BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Tom Torlakson, Chairman
375 (Steinberg)
Hearing Date: 5/31/07 Amended: 5/2/07
Consultant: Mark McKenzie Policy Vote: E.Q. 5-2, T.&H. 7-1
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BILL SUMMARY: SB 375 would link transportation planning and
funding to general land use planning and the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Specifically, this bill
would:
Require the California Transportation Commission (CTC)
to adopt guidelines by April 1, 2008 for the use of travel
demand models in regional transportation plans (RTPs) that
would assess the impact of certain policy choices on a
region.
Require large regional transportation planning agencies
(RTPAs) to incorporate the regional travel demand model
into RTPs, as specified in the CTC guidelines, and report
to CTC on how the model supports corridor and small area
planning.
Require RTPAs to develop a "preferred growth scenario"
(PGS) that is consistent with the state planning
priorities, identifies sufficient housing for all
populations in the region, identifies significant resource
and farmland in the region that would be excluded from
development, complies with the federal Clean Air Act,
inventories the region's greenhouse gas emissions, and
establishes measures to reduce these emissions. The PGS
would be included into the RTP.
Require projects and improvements that are included in
the regional transportation improvement program to be
consistent with the RTP and PGS in order to receive funding
after January 1, 2009.
Authorize exemptions from specified CEQA requirements
for certain projects within an eligible local jurisdiction
that has amended the general plan so that the land use,
circulation, housing, and open space elements are
consistent with the PGS.
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Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 Fund
CTC guidelines up to $200 Special*
Caltrans travel models absorbable costs to provide
assistanceSpecial*
Caltrans PGS requirements unknown, potentially
significant costs to Special*
comply with PGS requirements
ARB emission targets/models $330 $300
Special**
Local Mandate unknown reimbursable mandate costsGeneral
(new RTP requirements) to include updated travel
modeling and
PGS information in RTPs
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*State Highway Account
** Motor Vehicle Account and Air Pollution Control Fund
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STAFF COMMENTS: SUSPENSE FILE. AS PROPOSED TO BE AMENDED.
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SB 375 (Steinberg)
Travel Demand Models
Travel demand models attempt to model human travel behavior to
predict potential outcomes of various policy options. These
models are used to evaluate development patterns, and their
travel implications, before a regional plan is adopted. Travel
demand models are often subjective and implementation may be
constrained by factors beyond the control of an RTPA, such as
local zoning and land use decisions made by individual local
governments. This bill is intended to provide a uniform
framework for improving travel demand modeling statewide.
SB 375 would require CTC to adopt guidelines for the use of
travel demand models used by RTPAs in the development of RTPs.
CTC would convene an advisory committee, hold two workshops
during regular meetings, and adopt the guidelines by April 1,
2008. The travel demand models developed pursuant to the
adopted guidelines would be capable, to the extent practicable,
of evaluating specified policy choices related to land use
decisions, transit use, and development and travel impacts
resulting from highway or rail passenger rail expansion. RTPAs
that represent populations of over 800,000 would be required to
implement the guidelines, incorporate updated travel demand
models used in the RTP, and report to CTC on the extent to which
the regional model supports corridor and small area planning.
These requirements would be permissive for smaller RTPAs.
Staff notes that SB 375 would require CTC to develop and adopt
guidelines within three months of the bill's enactment. CTC has
indicated that this process typically takes approximately 9
months of dedicated staff work to convene an advisory committee,
develop a consensus, hold public hearings, and adopt the
guidelines. CTC costs associated with the adoption of
guidelines would be in the range of $200,000. The Department of
Transportation (Caltrans) would be required to assist CTC in the
preparation of the guidelines, upon request. Caltrans costs for
participating in the process for adopting guidelines for travel
demand models would be absorbable.
Preferred Growth Scenarios
Existing law requires RTPAs to develop and adopt regional
transportation plans to provide policy guidance to local and
state officials in order to achieve a coordinated and balanced
regional transportation system, including multiple modes of
transportation. RTPs must contain a policy element, an action
element, and a financial element. Existing law also requires
CTC to adopt the State Transportation Improvement Program
(STIP), which includes all of the projects that are to receive
an allocation of state transportation funding. Seventy-five
percent of these funds are allocated to RTPAs for projects
programmed into the Regional Transportation Improvement Program
(RTIP). RTPs are the source for projects programmed into the
RTIP.
SB 375 would require regional transportation plans to include a
"preferred growth scenario" that: (1) identifies areas
sufficient to house all the population of the region, including
all economic segments, over the course of the planning period;
(2) identifies significant resource and farmland, as specified,
to be excluded from development; and (3) allows the RTP to
comply with the federal Clean Air Act. The PGS would also
inventory the region's greenhouse gas emissions and establish
measures for reducing
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SB 375 (Steinberg)
emissions by an amount consistent with specified targets. SB
375 would require the State Air Resources Board (ARB) to provide
each region with greenhouse gas emission targets for 2020 and
2050 by an unspecified date. Staff recommends an amendment to
specify the deadline for ARB to provide the targets to RTPAs in
order to allow enough time to incorporate this information into
the PGS so that a region's transportation funding is not
compromised by an administrative delay. Staff notes that ARB
would require 3 positions at a cost of $330,000 and
approximately $300,000 in contracted work to develop regional
targets and complete site-specific modeling work in order to
implement the provisions of this bill.
Existing law requires Caltrans to prepare RTPs for certain
smaller regions. Existing law also requires Caltrans to prepare
a federal transportation improvement program, as specified. SB
375 would require Caltrans to update the RTP for smaller regions
to include a PGS, and would also require any projects included
in the federal transportation improvement plan to be consistent
with the updated RTPs, including the PGS. Staff notes that
costs to Caltrans for complying with these requirements are
unknown, but potentially significant. Caltrans does not have
the staff expertise to determine regional housing availability,
resource and farmland availability, and strategies for
greenhouse gas emission reduction, as required in the PGS.
SB 375 would also require any projects proposed in the action
element of an RTP to be consistent with the PGS. In addition,
projects and improvements to be included in the RTIP, and funded
through the STIP, must be consistent with the regional
transportation plans, including the PGS, in order to be funded
after December 31, 2008. Staff notes that to the extent that
RTPAs are unable to update the RTP by this time, this bill would
result in a major loss of local and regional transportation
funding.
Staff notes that by requiring larger regional planning entities
to apply the specified travel demand models to their RTPs, and
requiring all RTPAs to include a PGS in regional transportation
plans, this bill would result in a reimbursable state mandate of
unknown significant costs, potential in the range of several
million dollars. RTPAs would be required to perform these
updates to regional transportation plans during the 2008
calendar year in order to be eligible for state transportation
funding through the STIP as of January 1, 2009.
CEQA
SB 375 would authorize certain CEQA exemptions for projects
within a local jurisdiction that has amended specified elements
of its general plan to be consistent with the PGS adopted by the
region's metropolitan planning organization. These exemptions
would apply to specified infill projects, "sustainable
communities' projects," and projects within an area that has
adopted specified traffic mitigation policies.
PROPOSED AMENDMENTS would:
Revise the applicability of the travel demand modeling
guidelines.
Exempt projects programmed in the 2006 and 2008 STIP, as
well as specified bond-funded projects, from the
requirement of consistency with the RTP and PGS in order to
receive funding as of January 1, 2008.
Make numerous definitional and clarifying changes.