State Capitol Updates
Streetsblog California
Legislative Update: CalBike Agenda for 2016
The California Bicycle Coalition, aka CalBike, continues to push for increasing funding for the Active Transportation Program, which currently receives $120 million per year. The bike coalition wants the state to add $100 million to the program, which sounds like a lot but is roughly one percent of the total transportation budget—even though bike and walking trips make up nearly 19 percent of all trips made in California. The state budget planning process, in which the two legislative houses and the governor negotiate a final budget by June, is one avenue for getting more funding.
March 3, 2016
CA Legislature Wrestles With How Best to Invest Climate Funds
As the California legislative session revs up, several committees have been holding oversight hearings on the state's cap-and-trade system.
February 19, 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
State Releases Proposed Rules That Would Finally End LOS in Enviro. Law
Earlier today, the State of California released its anticipated final draft set of changes to the state's environmental law, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Under the new CEQA rule, environmental studies will use measurements that better correspond to actual environmental costs and benefits. This realigns the CEQA process to foster better transit, more walking and bicycling, and less driving.
January 22, 2016
PIRG: L.A.’s Proposed Freight Highway Tunnel Among Country’s Worst Projects
Yesterday, the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), a national non-profit with state chapters throughout the country, released a report detailing the "12 biggest highway boondoggles" under study in the country. Not surprisingly, a California highway project made the list, the I-710 Tunnel Project in Los Angeles County.
January 20, 2016
Brown’s Budget Proposal Weak on Sustainable Transportation
Governor Jerry Brown announced his proposed state budget for 2016-17 in Sacramento yesterday.
January 8, 2016
California Streetsies: Richard Bloom for Legislator of the Year
Welcome to the California-wide Streetsie awards! SBCA did things a little differently from our sister Streetsblog sites for this first-ever round of California Streetsies. Instead of inviting our informed readers to weigh in, SBCA editors are selecting a few noteworthy recipients. Let us know if you agree, or who else you think deserves a California Streetsie award.
January 6, 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
Governor Signs Bill Banning Tolls on Bridges for Bicyclists and Pedestrians
Yesterday, Governor Jerry Brown signed A.B. 40, legislation that bans tolling bicycle and pedestrians on bridges that have tolls for cars throughout the state.
October 8, 2015