CA State Assembly
Streetsblog California
Santa Monica Lawmaker Introduces Bill to End Statewide Rent Control Limitations
Assemblymember Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica) introduced a bill that would repeal the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, the 1995 state law that weakened the strictest rent control laws in the state. The law required cities to allow property owners to raise rents on units when they were vacated, a practice that had been prohibited by strict rent control laws in Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Berkeley, Cotati, and East Palo Alto.
February 23, 2017
New Bike Legislation that Works for Bicycle Riders
Richard Masoner at Cyclelicious has a roundup of new bicycle-related bills introduced just before California's deadline on Friday. Two are big news, including one that should clarify the rules about what the law about staying to the right actually means.
February 21, 2017
Repeat Until Complete: Transportation, Housing Bills Reintroduced
On the first day of the new session, lawmakers introduced the same transportation bills as last session---they include some funding for transit and active transportation, but they don't reflect an understanding of how profoundly we need to change the way we travel if we want to lower greenhouse gas emissions.
December 7, 2016
CA Transportation Funding Proposal Does Not Yet Support Climate Policies
Time is running out to find a solution for transportation funding in this legislative session. The latest proposal seems to include something for everyone, in an attempt to forge an agreement--but it falls short when it comes to California's climate goals.
November 16, 2016
Some Bright Spots in California’s Election Returns
Despite the outcome nationally, there are reasons to celebrate election results in California, especially around environmental issues. The big one, of course, was the statewide plastic bag ban, which voters approved resoundingly, while defeating a measure that tried to distract voters from the main question.
November 10, 2016
California Legislative Wrap-up: Session Over, Bills Signed
Today is the deadline for California Governor Jerry Brown to sign or reject any bills passed by the legislature this session, so there has been a flurry of activity in the last few days. Here's a quick look at few freshly signed laws pertinent to sustainable transportation and the climate.
September 29, 2016
Governor Brown Signs Legislation Extending CA Climate Change Targets
In a signing ceremony at Vista Hermosa Park in Los Angeles today, Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation extending state climate change targets through at least 2030. The governor was joined by key legislators who shepherded the legislation's approval. These included Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin De Leon, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, Senator Fran Pavley, Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, Senator Ricardo Lara, and assemblymembers Reggie Jones-Sawyer, Jimmy Gomez, Richard Bloom, and Matt Dababneh.
September 8, 2016
Legislative Wrap-up: Environmental Justice, Cap-and-Trade Funding
The lead-up to the end of the California legislative session at midnight last night included a standard amount of grandstanding, tearful farewells, laughter, and exhaustion. Some bills passed and will now await the governor's good graces, and some died on the legislature floor. Here's a quick recap of a few bills relevant to sustainable streets. Details on each follow:
September 1, 2016
Legislature Must Decide the Fate of Three Environmental Justice Bills Before Midnight
Among the bills the state Senate and Assembly must decide upon before today's deadline—the session ends at midnight tonight—are several that attempt to make up for past and current injustices by giving voice to the California communities that are most affected by climate change and pollution.
August 31, 2016
Op-Ed: Time to Enact a Practical Transportation Funding Plan
In response to our recent story about legislative efforts to find a compromise on transportation funding, Streetsblog received the following post from Art Hadnett, president of HNTB’s West Division.
August 29, 2016