BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE BILL NO: Ab 664
SENATOR MARK DESAULNIER, CHAIRMAN AUTHOR: Williams
VERSION: 4/19/13
Analysis by: Eric Thronson FISCAL: yes
Hearing date: July 2, 2013
SUBJECT:
Gold Coast Transit District
DESCRIPTION:
This bill dissolves the existing Gold Coast Transit joint powers
agency in Ventura County and creates the Gold Coast Transit
District, succeeding to and vested with the rights, powers,
duties, and obligations of the former joint powers agency.
ANALYSIS:
In 1971, the Legislature enacted the Transportation Development
Act (TDA), SB 325 (Mills), Chapter 1400, which dedicated a
statewide percent sales tax to local transportation in order
to ensure "the efficient and orderly movement of people and
goods in the urban areas of the state." The focus of the law is
the provision of transit services in urban areas, although it
recognizes that rural areas have a different mix of
transportation needs and includes a process that allows some
local governments to use these funds for local streets and
roads. Existing law vests regional transportation planning
agencies with the responsibility to allocate these funds
generally to cities, counties, and transit districts by
population. In 2010, TDA generated $1.1 billion for
transportation, about 6 percent of which was used for local
street and road purposes in non-urbanized areas.
Existing law authorizes two or more public agencies to enter
into a joint powers agreement and exercise jointly any power
common to the contracting agencies. Nearly 40 years ago the
cities of Oxnard, Ventura, Port Hueneme, and Ojai, along with
Ventura County, formed a joint powers agency called Gold Coast
Transit to plan, operate, and manage a public bus service in
western Ventura County.
This bill dissolves the existing Gold Coast Transit joint powers
AB 664 (WILLIAMS) Page 2
agency in Ventura County and creates the Gold Coast Transit
District, succeeding to and vested with the rights, powers,
duties, and obligations of the former joint powers agency.
Specifically, this bill:
Includes in the new district the cities of Oxnard, Ventura,
Port Hueneme, Ojai, and the unincorporated areas of Ventura
County.
Authorizes other cities in Ventura County to subsequently join
the district with a resolution approved by the city's and the
district's governing boards.
Provides for the transfer of assets from the dissolved joint
powers agency to the new transit district.
Specifies the voting procedures for the taking of various
actions by the transit district's governing board and provides
for weighted votes in specific cases.
Specifies the powers and duties of the transit district to
operate transit services and authorizes the district to seek
voter approval of tax measures and the issuance of revenue
bonds.
Enacts provisions related to the operation of a public transit
service similar to those authorized for other transit
districts throughout the state.
COMMENTS:
1.Purpose . Currently, Gold Coast Transit joint powers agency
members receive TDA funds from the Ventura County
Transportation Commission (VCTC), and then share them with the
joint powers agency to operate its transit operation. This
has led to the joint powers agency assigning existing service
based on the source of funding instead of on what may make the
most sense for improving service and mobility region wide.
According to the author, one of the major benefits of this
bill is that, by dissolving the joint powers agency and
forming a transit district, VCTC will allocate TDA funds
directly to the district and the district's governing board
will be able to look beyond jurisdictional boundaries and
allocate services to meet the needs and demands of the area at
large.
2.What does this bill really do ? Primarily, this bill converts
AB 664 (WILLIAMS) Page 3
an existing transit operator from a joint powers agency to a
transit district. This transition should not change the
operations of the transit service, or its service area in the
near term. What the transition effects, primarily, is the
distribution of TDA funds in the transit area's jurisdiction.
The way VCTC distributes these funds is important for a
variety of reasons to the different entities in Ventura
County. First, as the author contends, distributing TDA funds
directly to the district instead of to the participants of the
joint powers agency enables the district board to make the
best decisions for the service as a whole instead of worrying
about an equitable return of services for funds provided.
This should lead to an overall more effective service than
might otherwise be obtainable for those jurisdictions
participating in the district. Second, because the district
boundaries include all unincorporated areas of Ventura County,
it provides a stark delineation between the jurisdictions
within and outside of the district's service area. While this
bill does not preclude the district from serving areas outside
its service area, the delineation will help the district
determine the best ways to serve Ventura County residents.
Further, jurisdictions not currently in the district and
therefore receiving their own allocation of TDA funds from
VCTC may find after time that joining the district will be
more efficient and effective than trying to address transit
needs in their areas alone.
3.Second part of a compromise . Ventura County faces myriad
transportation challenges because it encompasses both very
urban and very rural communities as well as a varied
geography. On one hand, ten different agencies provide public
transportation in Ventura County and, based on local funding
policies and perceived needs, operators offer different hours
and levels of service. This transit discontinuity creates
challenges for the public trying to navigate the fragmented
system. On the other hand, some communities in the county
prefer to continue to use TDA funds for local streets and
roads and are resistant to any increased public transportation
services. This tension between using TDA funding for transit
or roads has created an ongoing conflict between communities
within Ventura County.
While VCTC has attempted to improve connections and mobility
in the county, progress toward truly integrated transit
service and consensus around the use of TDA funding has until
recently been minimal. In 2012, VCTC submitted to the
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Legislature a statutorily-required report that included an
analysis of organizational options for expending TDA and
providing public transit in the county. In summary, the
report made two recommendations. First, the report
recommended that the east county cities, including Simi
Valley, Moorpark, and Thousand Oaks, continue to use TDA funds
for either transit or streets and roads. This recommendation
is being pursued by SB 203 (Pavley), currently pending in the
Assembly Transportation Committee. The second recommendation
from the VCTC report, embodied by this bill, was that transit
services currently being provided by a joint powers agency in
western Ventura County be provided by a special transit
district. All TDA funds generated in the transit district's
area of jurisdiction would be committed to public transit.
This bill, along with SB 203, represents a compromise between
the interested parties in Ventura County that will hopefully
result in a more effective and efficient transportation
system.
Assembly Votes:
Floor: 70-0
Appr: 17-0
L. Gov.: 9-0
Trans: 16-0
POSITIONS: (Communicated to the committee before noon on
Wednesday, June 26,
2013.)
SUPPORT: Gold Coast Transit (sponsor)
Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable
Economy
Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District
SEIU 721
Ventura Chamber of Commerce
Ventura County Board of Supervisors
Ventura County Transportation Commission
OPPOSED: None received.