BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                       



           ------------------------------------------------------------ 
          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                   AB 584|
          |Office of Senate Floor Analyses   |                         |
          |1020 N Street, Suite 524          |                         |
          |(916) 651-1520         Fax: (916) |                         |
          |327-4478                          |                         |
           ------------------------------------------------------------ 
           
                                         
                                 THIRD READING


          Bill No:  AB 584
          Author:   Huber (D)
          Amended:  6/1/10 in Senate
          Vote:     21

           
           SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE  :  7-1, 6/15/10
          AYES:  Lowenthal, Huff, Ashburn, DeSaulnier, Harman,  
            Pavley, Simitian
          NOES:  Kehoe
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Oropeza
           
          SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE  :  Senate Rule 28.8
           
          ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  67-0, 1/25/10 - See last page for vote


           SUBJECT  :    Neighborhood electric vehicles

           SOURCE :     Amador Citizens for Transportation Options


           DIGEST  :    This bill authorizes, until 2016, the County of  
          Amador and the cities of Jackson, Amador City, and Sutter  
          Creek to establish a neighborhood electric vehicle  
          transportation plan or plans.

           ANALYSIS  :    Existing law defines a low-speed vehicle as a  
          motor vehicle that is four-wheeled, can attain a speed in  
          one mile of more than 20 miles per hour (MPH) and not more  
          than 25 MPH on a paved, level surface, and has a gross  
          vehicle weight rating of less than 3,000 pounds.  Low-speed  
          vehicles are also known as neighborhood electric vehicles  
                                                           CONTINUED





                                                                AB 584
                                                                Page  
          2

          (NEVs).  NEVs meet federal motor vehicle safety standards,  
          and one must possess a valid California driver's license to  
          operate an NEV on public streets.

          Existing law generally prohibits NEVs from being operated  
          on any roadway with a speed limit in excess of 35 MPH, but  
          a number of bills have provided exceptions for three  
          communities, as follows: 

          1. AB 2353 (Leslie), Chapter 422, Statutes of 2004,  
             authorized the NEV transportation plan pilot projects  
             until January 1, 2009, for the cities of Lincoln and  
             Rocklin, as follows:

             A.    Each city may establish a "neighborhood electric  
                vehicle transportation plan" for the city or some  
                part of it. Existing law puts numerous requirements  
                on the adoption of the plan, including consultation  
                with local law enforcement and transportation  
                planning officials.  The plan must accommodate the  
                travel of NEVs by identifying routes and providing  
                for NEV facilities (separate lanes, trails, street  
                crossings, parking, charging stations, etc.), and it  
                may allow NEVs on streets with speed limits over 35  
                MPH where dedicated lanes are provided for NEVs. 

             B.    The cities must work with the Department of  
                Transportation (Caltrans) to establish uniform  
                specifications and symbols for signs, traffic control  
                devices, and right-of-way designation in the plan  
                areas.

             C.    If Lincoln or Rocklin adopts an NEV transportation  
                plan, then the city must report to the Legislature on  
                the plan, its effectiveness, and its impact on  
                traffic flows and safety, and it must make a  
                recommendation to the Legislature on extending the  
                sunset date or expanding the authorization for NEV  
                transportation plans statewide.

          2. AB 2963 (Gaines), Chapter 199, Statutes of 2008,  
             extended the sunset date on the Lincoln and Rocklin  
             pilot projects from 2009 until January 1, 2012.  In  
             doing so, the bill required the cities jointly or  







                                                                AB 584
                                                                Page  
          3

             individually if only one proceeds, to report to the  
             Legislature by January 1, 2011, on implementation of  
             their NEV transportation plans.  This report shall be  
             prepared in consultation with Caltrans, the California  
             Highway Patrol (CHP), and local law enforcement and  
             provide specified information on the NEV transportation  
             plans and their implementation.

          3. SB 956 (Correa), Chapter 442, Statutes of 2007, allowed  
             Orange County to establish an NEV transportation plan  
             for Ranch Plan Planned Community under essentially the  
             same criteria as the Lincoln and Rocklin pilot projects,  
             except with a sunset date of January 1, 2013.

          This bill authorizes the County of Amador and the cities of  
          Jackson, Sutter Creek, and Amador City to establish jointly  
          or individually neighborhood electric vehicle  
          transportation plans under the same terms as the pilot  
          projects in Lincoln and Rocklin.  Specifically, this bill:

          1. Permits the County of Amador and the cities of Jackson,  
             Sutter Creek, and Amador City, to establish by ordinance  
             or resolution an NEV plan for streets under their  
             jurisdictions.  Prior to adoption, the county and cities  
             shall receive comment and review on the plan from the  
             Amador County Transportation Commission and any agency  
             with traffic law enforcement responsibilities in these  
             jurisdictions.  The plan must accommodate the travel of  
             NEVs by identifying routes and providing for NEV  
             facilities (separate lanes, trails, street crossings,  
             parking, charging stations, etc.).

          2. Requires the jurisdictions that adopt an NEV plan to  
             report to the Legislature by January 1, 2015, in  
             consultation with CHP and local law enforcement.  Each  
             report shall describe the plan adopted, evaluate its  
             effectiveness and impact on traffic flows and safety,  
             and make a recommendation to the Legislature on  
             extending the sunset date or expanding the authorization  
             for NEV transportation plans statewide.

          3. Sunsets on January 1, 2016.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  Yes    







                                                               AB 584
                                                                Page  
          4

          Local:  Yes

           SUPPORT  :   (Verified  6/29/10)

          Amador Citizens for Transportation Options (sponsor)
          Amador County Transportation Commission

           OPPOSITION  :    (Verified  6/29/10)

          California Council of the Blind

           ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT :    The author introduced this bill so  
          that several communities in her district may create a more  
          sustainable transportation option that encourages NEV use  
          while decreasing fossil fuel use, greenhouse gas emissions,  
          and overall energy use within the community.  The author  
          reports that a local community organization, Amador  
          Citizens for Transportation Options (ACTO), has been  
          working with Amador County to consider transportation  
          alternatives that will link the small, historic towns of  
          Jackson, Sutter Creek, and Amador City.  ACTO has proposed  
          developing a NEV transportation plan similar to those  
          established by Lincoln and Rocklin.  This bill permits  
          implementation of such a plan.

           ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION  :    The California Council of the  
          Blind opposes this bill because it does not address the  
          safety issues that NEVs pose for pedestrians and especially  
          for visually impaired pedestrians.  NEVs and other electric  
          vehicles emit little sound, and it is vehicle sound on  
          which blind pedestrians rely to detect the presence of  
          vehicles and know when it is safe to cross a street.  The  
          Council indicates that it will support the bill if it is  
          amended to require NEVs to emit sufficient sound for blind  
          pedestrians to audibly detect the presence of NEVs. 


           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  : 
          AYES:  Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Beall, Bill  
            Berryhill, Tom Berryhill, Blakeslee, Block, Blumenfield,  
            Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan, Chesbro, Conway, Cook,  
            Coto, De La Torre, De Leon, Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer,  
            Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes, Fuller, Gaines, Galgiani,  
            Garrick, Gilmore, Hagman, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill,  







                                                                AB 584
                                                                Page  
          5

            Huber, Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Lieu, Logue,  
            Mendoza, Miller, Monning, Nava, Niello, Nielsen, John A.  
            Perez, V. Manuel Perez, Portantino, Ruskin, Salas,  
            Saldana, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Audra  
            Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Tran,  
            Villines, Yamada, Bass
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Caballero, Charles Calderon, Carter,  
            Davis, DeVore, Furutani, Hall, Harkey, Bonnie Lowenthal,  
            Ma, Nestande


          JJA:mw  6/29/10   Senate Floor Analyses 

                         SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

                                ****  END  ****