AB 541, as introduced, Daly. Buses: illuminated advertising: University of California, Irvine.
(1) Existing law authorizes a bus operated by a publicly owned transit system on regularly scheduled service to be equipped with illuminated signs that display information directly related to public service and include, among other things, destination signs, route-number signs, run-number signs, public service announcement signs, or a combination of those signs, visible from any direction of the vehicle, that emit any light color, other than the color red emitted from forward-facing signs, pursuant to specified conditions.
Existing law authorizes, until January 1, 2017, a pilot program allowing up to 25 buses operated by the City of Santa Monica’s publicly owned transit system for the first 2 years of the pilot program, and up to 30 buses thereafter, to be equipped with illuminated signs that display advertising subject to certain conditions. Existing law also requires the City of Santa Monica to submit a specified report by July 1, 2016, on roadway and pedestrian safety to the Legislature and the Department of the California Highway Patrol.
This bill would authorize, until January 1, 2019, the University of California, Irvine (university) to operate a pilot program similar to the one operated by the City of Santa Monica. The bill would request that the university submit a report by July 1, 2018, on the viability of advertisement sales relating to illuminated signs on public buses to the Legislature.
(2) This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the University of California, Irvine.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 25354 is added to the Vehicle Code, to
2read:
(a) Notwithstanding Sections 25400 and 25950, a bus
4operated by the University of California, Irvine’s public transport
5system on regularly scheduled service, in addition to the
6illuminated signs described in Section 25353, may also be equipped
7with illuminated signs that display advertising and that emit any
8light color, if all of the following conditions are met:
9(1) Each illuminated sign displaying advertising emits diffused
10nonglaring light.
11(2) Each illuminated sign displaying advertising is limited in
12size to a display area of not greater than 4,464 square inches.
13(3) Each illuminated sign displaying advertising
does not
14resemble, nor is it installed in a position that interferes with the
15visibility or effectiveness ofbegin insert,end insert a required lamp, reflector, or other
16device upon the vehicle.
17(4) Each illuminated sign displaying advertising is only placed
18on one or both sides of the vehicle, and is not placed in a
19forward-facing or rear-facing position, and no more than one such
20sign is placed on either side of any single vehicle.
21(5) The mixing of individually colored light emitting diode
22elements, including red, is allowed in each illuminated sign
23displaying advertising as long as the emitted color formed by the
24combination of light emitting diode elements is not red.
25(b) (1) An illuminated sign displaying
advertising may be
26operated as a dynamic message sign in a paging or streaming mode.
27However, the electronic message sign display shall remain static
28while a bus is operating on a freeway as defined in Section 257 of
29the Streets and Highways Code.
P3 1(2) The following definitions shall govern the construction of
2paragraph (1):
3(A) “Paging,” meaning character elements or other information
4presented for a period of time and then disappearing all at once
5before the same or new elements are presented, is permitted if the
6display time of each message is between 2.7 and 10 seconds.
7Blanking times between each message shall be between 0.5 and
825 seconds.
9(B) “Streaming,” meaning character elements or other
10information moving smoothly and continuously across the display,
11is permitted if the character movement time, from one end
of the
12display to the other, is at least 2.7 seconds, and the movement time
13of the entire message does not exceed 10 seconds.
14(c) By July 1, 2018, the Legislature requests that the University
15of California, Irvine make a report to the Legislature on the
16viability of advertisement sales relating to illuminated signs on
17public buses pursuant to Section 9795 of the Government Code.
18(d) The University of California, Irvine’s public transport system
19may, pursuant to subdivision (a), operate up to 25 buses with
20illuminated signs displaying advertising for two years, after which
21time the city may increase the number of buses with the signs to
22up to 30.
23(e) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2019,
24and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that
25is enacted before
January 1, 2019, deletes or extends that date.
The Legislature finds and declares that a special law
27is necessary and that a general law cannot be made applicable
28within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California
29Constitution because the University of California, Irvine’s public
30transit system is operating a revenue deficit in light of budget
31reductions and is evaluating several strategies designed to enhance
32revenue to offset operational expenses, including the use of
33electronic illuminated signage affixed to the side of buses to sell
34advertising, and this act would allow the university to increase its
35revenues on a pilot program basis.
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