BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                        
                       SENATE LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE
                            Senator Dave Cox, Chair


          BILL NO:  AB 1204                    HEARING:  6/30/10
          AUTHOR:  Huber                       FISCAL:  Yes
          VERSION:  1/14/10                    CONSULTANT:   
          Weinberger
          
                   EL DORADO COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION

                           Background and Existing Law  

          Regional transportation planning agencies (RTPAs) are  
          responsible for allocating Transportation Development Act  
          revenues and conducting regional transportation planning  
          activities within their jurisdictions.

          The El Dorado County Transportation Planning Agency,  
          commonly known as the El Dorado County Transportation  
          Commission (EDCTC), is the RTPA for El Dorado County,  
          exclusive of the Tahoe Basin.  The EDCTC's governing board  
          is composed of three members appointed by the El Dorado  
          County Board of Supervisors and three members appointed by  
          the Placerville City Council (SB 902, Leslie, 1996).   
          Placerville is the only city in western El Dorado County.

          Five RTPAs' governing boards include members appointed by  
          any city within their jurisdictions: 
                 Placer County Transportation Planning Agency (SB  
               2110, Leslie, 1994)
                 Nevada County Transportation Planning Agency (SB  
               2110, Leslie, 1994)
                 Transportation Agency of Monterey County (SB 2110,  
               Leslie, 1994)
                 Santa Cruz Regional Transportation Commission (SB  
               869, Mello, 1995)
                 San Diego County consolidated agency (SB 1703,  
               Peace, 2002)

          By contrast, a newly incorporated city in the EDCTC's  
          jurisdiction cannot appoint members to the Commission's  
          governing board without a change in state law.  EDCTC  
          officials want to authorize any city in the Commission's  
          jurisdiction to appoint members to its governing board.


                                   Proposed Law 




          AB 1204 -- 1/14/10 -- Page 2




          Assembly Bill 1204 increases, from three to four, the  
          number of members that the El Dorado County Board of  
          Supervisors appoints to the El Dorado County Transportation  
          Commission's (EDCTC's) governing board.  AB 1204 authorizes  
          the city council of each incorporated city within the  
          EDCTC's jurisdiction to appoint two members to the  
          Commission's governing board.  If there is only one  
          incorporated city, the bill authorizes the city council to  
          appoint three members to the governing board.

                                     Comments  

          1.   Flexibility  .  Responding to demographic shifts and  
          efforts to incorporate the community of El Dorado Hills,  
          the EDCTC appointed a citizens' advisory committee to  
          examine the composition of the EDCTC's governing board and  
          recommend changes to its structure.  Based on more than 12  
          hours of public commentary received over the course of six  
          public town hall meetings, the committee unanimously  
          recommended allowing representation on the EDCTC for newly  
          formed cities.  After considering the advisory committee's  
          recommendations, the EDCTC's board voted unanimously to  
          approve the language in AB 1204.  By allowing  
          representation on the EDCTC to evolve if one or more new  
          cities incorporate in western El Dorado County, AB 1204  
          gives the EDCTC the same flexibility that state law already  
          provides to RTPAs in Placer, Nevada, Monterey, Santa Cruz,  
          and San Diego counties.   

          2.   Playing favorites  .  In light of a failed 2005 effort to  
          incorporate El Dorado Hills, and that community's continued  
          growth, another effort to incorporate El Dorado Hills is  
          likely.  Some local officials who oppose incorporation are  
          concerned that, by guaranteeing that a new city gets to  
          appoint members to the EDCTC, AB 1204 tips the balance in  
          favor of incorporation when voters next consider cityhood  
          for El Dorado Hills.  The Committee may wish to consider  
          whether AB 1204 unnecessarily involves the Legislature in  
          determining the outcome of a local governance decision.

          3.   Re-referral  .  The Senate Rules Committee first referred  
          AB 1204 to the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee,  
          which passed the bill by a vote of 6-1 at its June 16  
          hearing and referred it back to the Rules Committee.  The  
          Senate Rules Committee then re-referred AB 1204 to the  





          AB 1204 -- 1/14/10 -- Page 3



          Senate Local Government Committee.


                                 Assembly Actions 

          Assembly Local Government Committee:  5-0
          Assembly Appropriations Committee:17-0
          Assembly Floor:                    68-0
           

                        Support and Opposition  (6/24/10)

           Support  :  El Dorado County Transportation Commission, El  
          Dorado Hill Chamber of Commerce, Four Seasons Civic League.

           Opposition  :  Unknown.