Legislation
Streetsblog California
Moving Forward on Automatic Speed Enforcement Cameras
The legislative push is on with the Safe Streets Act of 2017
February 14, 2017
New Senator Scott Wiener on Transit, Housing, and Complete Streets
Newly elected State Senator Scott Wiener talks Streetsblog issues. "Good, well-planned, transit oriented, compact housing—that's one of the most critical things we can be doing to meet our climate goals,” he said. “It's about driving less—about HAVING to drive less.”
February 3, 2017
Legislative Update: Cap-and-Trade to Get a Hearing
Two Democratic Assemblymembers got the ball rolling on settling the future of California's cap-and-trade program by introducing A.B. 151 yesterday. The bill would authorize the California Air Resources Board “to utilize a market-based compliance mechanism” to reduce greenhouse gases after 2020, when the current Global Warming Solutions Act expires.
January 13, 2017
CA Legislative Update: ATP, Bikes, and Budget
California budget negotiations have moved into high gear with the naming of Senate and Assembly members to the bicameral budget conference committee. Leaders of the two bodies named five members each—up from three in previous years—and the conference committee held its first hearing this morning. The committee's job is to find agreement among the three competing state budget proposals before June 15, when it must submit a final version to both houses to be voted on. The final budget agreement must be signed by the governor by the end of the month.
June 1, 2016
California Legislative Update: Bikes, Transit, Environmental Justice, More
Today is the deadline to pass any policy bills that have a fiscal impact out of all California legislative committees, so the last two weeks have seen a flurry of long hearings. Here's a quick recap of pertinent bills.
April 22, 2016
Bill to Eliminate Free Parking Could Help Disabled People Find a Spot
Assemblymember Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) has introduced a bill that would require some people with disabled parking permits to pay, rather than park for free as long as they want. If it works, A.B. 2602 could free up parking spots for every driver, including disabled people who most need them. It could also potentially discourage some driving by people who now park free for as long as they like.
April 14, 2016
A State Legislator Is Really Proposing to Slash Fines for Running a Red Light to Turn Right
State Senator Jerry Hill (D-Millbrae) has been earning a lot of attention recently for a proposal to slash the fine for drivers turning right at a red light without stopping. This move seems particularly heartless considering California's streak of leading the country in traffic fatalities, nearly a quarter of which were pedestrians. Failure to yield is one of the top five causes of traffic crashes.
January 28, 2016
Governor Signs Bill to Ease Parking Requirements for Affordable Housing
Governor Jerry Brown had a Sunday deadline to sign legislation or veto it. Late in the day on Friday he signed Assembly Bill 744, which allows affordable housing developers to build less parking than many local zoning regulations currently permit.
October 12, 2015
The Next Step in Getting Rid of Level of Service: Coming Soon
After several years of work, the Governor's Office of Planning and Research (OPR) is almost ready to release draft guidelines on replacing vehicle Level of Service measures under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The shift was called for by Senate Bill 743, which passed late in the 2013 legislative session.
October 9, 2015
Dems, Repubs Far Apart on Solving CA Transportation Funding
The California legislature held its first joint special session on transportation funding just before the holiday weekend. The session was called by Governor Jerry Brown when he and the legislature punted some big decisions so they could sign a budget before the June 30 deadline.
July 6, 2015