State Capitol Updates

Senate and Assembly leaders appointed members to the joint committee that will now take up the issue of transportation funding as called for by Governor Jerry Brown last June. The Transportation Infrastructure Conference Committee will consider pending legislation that was leftover from the regular session, including bills that would increase funding for transit and for active transportation.

A new law just signed by Governor Jerry Brown will make it possible for bicyclists who are ticketed for certain infractions to attend a class on safe bicycle riding and thus reduce their fines.

In its rush to Friday's deadline, the California legislature managed to pull off a win with the passage of its leaders' signature climate change bill, even if S.B. 350 had been scaled back in the days leading to the final vote. The other main climate change bill, S.B. 32, was held over until next year because it could not muster enough votes to pass. Both bills were held up by demands from Assembly Democrats that the authority of the California Air Resources Board be reduced, subjecting its every action to legislative approval. The governor and Senate leaders refused to give on that point.

Governor Jerry Brown, Senate President Pro-Tem Kevin de Leon, and Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins met with reporters late yesterday to announce that they would amend their signature climate change bill to eliminate the goal of reducing petroleum use. With only two days remaining before the legislative session ends, they say they don't have the votes to pass S.B. 350, the so-called “50-50-50” bill, with that provision.

The push to legislate broad climate change goals in California hit a bump last night when S.B. 32, one of the most important of the current bills, lost in a vote on the Assembly floor.

Last Friday afternoon, Melanie Curry broke the news of the introduction of Assembly Bill X1-23, a bill that would double state funding for active transportation projects, better known as bicycling and pedestrian projects.

This just in: Active transportation is finally getting some love in Sacramento. A bill was introduced today to double the funding available for projects and programs that encourage people to walk or ride bikes by making streets and paths safe and comfortable for them.

An op-ed piece in the Sacramento Bee this morning points out the strange disconnects in current legislative discussions on funding transportation.

There's been a lot of media noise about ongoing efforts to pass new climate change legislation in California before the rapidly approaching deadline. One particular op-ed in the Orange County Register adds nothing useful to the debate, but as one of several efforts lately that have been working very hard to obscure facts, it deserves a wagging finger of shame.