BILL ANALYSIS �
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE BILL NO: SCR 59
SENATOR MARK DESAULNIER, CHAIRMAN AUTHOR: knight
VERSION: 7/1/13
Analysis by: Eric Thronson FISCAL: yes
Hearing date: August 20, 2013
SUBJECT:
Highway directional signs
DESCRIPTION:
This resolution requests that the Department of Transportation
(Caltrans) erect signs on State Highway Route (SR) 14 in Los
Angeles County directing motorists to the Senator William J.
"Pete" Knight Memorial Veterans Home.
ANALYSIS:
Existing law assigns Caltrans the responsibility of operating
and maintaining the state highway system, including the
installation and maintenance of highway signs. In administering
its duties, Caltrans has developed guidelines to use when
considering whether to erect non-required signage along the
state's highways, or what Caltrans refers to as "supplemental
destination signage."
Supplemental destination signs give information to motorists
regarding the location of specific destinations, such as
historical sites, cultural centers, and tourist attractions,
which are accessible from an upcoming highway exit. Caltrans
has established specific qualifying criteria for certain
destinations considered traffic generators, for example:
Post-secondary schools (public or private) with a minimum
enrollment of 1,000 students each week;
Museums, zoos, stadiums, and sports arenas (publicly owned and
nonprofit) with a minimum of one million in annual attendance;
Convention centers (publicly owned) with a minimum of 500,000
in annual attendance;
Fairgrounds (publicly owned and operated) with a minimum of
500,000 in annual attendance;
Governmental centers with a 5,000 minimum number of employees.
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The operative theory regarding these criteria is that only those
facilities that generate a substantial amount of traffic should
receive highway signing. For destinations such as veterans'
homes, for which attendance criteria are not specifically
identified in its manual, Caltrans considers destination signs
only when "unusual operational or safety issues become apparent
that would be mitigated by signing."
The California Department of Veterans Affairs (CDVA) maintains
six veterans homes in the state to provide long-term care to
resident veterans, with two additional homes under construction.
These live-in, residential care facilities offer comprehensive
services and social activities for veteran residents, and range
in size from 60 to over 1,000 residents. Veterans who are over
55 years old, or disabled, and discharged from active military
service under honorable conditions are eligible to apply for
admission.
This resolution requests that Caltrans erect four signs on SR 14
in Los Angeles County directing motorists to the Senator William
J. "Pete" Knight Memorial Veterans Home, consistent with the
signing requirements of the state highway system, upon receiving
donations from non-state sources sufficient to cover the
erection costs.
COMMENTS:
1.Purpose . According to the author, this resolution is
necessary to ask Caltrans to place signs directing traffic to
the "Pete" Knight Memorial Veterans Home. Due to former
Senator Knight's illustrious career, the state chose to
memorialize him by naming the Veterans Home in Lancaster after
him. Caltrans refuses to place directional signs on SR 14 to
this Veterans Home, and therefore the author has introduced
this resolution to ask Caltrans to do so.
CDVA notes that Veterans Homes are centers where veterans'
organizations, community groups, and others congregate to
recognize and thank veterans for their service. At each of
the state's homes there are multiple celebrations throughout
the year including Veterans Day, Memorial Day, Independence
Day, Pearl Harbor Day, VE Day, VJ Day, Flag Day, the birthdays
of each of the military branches, Women Military History Week,
and many more. While the "Pete" Knight Memorial Veterans Home
may only have 60 permanent residents, its community impact is
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much larger. It has become a hub where veterans and the
community come together.
2.Is this a traffic generator ? As Caltrans' guidelines suggest,
supplemental directional signage, such as the signs proposed
by this resolution, is most appropriate when the destination
generates enough traffic to justify the signs. Otherwise, the
highway may become glutted with signs, and this proliferation
will divert attention away from signs containing critical
safety (e.g., construction ahead) and regulatory (e.g., speed
limit) information. Typically, destination signs are placed
only for those facilities that draw hundreds of thousands of
patrons each year. The "Pete" Knight Memorial Veterans Home
in Lancaster is a 60-resident facility in a relatively
unpopulated part of the state. While it may be true that
Veterans Homes hold many well-attended events each year, it is
hard to imagine that this small facility generates as much
traffic as a convention center with a minimum of 500,000
annual attendees.
3.Are there other reasons for the signs ? Notwithstanding the
fact that veterans homes are unlikely to generate amounts of
traffic in par with sports stadiums and fairgrounds, there may
be other, legitimate reasons for directional signage to these
facilities. For example, due to the nature of the events at
veterans homes, many attendees may be older or disabled and
may appreciate the assistance extra directional signage may
provide. Additionally, CDVA indicates that the homes to some
degree "acknowledge the tremendous sacrifice California
veterans have made and recognizes them for their noble service
to our nation." Given that there are only six veterans homes
in California, with plans for only two more, it doesn't seem
unreasonable to place directional signs to these locations
should the homes request them. In fact, three of the homes
already have directional signs to their facilities from the
nearest highways.
4.Why just this Veterans Home ? CDVA makes a pretty compelling
argument for the need for directional signs at every veterans
home in the state. This resolution asks Caltrans to properly
direct motorists to one additional home, leaving two existing
and two planned homes without directional signs. The author
suggests that his intention, now that he has learned more
about the issue, is to introduce a bill next year that permits
all veterans homes in the state to request from Caltrans
directional signs so that the Legislature won't need to pass
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resolutions in order to procure the signs.
In addition to the potential value of directional signs to
veterans homes, the fact that the directional signs requested
in this resolution includes the surname of another
locally-elected official could raise additional questions
about the author's true intent. If the intention is to direct
motorists to the local veterans home, it seems that signs
simply labeled "Veterans Home" would be sufficient. Other
directional signs to veterans homes in the state effectively
direct traffic to the homes. However, this resolution
requests the full name of the home be included in the sign,
including the author's surname. The committee may wish to
amend the resolution to request directional signs simply
stating "Veterans Home" instead of including the full name of
former Senator Knight.
5.The problem with resolutions directing the administration's
activities . It is the Legislature's prerogative, through
bills, to pass laws that direct the state administration's
activities. As part of that process, a bill is sent to the
governor for signature or veto. In this way the Legislature
is able to be involved in the way the state administers the
law, while the administration has the opportunity to respond
to those directions. A resolution, on the other hand, simply
communicates a message from the Legislature, but carries no
weight of law. Passing a resolution requesting the
administration to take action may not be appropriate because
the governor neither signs nor vetoes resolutions, and
therefore the administration never has an opportunity to weigh
in on the issue.
Notwithstanding that it excludes the administration and
carries no weight of law, a resolution is still an instrument
of value and merit. While not requiring action, resolutions
urging a part of state government to act can heavily influence
what that agency or department might do. This resolution
requests Caltrans to erect signs Caltrans may otherwise deem
unnecessary, and may set a precedent that could lead to so
many signs on the state highway system that important safety
and regulatory signs lose their value.
POSITIONS: (Communicated to the committee before noon on
Wednesday, August
14, 2013.)
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SUPPORT: None received.
OPPOSED: None received.