BILL NUMBER: AB 650 INTRODUCED
BILL TEXT
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Blumenfield
FEBRUARY 16, 2011
An act to add Article 10 (commencing with Section 99440) to
Chapter 4 of Part 11 of Division 10 of the Public Utilities Code,
relating to transportation, and making an appropriation therefor.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 650, as introduced, Blumenfield. Blue Ribbon Task Force on
Public Transportation for the 21st Century.
Existing law establishes various boards and commissions within
state government. Existing law establishes various transit districts
and other local entities for development of public transit on a
regional basis and makes various state revenues available to those
entities for those purposes. Existing law declares that the
fostering, continuance, and development of public transportation
systems are a matter of statewide concern. The Institute of
Transportation Studies of the University of California studies all
aspects of transportation, including technological advances to social
and environmental consequences. The Public Transportation Account is
designated as a trust fund and funds in the account shall be
available only for specified transportation planning and mass
transportation purposes.
This bill would establish the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Public
Transportation for the 21st Century. The bill would require the task
force to be comprised of 12 specified members and would require the
Senate Committee on Rules and the Speaker of the Assembly to jointly
appoint these members, including a chair, by March 31, 2012. The bill
would require the task force to prepare a written report that
contains specified findings and recommendations relating to, among
other things, the current state of California's transit system, the
estimated cost of creating the needed system over various terms, and
potential sources of funding to sustain the transit system's needs,
and to submit the report by March 31, 2013, to the Governor, the
Legislature, the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, the Senate
Committee on Rules, the Speaker of the Assembly, and the
transportation committees of the Legislature. The bill would require
the task force, in preparing its written report, to consult with
appropriate state agencies and departments and would require the
Institute of Transportation Studies of the University of California,
subject to their agreement, to provide staffing to the task force.
The bill would appropriate $750,000 from the Public Transportation
Account to the Department of Transportation, as specified, to
accomplish the purposes of these provisions.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: yes. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
(a) A comprehensive, well-coordinated and fully functioning public
transit system is critical to the well being of the California
populace because it can do the following:
(1) Grow the California economy by keeping money in the state,
creating good-paying stable jobs, and increasing the value of
surrounding real estate.
(2) Bolster the state's security by decreasing dependence on
imported oil.
(3) Contribute to the effort to meet California's greenhouse gas
reduction and air quality goals.
(4) Save travelers time by mitigating traffic congestion as the
state's population grows.
(5) Promote equitable access to affordable, reliable, and safe
transportation for all Californians.
(b) Building and maintaining an effective public transportation
network requires a strategic commitment and vision that makes transit
in all forms an integral part of California's overall 21st century
transportation system.
(c) Every $1 billion invested in transportation infrastructure
creates 47,500 jobs.
(d) Every one dollar invested in public transportation generates
approximately six dollars in local economic activity.
(e) Real estate, including residential, commercial, and business,
that is served by public transit is valued more highly by the public
than similar properties not as well-served by transit. In San Diego,
residential properties for sale near commuter rail stops were valued
17 percent higher than properties for sale not near commuter rail
stops.
(f) California oil production has steadily decreased since its
peak in the 1980s, leading to an increased need for imported oil. In
2006, California imported 55 percent, 328 of 593 million barrels, of
the oil it used. At $90 per barrel that is $29.5 billion dollars
annually leaving the state. Public transit in California currently
reduces the need to import oil by creating savings of 486 million
gallons of oil annually.
(g) Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) in
high concentrations create dangerous air quality conditions, which
cause at least 6,500 premature deaths, 9,000 hospitalizations, and
1,700,000 cases of respiratory illness annually in California. Public
transportation reduces carbon monoxide (CO) by 95 percent, VOCs by
90 percent, and NOx by 50 percent, per passenger mile, compared to
driving a private vehicle.
(h) To meet requirements set out by the Global Warming Solutions
Act of 2006 and Executive Order S-3-05, California will have to
reduce its per capita emissions from 13 metric tons to 9.5 metric
tons by 2020 and 2 metric tons by 2050. By taking existing public
transportation instead of driving a car, a single person can save 2.1
metric tons, or 4,800 pounds, of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year.
(i) In the next 10 years, the California population is expected to
grow by over four million people, mostly in urban centers. This will
lead to more time wastefully spent in traffic congestion. In 2005,
transit prevented 540.8 million hours of traffic delay around the
country, according to the Texas Transportation Institute. The
monetary value of those savings was $10.2 billion.
(j) Nationally, personal vehicles have much higher fatality rates
scaled to miles traveled than public transit. From 2003 to 2008,
inclusive, there were no reported light rail transit fatalities.
During the same period, there were 28 times more fatalities
associated with personal vehicles than with transit bus travel.
(k) By 2025, an estimated one in five Californians will be over 65
years of age. Public transportation is already playing an important
role for this demographic, 20 percent of which does not drive.
(l) Californians recognize the benefits of public transportation
and are responding with increased demand for it. San Diego
Metropolitan Transit System experienced ridership increases on its
line ranging from 5 to 11 percent in 2008. Sacramento's light rail
system saw a 43.3 percent increase in 2008. Altamont Commuter Express
and Capitol Corridor commuter trains, connecting the San Francisco
Bay area with the Central Valley, saw ridership increases of 13.6
percent in the first quarter of 2008. Bus ridership in Los Angeles
grew by 8 percent in 2008.
(m) State funding for public transportation operations has
dwindled as the state struggles to meet general fund obligations.
(n) Public transit systems facing decreased funding generally must
raise fares, cut service, or do both. In 2009, San Francisco raised
fares by 6 percent followed by a 10-percent decrease in service
frequency in 2010. In 2010, Los Angeles implemented the second
20-percent fare increase in three years and plans to eliminate
388,000 hours of bus service. In San Diego, fares rose by 28.5
percent between 2008 and 2009. Sacramento announced in early 2010
that it would cut bus and rail service by 22 percent.
SEC. 2. Article 10 (commencing with Section 99440) is added to
Chapter 4 of Part 11 of Division 10 of the Public Utilities Code, to
read:
Article 10. Blue Ribbon Task Force on Public Transportation
for the 21st Century
99440. (a) (1) There shall be established in state government the
Blue Ribbon Task Force on Public Transportation for the 21st
Century.
(2) References in this article to the task force shall mean the
Blue Ribbon Task Force on Public Transportation for the 21st Century.
(b) (1) The task force shall be comprised of 12 members, including
a chair, all of whom shall have a demonstrated interest in public
transportation and meet the criteria described in paragraph (3).
(2) All members shall be jointly appointed by the Senate Committee
on Rules and the Speaker of the Assembly. These joint appointments
shall be made no later than March 31, 2012.
(3) The task force shall be comprised of the following members:
(A) A business representative.
(B) A public transit representative.
(C) An environmental representative.
(D) An organized labor representative.
(E) A public health representative.
(F) A private transit provider representative.
(G) A regional transportation planning agency representative.
(H) A representative of a transit advocacy group.
(I) An education or academic representative with experience in
public transportation.
(J) A finance expert.
(K) A Member of the Assembly.
(L) A Member of the Senate.
(4) The chair shall be jointly appointed by the Senate Committee
on Rules and the Speaker of the Assembly from among the 12 task force
members.
(c) Seven members of the task force shall constitute a quorum.
(d) The task force members shall serve without salary. However,
members of the task force shall receive necessary travel expenses,
including transportation, lodging, and meals. These necessary
expenses shall be paid from funds to be appropriated to the task
force pursuant to Section 99447.
(e) The task force shall be an advisory body only, and there shall
be no right or obligation on the part of the state to implement the
findings and recommendations of the task force without further
legislation that specifically authorizes that the findings and
recommendations of the task force be implemented.
99441. (a) The task force shall meet at least twice a month. The
task force may meet more often if needed. Meetings may be conducted
via conference call so long as there are adequate telephone lines
available for public participation.
(b) Proxies shall not be allowed to stand in for task force
members at meetings.
99442. (a) The task force shall conduct at least nine public
listening sessions to gather information from members of the public
and organizations around the state on public transportation issues
and needs. At least one listening session each shall be conducted in
the County of San Diego, the County of Los Angeles, the Inland
Empire, the City of Fresno, the City of Sacramento, the San Francisco
Bay area, the City of Eureka, the City of Redding, and the City of
Bakersfield.
(b) To the extent possible, the listening sessions shall be
conducted after 5 p.m. and in venues accessible by public transit. At
least one public listening session shall address rural public
transit needs.
(c) A quorum, including the chair, shall attend each public
listening session.
(d) To the extent possible, the task force shall communicate with
the public and stakeholders via the media, including electronic and
social media, about the public listening sessions. To the extent
possible, the public listening sessions shall be Web cast with
options for testimony to be presented electronically.
99443. The task force, in carrying out its duties pursuant to
this article, shall consider public transportation systems, as
defined by Section 99211, and in addition, transportation systems
specifically designed to get workers to job sites such as vanpool
services and employer-supported shared transit.
99444. (a) The task force shall prepare a written report
containing findings and recommendations that address all of the
following:
(1) The current state of California's transit system, including
major intermodal hubs, bus systems, bus rapid transit, light rail and
streetcar, intercity bus and rail, jitney services, paratransit
services, vanpools, variable route or shuttle services, and
connectivity between modes in the system.
(2) Best practices based on a review of transit systems worldwide.
(3) The level and types of transit needed to meet the following
goals: equity of accessibility and ease of use; strong and
sustainable local and statewide economies; and environmental and
public health, including reduced greenhouse gas and pollutant
emissions.
(4) The estimated cost of creating the needed system in the near
term (within five years), midterm (within 15 years), and long term
(within 25 years).
(5) Potential sources of funding to sustain the system's needs.
(6) Requirements and methods for attaining that funding.
(7) Suggested scenarios for phasing in transit development.
(8) Recommendations for action based on findings for paragraphs
(1) to (7), inclusive.
(b) On or before March 31, 2013, the task force shall submit the
written report to the Governor, the Legislature, the Joint
Legislative Budget Committee, the Senate Committee on Rules, the
Speaker of the Assembly, the Senate Committee on Transportation and
Housing, and the Assembly Committee on Transportation.
(c) A report to the Legislature pursuant to this section shall be
submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(d) This section shall become inoperative on March 31, 2017,
pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code.
99445. (a) The task force, in preparing its written report, shall
consult with appropriate state agencies and departments, including
the Department of Transportation; the California Transportation
Commission; the Department of Housing and Community Development; the
Business, Transportation and Housing Agency; the State Air Resources
Board; the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development
Commission; and the State Department of Health Care Services.
(b) The Institute of Transportation Studies of the University of
California, which includes experts on transit systems, transit
operations, and transit funding and finance, shall, subject to their
agreement, provide staffing to the task force.
(c) The task force may contract with consultants for expert
research, analysis, or advice. This includes conducting public
opinion surveys; analyses of transit system operations in California
and elsewhere; public outreach; and Web-based, video, and print
production of task force findings.
99446. (a) Meetings of the task force and the public listening
sessions described in Sections 99441 and 99442 shall be subject to
the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article 9 (commencing with Section
11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the
Government Code).
(b) The written report shall be disclosed to the public pursuant
to the California Public Records Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with
Section 6250) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code).
99447. There is hereby appropriated the sum of seven hundred
fifty thousand dollars ($750,000) from the Public Transportation
Account to the department for allocation to the Institute of
Transportation Studies of the University of California consistent
with subdivision (d) of Section 99315 to accomplish the purposes of
this article.