BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                  AB 664
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 8, 2013

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                  Mike Gatto, Chair

                   AB 664 (Williams) - As Amended:  April 19, 2013 

          Policy Committee:                               
          TransportationVote:16-0 (Consent)
                        Local Government                        9-0  
          (Consent)

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          Yes    Reimbursable:              No

           SUMMARY  

          This bill, effective July 1, 2014, dissolves a joint powers  
          agency (JPA), known as Gold Coast Transit in Ventura County, and  
          establishes the Gold Coast Transit District (GCTD).  
          Specifically, this bill:

          1)Creates the district, to include the Cities of Oxnard,  
            Ventura, Port Hueneme, and Ojai and the unincorporated areas  
            of Ventura County, and authorizes other cities in the county  
            to subsequently join the district.

          2)Provides for the transfer of assets from the JPA to the GCTD,  
            and specifies the governance, power, and duties of the  
            district.

          3)Provides for member agencies of the GCTD to claim transit  
            funds apportioned by the Ventura County Transportation  
            Commission.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Any costs are not state-reimbursable as the affected local  
          agencies have requested this legislation.

           COMMENTS  


           Purpose  . Gold Coast Transit (GCT), a JPA, provides fixed-route  
          bus and paratransit services in the cities of Ojai, Oxnard, Port  








                                                                  AB 664
                                                                  Page  2

          Hueneme, and Ventura and in the unincorporated county areas  
          between the cities. GCT operates 19 local bus routes in a 91  
          square-mile service area with a population of over 375,000  
          people. According to the author, "Currently, JPA members receive  
          transportation development act (TDA) funds but those funds are  
          first directed to the Ventura County Transportation Commission  
          (VCTC) who then directs the funds to each individual member city  
          on a population formula. One of the major benefits of dissolving  
          the JPA and instead forming a transit district is that the new  
          District will receive TDA funds for its members directly from  
          VCTC and allocate back to them any funding necessary for locally  
          operated services and locally maintained transit facilities. By  
          pooling funds, the District can look beyond jurisdictional  
          borders and more effectively allocate services to meet the needs  
          and demands of the area."

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081