2023 (same
employer)
Future Work Arrangements
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 FIGURE 43 EMPLOYMENT STATUS IN NEXT 12 MONTHS BY HSLD INCOME Those who anticipated changing employers in the next 12 months were subsequently asked in an open-ended manner to describe the main reason for their anticipated change (Figure 44).

Here again, a desire for better pay/salary was the most common reason for changing employers (42%), while others cited a change of career (12%), a desire to have a flexible schedule (10%), a collection of different reasons (8%), and desire to work from home (8%). When it comes to an anticipated change in employers over the next year, less than 1% mentioned a vaccine-related reason.

Question 27 What is the main reason why you expect to change employers? FIGURE 44 MAIN REASON FOR CHANGING EMPLOYERS

81.8 82.6

5.5 11.0 9.0

3.4 1.5 4.0 5.6 4.3

36.7 55.3

67.9 63.1

17.9 15.8 26.1

26.4 3.3

3.9 7.4 10.8

41.5 15.1
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 90
100
Less than
$25K
$25K to $49K $50K to $74K $75K to $99K $100K to
$149K
$150K or
more
Hsld Income (QD6)
% Respondents Employed in Sep
2022 and/or Sep 2023
Not employed
Sep 2022,
employed Sep
2023
Employed Sep
2022 but not
Sep 2023
Employed Sep
2022 & Sep
2023 (different
employer)
Employed Sep
2022 & Sep
2023 (same
employer)

41.5 12.4

9.7 8.2

7.8 5.9

4.2 3.9

3.4 2.8

0.2 0 10 20 30 40 50
Better pay / salary
Changing career
Flexible schedule
Other reasons
Want to work from home
Better benefits
Want to relocate to a different area
Current employer may issue layoffs, go out of biz
Want to relocate to a more affordable area
Shorter commute
Want employer who mandates vaccine
% Respondents Employed in September 2022 Who
Anticipate Changing Employers in Next 12 Months
Background & Demographics
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 B ACKGROUND & D EMOGRAPHICS TABLE 5 DEMOGRAPHICS OF SAMPLE BY STUDY VERSION Table 5 presents the key demographic
and background information that was
collected during the survey. Although the
primary motivation for collecting the
background and demographic information was to provide a better insight into how the results of the substantive questions of the survey vary by demographic characteristics (see crosstabulations in
Appendix A for a full breakdown of each
question), the information is also valuable for understanding the current profile of Orange County’s adult population. The
sample profile matches Orange County’s
adult population profile on age, ethnicity,
and homeownership based on the most
recent Census American Community Survey (ACS) estimates, and is also balanced across Supervisorial Districts.

Baseline Jul 2020
Trackin
g
Sep 2021
Trackin
g II
Se
p 2022
Total Respondents
2,548 2
,119 2,019
Years in Orange County (Q1)
Less than 3 3.9 4.1 5.2
3 to
4 5.2 4.7 4.4
5 to
9 9.7 11.3 8.1
10 to 14 7.2 8.6 7.3
15 or more 73.6 70.7 74.4
Prefer not to answer 0.4 0.7 0.6
A
ge (QD1)
18 to 24 13.3 13.2 13.4
25 to 34 18.6 18.1 18.1
35 to 44 19.3 18.6 18.6
45 to 54 19.1 18.6 18.5
55 to 64 13.8 13.3 12.5
65 or older 14.5 17.2 13.2
Prefer not to answer 1.4 0.9 5.6
Gender (QD2)
Male 48.7 45.5 45.1
Female 48.9 51.4 53.2
Othe
r 0.6 0.8 0.3
Prefer not to answer 1.8 2.3 1.4
Access to Personal Vehicle (QD3)
Alwa
ys 90.8 88.1 84.2
Sometimes 4.2 6.2 8.2
Rarely, never 3.5 4.0 5.9
Prefer not to answer 1.5 1.7 1.7
Home Ownership Status (QD4)
Rent 40.6 42.0 44.3
Own 53.4 52.6 51.7
Prefer not to answer 6.0 5.4 4.0
Ethnicity (QD5)
Caucasian / White 37.5 37.3 37.7
Latino / Hispanic 32.1 32.0 32.3
Af Amer. / Black 2.2 1.8 1.5
Asian American 19.5 19.8 20.0
Mixed or othe
r 3.6 3.1 3.4
Prefer not to answer 5.0 6.0 5.1
Hsld Income (QD6)
Less than $25K 7.8 10.0 8.6
$25K to $49K 15.6 14.2 16.6
$50K to $74K 17.4 16.5 17.2
$75K to $99K 16.1 16.6 14.7
$100K to $149K 16.0 14.4 15.2
$150K or more 20.5 21.7 21.1
Prefer not to answer 6.6 6.6 6.6
Supervisorial District
One 20.7 20.8 19.3
Two 21.2 21.5 22.6
Three 17.4 17.7 18.1
Fou
r 21.3 21.3 20.7
Five 19.4 18.7 19.3
Study Version
Methodology
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

M ETHODOLOGY
The following sections outline the methodology used in the study, as well as the motivation for using certain techniques.

QUESTIONNAIRE DEVELOPMENT Dr. McLarney of True North Research worked closely with OCTA to develop a questionnaire that covered the topics of interest and avoided the many possible sources of systematic measurement error including position-order effects, wording effects, response-category effects, scaling effects, and priming. Several questions included multiple individual items. Because asking the items in a set order can lead to a systematic position bias, the items were asked in a random order for each respondent.

Some questions asked in this study were presented only to a subset of respondents. For example, only respondents who reported that they were employed in September 2022 (Question 4) were asked follow-up questions about their work schedule (Question 5) and working from home (Question 6) during that month. The questionnaire included with this report (see Questionnaire & Toplines on page 47) identifies the skip patterns that were used during the interview to ensure that each respondent received the appropriate questions.

PROGRAMMING, PRE-TEST & TRANSLATION Prior to fielding the survey, the questionnaire was CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing) programmed to assist interviewers when conducting the telephone interviews. The CATI program automatically navigates the skip patterns, randomizes the appropriate question items, and alerts the interviewer to certain types of keypunching mistakes should they occur. The survey was also programmed into a passcode-protected online survey application to allow online participation for sampled residents. The integrity of the questionnaire was pre-tested internally by True North and by dialing into random homes in Orange County prior to formally beginning the survey. Once finalized, the survey was professionally translated into Spanish and Vietnamese to give respondents the option of participating in English, Spanish, or Vietnamese.

SAMPLE, RECRUITING & DATA COLLECTION A comprehensive database of households within Orange County was utilized for this study, ensuring that all households had the opportunity to participate in the survey. From this master database, True North developed a stratified, random sample of residents to recruit to participate in the survey. Once selected at random, additional contact information (telephone and/or email) was appended to the sample using publicly available and private sources. Residents were recruited to participate in the survey using a combination of emailed invitations, text invitations, and/or telephone calls.5 Individuals that received an email or text invitation were invited to participate in the survey online at a secure, passcode-protected website designed and hosted by True North. Each sample record was assigned a unique passcode to ensure that only residents who received an invitation could access the online survey site, and that the survey could be completed one time only. Individuals that did not respond to an email or text invitation (or that only had telephone contact information) were recruited to participate in the survey by telephone (land lane and/or cell phone).

5. The recruiting method(s) selected for a respondent depended on the contact information that was available for that particular individual.

Methodology
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Telephone interviews averaged 15 minutes in length and were conducted during weekday evenings (5:30PM to 9PM) and on weekends (10AM to 5PM). It is standard practice not to call during the day on weekdays because most working adults are unavailable and thus calling during those hours would likely bias the sample. A total of 2,019 surveys were completed between September 12 and September 30, 2022.

STATISTICAL MARGIN OF ERROR By using a probability-based sample and monitoring the sample characteristics as data collection proceeded, True North ensured that the sample was representative of adult residents in Orange County. The results of the survey can thus be used to estimate the opinions of all adult residents in the County. Because not all adult residents participated in the survey, however, the results have what is known as a statistical margin of error due to sampling. The margin of error refers to the difference between what was found in the survey of 2,019 respondents for a particular question and what would have been found if all of the estimated 2,489,898 adult residents6 in Orange County had been interviewed.

Figure 45 provides a plot of the maximum margin of error in this study. The maximum margin of error for a dichotomous percentage result occurs when the answers are evenly split such that 50% provide one response and 50% provide the alternative response. For this survey, the maximum margin of error is ± 2.2% for questions answered by all 2,019 respondents countywide.

FIGURE 45 MAXIMUM MARGIN OF ERROR DUE TO SAMPLING
Within this report, figures and tables show how responses to certain questions varied by subgroups such as years living in Orange County, age of the respondent, and Supervisorial District.

Figure 45 above is thus useful for understanding how the maximum margin of error for a per6. Source: adult population estimate derived from U.S. Census Bureau age profile for Orange County for July 2021.

Sample of 2,019
Adult Residents
± 2.2%
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
0 250 500 750 1000 1250 1500 1750 2000 2250 2500 2750 3000 Sample Size (Number of Respondents)
Margin of Error
Methodology
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 centage estimate will grow as the number of individuals asked a question (or in a particular subgroup) shrinks. Because the margin of error grows exponentially as the sample size decreases, the reader should use caution when generalizing and interpreting the results for small subgroups.

DATA PROCESSING Data processing consisted of checking the data for errors or inconsistencies, coding and recoding responses, categorizing open-ended responses, and preparing frequency analyses and crosstabulations. The final data were weighted to adjust for minor discrepancies in age and ethnicity within each of the five Supervisorial Districts.

ROUNDING Numbers that end in 0.5 or higher are rounded up to the nearest whole number, whereas numbers that end in 0.4 or lower are rounded down to the nearest whole number.

These same rounding rules are also applied, when needed, to arrive at numbers that include a decimal place in constructing figures and charts. Occasionally, these rounding rules lead to small discrepancies in the first decimal place when comparing tables and pie charts for a given question.

Questionnaire & Toplines
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Q UESTIONNAIRE & T OPLINES True North Research, Inc. © 2022 Page 1
OCTA
Employment & Travel Survey Tracker II
Final Toplines (n=2,019)
October 11, 2022
Section 1: Introduction to Study
Standard Intro: Hi, may I please speak to: _____. Hi, my name is _____ and Im calling from TNR on behalf of OCTA (Oh-See-Tee-Ay) the Orange County Transportation Authority. Were conducting a survey about important issues in Orange County and Id like to get your opinions.

If Land Line, no name on file: Hi, my name is _____ and Im calling from TNR on behalf of OCTA (Oh-See-Tee-Ay) the Orange County Transportation Authority. Were conducting a survey about important issues in Orange County and Id like to get your opinions.

If needed: This is a survey about important issues in your community. Im NOT trying to sell anything and I wont ask for a donation. Your responses will be confidential.

If needed: The survey should take about 12 minutes to complete.

If needed: If now is not a convenient time, can you let me know a better time so I can call back? You can also take the survey online if you prefer.

Section 2: Screener for Inclusion if Land Line & No Name For statistical reasons, I would like to speak to the youngest adult male currently at home that is at least 18 years of age. If there is no male currently at home that is at least 18 years of age, then ask: Ok, then Id like to speak to the youngest female currently at home that is at least 18 years of age.

If there is no adult currently available, then ask for a callback time.

NOTE: Adjust this screener as needed to match sample quotas on gender & age If respondent asks why we want to speak to a particular demographic group, explain: Its important that the sample of people for the survey is representative of the adult population in Orange County for it to be statistically reliable. At this point, we need to balance our sample by asking for people who fit a particular demographic profile.

Section 3: Local Issues & the Pandemic
Q1 To begin, how long have you lived in Orange County?
1 Less than 1 year 2%
2 1 to 2 years 3%
3 3 to 4 years 4%
4 5 to 9 years 8%
5 10 to 14 years 7%
6 15 years or longer 74%
99 Prefer not to answer 1%
Questionnaire & Toplines
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 OCTA Employment & Travel Survey Tracker II 10/11/2022
True North Research, Inc. © 2022 Page 2
Q2
Thinking about Orange County as a whole, what would you say is the most important issue facing Orange County today? Verbatim responses recorded and later grouped into categories shown below.

Homelessness 25%
Housing availability, affordability 18%
Not sure, cannot think of anything 16%
Public safety, drugs, crime 11%
Traffic congestion 9%
Cost of living 9%
Public transportation 5%
Population, overcrowding 3%
Environmental issues, concerns 3%
Development, loss of open space 3%
Infrastructure maintenance, repair 3%
Water supply issues, concerns, drought 3%
Economy, unemployment 2%
High taxes 2%
Illegal immigration issues 2%
Political division 2%
High gas prices 2%
Q3 Which comes closer to your view about where Orange County stands in the coronavirus outbreak: the worst is behind us OR the worst is yet to come? 1 Worst is behind us 74%
2 Worst is yet to come 10%
98 Not sure 15%
99 Prefer not to answer 1%
Questionnaire & Toplines
OCTA True North Research, Inc. © 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 OCTA Employment & Travel Survey Tracker II 10/11/2022
True North Research, Inc. © 2022 Page 3
Section 4: Current Employment & Commute
Were interested in how your activities may have changed in response to the pandemic. First, let me ask about your current situation.

Q4
Which best describes your current employment status? Are you employed full-time, employed part-time, self-employed, laid-off or furloughed, not employed but looking for work, a student, a homemaker, or retired?
1 Employed full-time 48% Ask Q5
2 Employed part-time 9% Ask Q5
3 Self-employed 7% Ask Q5
4 Laid-off/furloughed 1% Skip to Q15
5 Not employed, but looking for work 5% Skip to Q15
6 Student 6% Skip to Q15
7 Homemaker 4% Skip to Q15
8 Retired 19% Skip to Q15
99 Prefer not to answer 2% Skip to Q15
Q5 How many days per week do you typically work?
1 One 1%
2 Two 1%
3 Three 6%
4 Four 10%
5 Five 68%
6 Six 10%
7 Seven 4%
99 Prefer not to answer 0%
Q6 Of the <insert from Q5> days per week you typically work, how many of these days do you primarily work from home?
0 None 57%
1 One 7%
2 Two 9%
3 Three 6%
4 Four 5%
5 Five 14%
6 Six 1%
7 Seven 2%
99 Prefer not to answer 0%
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Ask Q7 and Q8 if number days reported in Q6 is less than Q5.

Q7
When you commute to a work destination outside of your home, how do you typically commute to work? If they say they use multiple transportation methods, ask: Which do you use for the longest portion of your commute?
If they say drive, car, etc. ask: Do you most often drive by yourself or with other people in the vehicle?
1 Drive alone (car, truck, SUV, or van) 85%
2 Carpool (ride together 2 to 4 people) 6%
3 Vanpool (ride together with 5 to 15
people) 1%
4 Motorcycle/Moped 1%
5 E-bike/electric scooter 1%
6 On-demand rideshare service like
Uber or Lyft 0%
7 Taxi 0%
Public Transit
8 Bus 4%
9 Metrolink/Amtrak rail 1%
10 Other public transit 0%
11 Bicycle 1%
12 Walk/jog/run 1%
13 Other 0%
99 Prefer not to answer 0%
Q8 In miles, what is the approximate one-way commute distance between your home and your place of work? If respondent not sure, ask them to estimate.

Average miles 17.20
1 Less than 3 7%
2 3 to 5 19%
3 6 to 10 22%
4 11 to 15 18%
5 16 to 25 14%
6 26 to 40 8%
7 More than 40 7%
99 Prefer not to answer 4%
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Ask Q9 if Q6=0. Otherwise skip to Q10.

Q9 Does your employer currently give you the option to work from home at least one day per week?
1 Yes 8%
2 No 89%
98 Not sure 2%
99 Prefer not to answer 1%
Q10 What industry do you work in? If hesitates, ask: What does your company do? Verbatim responses recorded and later grouped into categories shown below.

Health Care and Social Assistance 18%
Professional, Scientific and Technical
Services 15%
Educational Services 9%
Retail Trade 7%
Public Administration 6%
Prefer not to answer 6%
Manufacturing 5%
Accommodation and Food Services 5%
Other Services (except Public
Administration) 5%
Construction 5%
Transportation and Warehousing 4%
Finance and Insurance 4%
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 3%
Arts, Entertainment and Recreation 3%
Information 2%
Administrative and Support and Waste
Management and Remediation Services 2%
Wholesale Trade 1%
Q11 What is your occupation? If hesitates, ask: What type of work do you do? Verbatim responses recorded and later grouped into categories shown below.

Management occupations 15%
Education, training, and library occupations 8%
Sales and related occupations 8%
Office and administrative support
occupations 8%
Healthcare practitioner and technical
occupations 7%
Prefer not to answer 7%
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Business and financial operations
occupations 6%
Architecture and engineering occupations 5%
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and
media occupations 4%
Food preparation and serving related
occupations 4%
Computer and mathematical science
occupations 3%
Community and social service occupations 3%
Legal occupations 3%
Production occupations 3%
Transportation and material moving
occupations 3%
Healthcare support occupations 2%
Building and grounds cleaning and
maintenance occupations 2%
Personal care and service occupations 2%
Construction and extraction occupations 2%
Installation, maintenance, and repair
occupations 2%
Life, physical, and social science
occupations 1%
Protective service occupations 1%
Armed Forces 1%
Ask Q12 if Q6>0. Otherwise skip to Q15.

Q12
Next are a few questions about your experiences working from home during the past year. In general, do you find that working from home has helped, had no impact, or hurt:
_____? If helped or hurt, ask: Would you say it has (helped/hurt) a lot or somewhat? Randomize
Helped a
lot
Helped
somewhat
No Impact
Hurt
somewhat
Hurt a lot
Not Sure
Prefer not
to answer
A Your satisfaction with your job 43% 23% 20% 8% 3% 1% 1% B Your ability to collaborate with other
employees 15% 12% 38% 24% 9% 1% 1%
C Your ability to communicate with other
employees 16% 9% 45% 21% 6% 2% 2%
D The quality of your work 30% 21% 37% 8% 2% 0% 1%
E Your productivity 36% 26% 23% 10% 4% 1% 1%
F Your ability to strike the right balance
between work and your personal life 46% 18% 17% 11% 6% 0% 1% G Your expenses 41% 29% 19% 4% 5% 1% 1%
H Your ability to manage your time 41% 20% 23% 11% 3% 1% 1% I Your ability to communicate with external
customers or partners 18% 12% 48% 14% 5% 2% 1%
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Ask Q13 if Q4=(1,2,3). Otherwise skip to Q15.

Q13 Did you change employers in the past 18 months?
1 Yes 27% Ask Q14
2 No 72% Skip to Q15
99 Prefer not to answer 2% Skip to Q15
Q14 What was the main reason why you changed employers? 1 Better pay/salary 41%
2 Better benefits 3%
3 Flexible schedule 11%
4 Wanted to work from home 1%
5 Change career 9%
6 Shorter commute 0%
7 Wanted to relocate to a different area 4%
8 Wanted to relocate to a more
affordable area 0%
9 Layoffs or company went out of
business 12%
10 Employer was mandating vaccine 4%
11 I wanted to work for employer who
mandated vaccine 0%
12 Other 16%
99 Prefer not to answer 0%
Section 5: Current Activities
Q15 In the past month August 2022 approximately how many days during the month did you: ____?
Read in Order
Average
Days
None
1 to 3 4 to 8
9 to 16
More
than 16
A Ride Metrolink or Amtrak rail 0.60 89% 7% 3% 0% 1%
B Ride a bus 1.11 85% 8% 3% 2% 2%
C Use an on-demand rideshare service like
Uber or Lyft 1.46 62% 24% 10% 3% 1%
D Carpool with people you dont live with 1.28 73% 15% 8% 2% 1% E Vanpool 0.31 96% 3% 1% 0% 0%
F Ride a bicycle 1.64 77% 10% 7% 4% 3%
G Drive alone in a vehicle 16.90 12% 6% 11% 16% 54%
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H Purchase products online 6.51 9% 28% 34% 22% 7%
I Purchase groceries online 1.26 70% 16% 11% 3% 0%
J Eat a meal at a restaurant 5.57 12% 31% 35% 17% 5%
K Order food for pick-up from a restaurant 3.72 28% 32% 27% 10% 2% L Order food for delivery from a restaurant 1.89 55% 26% 13% 5% 1% Section 6: Future Employment & Commute
Next, let me ask about your expectations for the future, one year from now. If you arent sure about an answer, please give me your best estimate.

Q16
One year from now, do you expect to be employed full-time, employed part-time, selfemployed, laid-off or furloughed, not employed but looking for work, a student, a homemaker, or retired?
1 Employed full-time 54% Ask Q17
2 Employed part-time 8% Ask Q17
3 Self-employed 8% Ask Q17
4 Laid-off/furloughed 0% Skip to Q28
5 Not employed, but looking for work 2% Skip to Q28
6 Student 6% Skip to Q28
7 Homemaker 2% Skip to Q28
8 Retired 19% Skip to Q28
99 Prefer not to answer 2% Skip to Q28
Summary of Employment Status September vs One Year from Now (Q4 and Q16) 1 Employed Sep & one year from now 61%
2 Not employed Sep & one year from
now 26%
3 Employed Sep, but not one year from
now 2%
4 Not employed Set, employed one Year
from now 8%
5 Refused one or both questions 3%
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Q17 One year from now, how many days per week do you expect to work? 1 One 1%
2 Two 1%
3 Three 6%
4 Four 11%
5 Five 70%
6 Six 8%
7 Seven 3%
99 Prefer not to answer 0%
Summary of Days Worked per Week, September vs One Year from Now (Q5 and Q17) All Respondents
Respondents
Employed in
September
1 More days per week one year from now 13% 8%
2 Same days per week one year from now 75% 77%
3 Fewer days per week one year from
now 9% 15%
4 Refused one or both questions 3% 0%
Q18 Of the <insert from Q17> days per week you expect to work, how many of these days do you expect to primarily work from home one year from now? 0 None 51%
1 One 8%
2 Two 11%
3 Three 9%
4 Four 5%
5 Five 14%
6 Six 1%
7 Seven 1%
99 Prefer not to answer 0%
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Summary of Days Worked From Home per Week, September vs One Year from Now (Q6 and Q18)
All Respondents
Respondents
Employed in
September
1 More days per week one year from now 13% 13%
2 Same days per week one year from now 76% 74%
3 Fewer days per week one year from
now 8% 13%
4 Refused one or both questions 3% 0%
Ask Q19 if number days reported in Q18 is less than Q17.

Q19
When you commute to a work destination outside of your home one year from now, how will you typically commute to work? If they say they use multiple transportation methods, ask: Which will you use for the longest portion of your commute? If they say drive, car, etc. ask: Will you most often drive by yourself or with other people in the vehicle?
1 Drive alone (car, truck, SUV, or van) 86%
2 Carpool (ride together 2 to 4 people) 6%
3 Vanpool (ride together with 5 to 15
people) 0%
4 Motorcycle/Moped 1%
5 E-bike/electric scooter 1%
6 On-demand rideshare service like
Uber or Lyft 1%
7 Taxi 0%
Public Transit
8 Bus 3%
9 Metrolink/Amtrak rail 0%
10 Other public transit 0%
11 Bicycle 1%
12 Walk/jog/run 0%
13 Other 1%
99 Prefer not to answer 0%
Ask Q20 if Q18<Q6. Otherwise skip to instruction preceding Q22.

Q20
You indicated that you expect to work fewer days from home a year from now when compared to your current schedule. Is this because you prefer to reduce the number of days you work from home?
1 Yes 41%
2 No 56%
99 Prefer not to answer 2%
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Q21 One year from now, do you expect that your employer will allow you to continue working from home <insert from Q6> days per week?
1 Yes 54%
2 No 43%
99 Prefer not to answer 3%
Ask Q22 If Q18=Q6. Otherwise skip to instruction preceding Q24.

Q22
You indicated that you expect to work the same number of days from home one year from now when compared to your current schedule. Is this because you prefer to keep the number of days you work from home the same?
1 Yes 61%
2 No 33%
99 Prefer not to answer 5%
Q23 Has your employer indicated that one year from now employees must work from home at least part of the time?
1 Yes 8%
2 No 89%
99 Prefer not to answer 3%
Ask Q24 if Q18>Q6. Otherwise skip to instruction preceding Q26 Q24
You indicated that you expect to work more days from home one year from now when compared to your current schedule. Is this because you prefer to increase the amount of days you work from home?
1 Yes 73%
2 No 24%
99 Prefer not to answer 4%
Q25 Has your employer indicated that one year from now employees must work from home least part of the time?
1 Yes 14%
2 No 82%
99 Prefer not to answer 4%
Ask Q26 if Q16=(1,2,3). Otherwise skip to Q28.

Q26 Do you anticipate that you will change employers in the next 12 months? 1 Yes 23% Ask Q27
2 No 72% Skip to Q28
99 Prefer not to answer 6% Skip to Q28
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Q27 What is the main reason why you expect to change employers? 1 Better pay/salary 41%
2 Better benefits 6%
3 Flexible schedule 10%
4 Want to work from home 8%
5 Changing career 12%
6 Shorter commute 3%
7 Want to relocate to a different area 4%
8 Want to relocate to a more affordable
area 3%
9 Current employer may issue layoffs or
go out of business 4%
10 Current employer is mandating
vaccine 0%
11 I want to work for employer who
mandates vaccine 0%
12 Other 8%
99 Prefer not to answer 2%
Section 7: Future Activities
Q28 Thinking ahead to one year from now, approximately how many days in a typical month do you expect to: _____?
Read in Order
Average
Days
None
1 to 3 4 to 8
9 to 16
More than
16 Aug < in
one year
Aug = in
one year
Aug > in
one year
A Ride Metrolink or Amtrak rail 0.62 83% 12% 4% 1% 1% 11% 84% 5% B Ride a bus 1.22 83% 8% 5% 2% 2% 9% 85% 6%
C Use an on-demand rideshare
service like Uber or Lyft 1.61 59% 25% 14% 2% 1% 20% 67% 13% D Carpool with people you dont live
with 1.39 72% 14% 9% 4% 1% 15% 74% 11%
E Vanpool 0.21 94% 3% 2% 0% 0% 4% 94% 2%
F Ride a bicycle 2.39 68% 11% 12% 5% 4% 19% 75% 6%
G Drive alone in a vehicle 10.31 30% 15% 14% 12% 30% 18% 29% 53% H Purchase products online 5.90 8% 31% 36% 20% 5% 24% 44% 32% I Purchase groceries online 1.49 64% 19% 14% 3% 1% 17% 74% 9% J Eat a meal at a restaurant 5.47 7% 31% 42% 17% 3% 30% 45% 25% K Order food for pick-up from a
restaurant 3.65 24% 34% 31% 9% 2% 26% 51% 23%
L Order food for delivery from a
restaurant 2.11 48% 30% 17% 5% 1% 23% 63% 14%
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Section 8: Background & Demographics
Thank you so much for your participation. I have just a few background questions for statistical purposes.

D1 In what year were you born? Year recorded and grouped into age categories shown below.
18 to 24 13%
25 to 34 18%
35 to 44 19%
45 to 54 19%
55 to 64 13%
65 or older 13%
Prefer not to answer 6%
D2 What is your gender?
1 Male 45%
2 Female 53%
3 Non-binary <1%
99 Prefer not to answer 1%
D3
How would you describe your access to a personal vehicle? Would you say you always have access, sometimes have access, rarely have access, or never have access to a personal vehicle?
1 Always 84%
2 Sometimes 8%
3 Rarely 2%
4 Never 4%
99 Prefer not to answer 2%
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D4 Do you rent or own your home?
1 Rent 44%
2 Own 52%
99 Prefer not to answer 4%
D5 What ethnic group do you consider yourself a part of or feel closest to? Read list if respondent hesitates
1 Caucasian/White 38%
2 Latino/Hispanic 32%
3 African-American/Black 2%
4 American Indian or Alaskan Native <1%
5 Asian -- Korean, Japanese, Chinese,
Vietnamese, Filipino or other Asian 20%
6 Pacific Islander <1%
7 Middle Eastern 1%
8 Mixed Heritage 2%
98 Other <1%
99 Prefer not to answer 5%
D6
I have just one more question for you for statistical reasons. I am going to read some income categories. Please stop me when I reach the category that best describes your total household income.
1 Less than $25,000 9%
2 $25,000 to less than $50,000 17%
3 $50,000 to less than $75,000 17%
4 $75,000 to less than $100,000 15%
5 $100,000 to less than $150,000 15%
6 $150,000 to $199,999 8%
7 $200,000 or more 13%
98 Not sure 1%
99 Prefer not to answer 6%
Those are all of the questions that I have for you! Thanks very much for participating.

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Post Interview Items
S1 Supervisorial District
1 One 19%
2 Two 23%
3 Three 18%
4 Four 21%
5 Five 19%
City Manager 910 Calle Negocio, Suite 300 San Clemente, CA 92673 http://san-clemente.org
City of San Clemente
City Manager
Jonathan Lightfoot, Economic Dev Officer
Phone: (949) 361-8245
[email protected]
Wednesday, March 1, 2023
San Clemente CMO Grant Application 2023
Summary of Report Findings
Based on data from a variety of sources, including the 2022 OCTA Employment & Travel Survey (“Survey”), community engagement activities, and other publicly available data sources, we have identified a project area and service model that matches the unique needs of the San Clemente community.

Residents and visitors of the community today face limited, expensive, and inflexible transportation options. Auto-focused infrastructure incentivizes high rates of single occupancy vehicle use, leading to congestion and forcing residents to pay more than they can afford to maintain access to a car for essential trips. While COVID-19 dramatically altered travel patterns for a time, and remote work ameliorated some of these concerns from some residents, many of these trends have since reversed, and the fundamental problems remain.

Current Transportation Options Are Insufficient
San Clemente is in OCTA's 5th Supervisorial District, where respondents named Public Transportation and Traffic Congestion as two of the top issues facing the county.

Contributing to this concern is the high rate of auto dependence in the community. “Of the 81% of employees who commuted to work in September 2022, 69% indicated they typically drove alone, 5% took public transit, 1% carpooled or vanpooled, 4% used active transportation (walk/run/bike/E-bike), and 2% used a different mode.” (Survey, 8) Alternative options remain rare, as “use of on-demand rideshare increased from 3% of days to 5%, carpooling with someone they don’t live with stayed the same at 4%, riding a bus increased from 3% of days to 4%, while riding Metrolink or Amtrak increased from 1% of days in August 2021 to 2% in August 2022.” (Survey, 9) The City’s Housing Element details the urgent need for improved transportation access, particularly transit access to jobs. “According to All Transit, San Clemente has a performance score of 2.7, significantly lower than the County (Figure C-28). Jobs are City of San Clemente Page 2
generally not accessible by transit in San Clemente. As shown in Figure C-30, employment opportunities are less accessible to communities in the southern and northwestern areas of San Clemente. A small group of block groups in the central eastern section of the City received higher jobs proximity scores, but a majority of the City scored below 40. While the central area of the City along the western border has low job proximity indices (tracts 421.07 and 421.08), the only two existing transit stations in the City are located within these tracts (see Figure C-43).” (Housing Element, 230).

As Covid-era trends progress, previous travel patterns are returning. “With respect to alternative modes of transportation, the trend back toward pre-pandemic commute patterns was expected to continue when employees were surveyed in 2021. Once the pandemic is over, 5% of employees anticipated that they would typically use public transit for their commute, 4% expected to carpool or vanpool, 2% expected to use active transportation, and 2% other modes. Approximately seven-in-ten employees (69%) anticipated that they would drive alone to work once the pandemic is over, which is approximately 10% less than pre-pandemic due to the higher percentage of employees (18%) who anticipate only working from home and thus will not be commuting.” (Survey, 23)
While some expected remote work would decrease commuting trips, this has not proven to be the case. “Although respondents in 2021 had anticipated a large decline in the number of days they would drive post-pandemic, the percentage of days respondents drove alone in a vehicle decreased just 2% by August 2022 (from 56% to 54%), use of on-demand rideshare increased from 3% of days to 5%, carpooling with someone they don’t live with stayed the same at 4%, riding a bus increased from 3% of days to 4%, while riding Metrolink or Amtrak increased from 1% of days in August 2021 to 2% in August 2022.” (Survey, 33)
The persistent need to drive, most often alone, in the community reveals the urgent need for new transportation options. Car ownership is unaffordable, particularly with higher-than-normal gas prices (AAA). New options are necessary to meet community members’ needs and enable a more sustainable transportation system that reduces carbon emissions and improves local air quality.

A Community Shuttle Service Model Will Meet Community Needs Data shows that residents are demanding new transportation options. The OCTA Long Range Transportation Plan survey showed 55% support for “Creat[ing] local community shuttle services that get people to and around major activity centers,” the most popular choice (https://www.octa.net/pdf/LRTPBlueSkySurveyInfographic.pdf?n=202202). A community shuttle option would also help address the most-cited challenge in the survey: “Lack of service close to my home/destination.” As a first-last mile connector, this project would expand the reach of every transit stop in the project area.

City of San Clemente Page 3
Public engagement for the South Orange County Multimodal Transportation Study also found interest in alternative modes, if appealing alternatives existed: “The public indicated a willingness to use alternative modes of transportation if the benefits and ease of use were more appealing than using a personal vehicle.” (South OC Multimodal Study, ES-3)
As housing and transportation issues are closely linked, community engagement around housing in San Clemente demonstrates the need for improved transportation access that allows residents to get around without SOVs, which contribute to traffic congestion and pollution. This project will continue to address community needs as development continues, as envisioned by the city’s housing element: “The City has seen an increased interest in residential development in the mixed use zones due to their proximity to services and transportation corridors. The two latest affordable housing projects have been developed in such areas also because of the preference of State and Federal funding programs to locate housing in transit-oriented areas.” (Housing Element, 76)

City of San Clemente Proposed Project Area Expansion
Service in the northern area (also known as Rancho San Clemente) will be supported by first-last mile connections to the existing low-income housing areas, the major employment hubs within the business park, community services including the high school, City Hall, the Orange County Sheriff, a Post Office, the Family Assistance Ministry, as well as adjacent grocery, retail, and recreational uses.

Community Support

1. Within the Community Engagement Activity 1, San Clemente’s Housing and Safety Element workshops (links provided in application), participants identified affordable housing and housing for homeless as priority housing needs in the community, and seniors and young adults as the most underserved groups. Residents suggested North El Camino Real and Rancho San Clemente Specific Plan (aka the northern area) as appropriate areas for additional future housing. In 2021, the City presented the potential sites for rezoning along before the Planning Commission to solicit further input for the potential sites. The Housing Element also details the urgent need for improved transportation access, particularly transit access to jobs.

2. Public engagement, as part of the South Orange County Multimodal Transportation Study, identifies a common theme that the public and stakeholders would like to see more alternatives to driving such as light rail, trolleys, active transportation, and improved public transit availability and accessibility. The public indicated a willingness to use alternative modes of transportation if the benefits and ease of use were more appealing than using a personal vehicle.

San Clemente is in OCTA’s 5th Supervisorial District, where respondents name public transportation and traffic congestion as two of the top issues facing the county. The high rate of auto dependence in the community is a concern and alternative options remain rare (Survey 8 and 9).

3. The City has engaged the community multiple times over the past two years in regards to its Trolley Program, jointly funded with OCTA. The Trolley was originally intended to only operate during the summers, but the City began providing weekend service year round on the primary route due to community feedback, and routes have again been extended recently to the southern end of town, also selected from public feedback. This successful project demonstrates the City’s commitment to public engagement and investment in exploring new mobility alternatives.

City of San Clemente Proposed Project Area Expansion

4. The City Council reviewed options for on February 7, 2023 to expand the City’s trolley/mobility access. The Council directed staff to pilot a “southern route” between the pier and state beach. They also directed staff to pursue additional funding and opportunities for the runner up, “inland route”, which would serve the Pico corridor. The City has not yet been able to establish regular service for this inland route, but we are interested in establishing that through this program.

5. The City would gladly engage with groups along this corridor during the engagement process (San Clemente High School, FAM, Rancho San Clemente Business Park Association, etc.) to incorporate their feedback into any new routes/service in this area.

SC Rides
In 2016, the City started the pilot on-demand transportation service "SC Rides" designed to help mitigate the loss of former local OCTA bus routes 191 and 193. Under its Project V grant program, OCTA has awarded funds to the City to provide up to 90% of the cost of this pilot program. The grant agreement expires June 30, 2025. The City submitted a Measure V grant application to extend this, but there has been no confirmation from OCTA on whether it will be extended.

Under the expiring SC Rides program, rides have been subsidized to cost only $2 (saving riders up to $9 on rides). Eligible, rides must be taken between 6 AM-8 PM, and must be both picked up and dropped off within a .25 miles radius of the original 191 and 193 bus routes. While the required City match is only 10%, the City has been exceeding that value for several years. The City would like to assess community support for a first-last mile, fixed route service and explore which service makes more sense long-term. Staff believes that there may be more benefit to integrated services that align/connect to the popular Trolley program, where the current SC Rides program is a completely detached program.

San Clemente City CouncilFebruary 18, 2025

San Clemente City Council
February 18, 2025