BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1600
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Date of Hearing: April 18, 2012
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Felipe Fuentes, Chair
AB 1600 (Torres) - As Amended: March 12, 2012
Policy Committee: Local
GovernmentVote:9-0
Transportation 14-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
Yes Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
Authorizes the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction
Authority to extend its light-rail project to the City of
Montclair and makes other related changes to provisions
governing the authority. Specifically, this bill:
1)Authorizes the authority to extend the Gold Line light rail
project to the City of Montclair and names the City of
Montclair an extension city making its elected officials
eligible for membership on the authority board.
2)Specifically authorizes the authority to accept the transfer
of funds from federal sources and clarifies provisions
governing the authority's procurement and contracting
activities.
3)Requires the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation
Authority, known as Metro, to assume responsibility for
operation of each phase of the project as it is completed
(rather than at the end of the project as is currently
required) and specifically grants Metro the authority to
operate the Gold Line in San Bernardino County.
FISCAL EFFECT
Negligible.
COMMENTS
1)Rationale. According to the author, Montclair, with its
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regional transit hub, is a logical terminus for the next phase
of the light-rail service but existing law defines the Metro
Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority's project
terminus to be in Claremont, west of Montclair. This bill
would enable the project's extension into Montclair.
Additionally, because Metro jurisdiction stops at the Los
Angeles County line, this bill would enable Metro to operate
the extension into Montclair, about a half mile into San
Bernardino County.
Finally, provisions related to the authority's procurement and
contracting authority are intended to clarify that the
authority is required to comply with state laws generally
applicable to local agency procurements and contracts.
According to the author, this is necessary because a Superior
Court Judge erroneously concluded the authority is subject to
the procurement laws that apply to state agencies. Although
that litigation was resolved via settlement agreement, the
authority is seeking this clarification to avoid having to
litigate this issue in the future.
2)Previous legislation :
a) AB 706 (Torres) Chapter 533, Statutes of 2011,
reconstituted the Pasadena Metro Blue Line Construction
Authority as the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension
Construction Authority and specifically exempted city
elected officials and the governing board members of the
Authority from incompatible office provisions of existing
law.
b) SB 1847 (Schiff) Chapter 1021, Statutes of 1998,
established the Pasadena Metro Blue Line Construction
Authority as an independent transportation planning, design
and construction agency responsible for the design,
contracting and construction of the Los Angeles-to-Pasadena
Metro Gold Line.
Analysis Prepared by : Roger Dunstan / APPR. / (916) 319-2081
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