BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SB 486
Page 1
Date of Hearing: August 12, 2013
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Bonnie Lowenthal, Chair
SB 486 (DeSaulnier) - As Amended: July 3, 2013
SENATE VOTE : Not applicable
SUBJECT : California Department of Transportation Strategic
Assessment and Accountability
SUMMARY : Creates the Office of Strategic Assessment and
Accountability within the Transportation Agency. Specifically,
this bill :
1)Makes legislative findings and declarations regarding the
California Department of Transportation's (Caltrans')
responsibilities, the department's significant challenges in
maintaining the state highway system, and the need for the
department to provide transparency and accountability by
reporting on its progress toward meeting its strategic goals.
2)Defines key terms.
3)Creates the Office of Strategic Assessment and Accountability
within the Transportation Agency, to be directed by a Deputy
Secretary for Strategic Assessment and Accountability.
4)Assigns the office with the responsibility to ensure ongoing
performance measurement, transparency, and public
accountability of Caltrans.
5)Requires the Transportation Secretary, in consultation with
the Caltrans director, to develop and report on performance
measures related to:
a) Public safety enhancement;
b) System preservation and rehabilitation; and,
c) Cost-effective and efficient project delivery.
6)Requires the new office to issue performance reports quarterly
that measure Caltrans' success in meeting performance
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measurement benchmarks; reports are to be presented to the
California Transportation Commission, beginning July 1, 2014,
and posted on the internet.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Imposes various reporting requirements on Caltrans, including
reports on the following:
a) Local assistance workload and staffing levels;
b) Caltrans's five-year maintenance plan;
c) Fiscal estimates on resources needs for storm water
activities;
d) Implementation of worker-safety improvements; and,
e) Costs of project development for all state
transportation improvement program projects.
2)Under the State Government Strategic Planning and Performance
Review Act, requires the Department of Finance (DOF) to
develop a plan for conducting performance reviews of state
agencies, boards, and commissions.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : SB 486 creates the Office of Strategic Assessment and
Accountability to improve the transparency and public confidence
of Caltrans through regular performance reporting. The program
being created is modeled after a similar program in Washington
State's Department of Transportation (WSDOT).
WSDOT's Office of Strategic Assessment is responsible for
agency-wide performance reporting via its quarterly publication,
The Gray Notebook. That publication began in 2001 at a time
when WSDOT was in the throes of a credibility and performance
crisis with the public, media, and the legislature. WSDOT
responded to this crisis by instituting a program of regular,
timely performance measurement and reporting designed to
effectively communicate performance results to the legislature
and the public. WSDOT reports that, after approximately 3 years
of its "no surprises" performance reporting in The Gray
Notebook, polling data changed from nearly 75% of voters stating
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they did not trust WSDOT to spend tax dollars wisely to just
12%. As a result of WSDOT's restored credibility, Washington's
legislature approved two separate transportation tax increases,
which voters supported by a resounding defeat of an initiative
to repeal the second tax increase.
WSDOT's case suggests that effective performance management and
reporting are important elements for increasing agency
credibility. The Gray Notebook is now recognized nationally as
setting a high standard for accessible, accurate updates on
programs and projects.
The author has introduced SB 486 in the hopes of recreating some
of WSDOT's success in Caltrans. The author suggests that recent
media investigations and state audit reports have created a
picture of questionable practices and mismanagement within
Caltrans. The author believes that instituting a program of
regular, timely performance measurement and reporting, if done
well, could increase public confidence in Caltrans as well as
give the department the tools it needs to manage itself more
effectively.
Supporters recognize the similarities between SB 486 and WSDOT's
program, stating "WSDOT had a similar policy in place for more
than a decade and it is worth noting that the increased
transparency and accountability that resulted from the
implementation of this policy framework was a critical component
of transforming their image with the public in a short of period
of time. The public expects and deserves a return on the
investment they have made in our transportation system. SB 486
will serve as an important tool for demonstrating that taxpayer
dollars are being properly utilized."
Performance management in California's state government has had
an on-again-off-again existence. In 1994, AB 2711 (V. Brown),
Chapter 779, enacted the State Government Strategic Planning and
Performance Review Act, which required DOF to develop a plan for
conducting performance reviews of state agencies, boards and
commissions. DOF made initial efforts to implement the act but,
as was reported in the California Performance Review (2004), the
Administration under Governor Davis did not support strategic
planning and the efforts to develop a centralized, statewide
performance monitoring function dwindled.
Nonetheless, departments still use performance measurements to
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varying degrees. In fact, Caltrans itself has an Office of
Strategic Management that is responsible for implementing
performance based management within the department. Among its
other duties, the office collects data and prepares Caltrans'
quarterly performance measures report. These reports, however,
generally lack the narrative descriptions of what the data
demonstrate compared to performance reports in The Gray Note
Book, and it is questionable as to what extent Caltrans itself
uses the performance reports to manage its operations.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
California Nevada Cement Association
The Automobile Club of Southern California
Transportation California
United Contractors
Three individuals
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Janet Dawson / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093