BILL NUMBER: AB 1600 AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 12, 2012 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Torres (Coauthors: Senators Hernandezand Huff, Huff, and Liu ) FEBRUARY 6, 2012 An act to amend Sections 132400, 132410, 132420, and 132450 of the Public Utilities Code, relating to the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1600, as amended, Torres. Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority. Existing law creates the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority for purposes relating to the development of a light rail project extending from the City of Los Angeles to the Cities of Pasadena and Claremont, and authorizes the authority to accept grants, fees, and allocations from the state, local agencies, and private entities. This bill would provide for the extension of the project to the City of Montclair, instead of the City of Claremont. The bill would authorize the authority to also accept grants, fees, and allocations from federal agencies, and to accept transfers of funds from federal, state, and local agencies. Existing law creates the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) and specifies that the LACMTA shall assume responsibility for operating the project upon dissolution of the authority. This bill would require the LACMTA to assume responsibility for operating all completed phases of the project, and would grant it authority to operate the portion of the project located in San Bernardino County. Existing law authorizes the governing board of the authority to appoint an executive director to carry out the duties of the authority, including awarding and approving contracts. This bill would require that contracts awarded by the executive director comply with laws generally applicable to local agency procurements, as specified. Because this bill would require a local authority to assume additional responsibilities, it would create a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: yes. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 132400 of the Public Utilities Code is amended to read: 132400. For purposes of this chapter, the following terms have the following meanings: (a) The "authority" is the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority created under this chapter, formerly known as the Pasadena Metro Blue Line Construction Authority. (b) The "board" is the governing board of the authority. (c) The "commission" is the California Transportation Commission. (d) The "LACMTA" is the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. (e) The "project" is the Los Angeles-Pasadena Foothill Extension Gold Line light rail project, formerly known as the Los Angeles-Pasadena Metro Blue Line, extending from Union Station in the City of Los Angeles to Sierra Madre Villa Boulevard in the City of Pasadena and any mass transit guideway that may be planned east of Sierra Madre Villa Boulevard along the rail right-of-way extending to the City of Montclair. (f) The "extension cities" are the cities of Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte, Irwindale, Azusa, Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, Pomona, Claremont, and Montclair. SEC. 2. Section 132410 of the Public Utilities Code is amended to read: 132410. (a) The authority has all of the powers necessary for planning, acquiring, leasing, developing, jointly developing, owning, controlling, using, jointly using, disposing of, designing, procuring, and building the project, including, but not limited to, all of the following: (1) Acceptance of grants, fees, allocations, and transfers of funds from federal, state, and local agencies, as well as private entities. (2) Acquiring, through purchase or through eminent domain proceedings, any property necessary for, incidental to, or convenient for, the exercise of the powers of the authority. (3) Incurring indebtedness, secured by pledges of revenue available for project completion. (4) Contracting with public and private entities for the planning, design, and construction of the project. These contracts may be assigned separately or may be combined to include any or all tasks necessary for completion of the project. (5) Entering into cooperative or joint development agreements with local governments or private entities. These agreements may be entered into for the purpose of sharing costs, selling or leasing land, air, or development rights, providing for the transferring of passengers, making pooling arrangements, or for any other purpose that is necessary for, incidental to, or convenient for the full exercise of the powers granted the authority. For purposes of this paragraph, "joint development" includes, but is not limited to, an agreement with any person, firm, corporation, association, or organization for the operation of facilities or development of projects adjacent to, or physically or functionally related to, the project. (6) Relocation of utilities, as necessary for completion of the project. (b) The duties of the authority include, but are not limited to, all of the following: (1) Conducting the financial studies and the planning and engineering necessary for completion of the project. (2) (A) Adoption of an administrative code, not later than 60 days after establishment of the authority, for administration of the authority in accordance with any applicable laws, including, but not limited to, the Ralph M. Brown Act (Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 54950) of Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 5 of the Government Code),contracting and procurement laws,the provisions of this chapter, laws generally applicable to lo cal agency procurements and contracts, laws relating to contracting goals for minority and women business participation, and the Political Reform Act of 1974 (Title 9 (commencing with Section 81000) of the Government Code). (B) (i) The administrative code adopted under subparagraph (A) shall include a code of conduct for employees and board members that is consistent with Sections 84308 and 87103 of the Government Code and prohibits board members and staff from accepting gifts valued at ten dollars ($10) or more from contractors, potential contractors, or their subcontractors. (ii) The code shall require the disclosure, on the record, of the proceedings by the officer of the agency who receives a contribution within the preceding 24 months in an amount of more than two hundred fifty dollars ($250) from a party or participant to a proceeding, and the disclosure by the party or participant. (iii) The code shall provide that no officer of the agency shall make, participate in making, or in any way attempt to use his or her official position to influence the decision in a proceeding, as described in Section 84308 of the Government Code, if the officer has willfully or knowingly received a contribution in the amount of more than two hundred fifty dollars ($250) within the preceding 24 months from a party or his or her agent, or from any participant or his or her agent if the participant has a financial interest in the decision. (iv) Any officer deemed ineligible to participate in a proceeding due to the provisions of this code of conduct may be replaced for the purposes of that proceeding by an appointee chosen by the appropriate appointing authority. (v) Under the code of conduct, board members shall be deemed to have a financial interest in a decision within the meaning of Section 87100 of the Government Code if the decision involves the donor of, or intermediary or agent for a donor of, a gift or gifts aggregating ten dollars ($10) or more in value within the 12 months prior to the time the decision was made. (vi) Board members and alternate members shall not be considered financially interested, under or for the purposes of Section 1090 of the Government Code, solely by virtue of their holding office with the authority and, concurrently, holding office with an entity set forth in subdivision (a) of Section 132415, an extension city, or both such an entity and such a city, and they may participate in decisions and agreements regarding the authority, any of the entities set forth in subdivision (a) of Section 132415, and any of the extension cities. The participation described in this clause shall not constitute a conflict of interest under or for the purposes of Section 1090 of the Government Code, or an incompatible employment, activity, or enterprise under or for the purposes of Section 1126 of the Government Code. (c) The authority shall make reasonable progress, as determined by the commission, in the design and construction of the project within the timetable imposed under the 1998 State Transportation Improvement Program. SEC. 3. Section 132420 of the Public Utilities Code is amended to read: 132420. (a) The board may appoint an executive director to serve at the pleasure of the authority. (b) The executive director is exempt from all civil service provisions and shall be paid a salary established by the board. (c) The executive director may appoint staff or retain consultants as necessary to carry out the duties of the authority. (d) All contracts approved and awarded by the executive director shall be awarded in accordance with statelaw relating to procurementlaws generally applicable to local agency procurements and contracts, subject to the provisions of this chapter . Awards shall be based on price or competitive negotiation, or on both of those things.SEC. 3.SEC. 4. Section 132450 of the Public Utilities Code is amended to read: 132450. (a) (1) The LACMTA shall assume responsibility for operating all completed phases of the project. (2) The LACMTA shall have the authority to operate the portion of the project located in San Bernardino County. (b) The authority shall be dissolved when project construction has been completed.SEC. 4.SEC. 5. No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district are the result of a program for which legislative authority was requested by that local agency or school district, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code and Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.