BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó




                   Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
                            Senator Kevin de León, Chair


          SB 1368 (Wolk) - State highways: relinquishment of park-and-ride  
          lots.
          
          Amended: As Introduced          Policy Vote: T&H 11-0
          Urgency: No                     Mandate: No
          Hearing Date: May 23, 2014      Consultant: Mark McKenzie
          
          SUSPENSE FILE.
          
          
          Bill Summary: SB 1368 would authorize the California  
          Transportation Commission (CTC) to relinquish a park-n-ride lot  
          to a joint powers authority (JPA) that is formed to provide  
          transportation services.

          Fiscal Impact: Potential one-time costs of over $150,000 to the  
          Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to relinquish each  
          park-and-ride lot, depending on the terms of the relinquishment  
          agreement.  (State Highway Account)

          Ongoing savings to Caltrans from reduced maintenance and  
          rehabilitation costs for relinquished park-and-ride lots. (State  
          Highway Account)

          Background: The Legislature has provided statutory authorization  
          to CTC to relinquish a number of state highway segments to local  
          jurisdictions under specified conditions.  Relinquishment  
          provides the recipient agency with greater control over local  
          transportation projects and relieves Caltrans of any further  
          responsibility to improve, maintain, or repair infrastructure  
          related to the relinquished segment of state highway.   
          Generally, relinquishments are subject to terms and conditions  
          of agreements between Caltrans and a local jurisdiction seeking  
          control of a local highway segment.  CTC must determine that the  
          agreement for relinquishment, which typically involves a  
          one-time payment of State Highway Account funds to the local  
          entity, is in the best interests of the state.  Some agreements  
          for relinquishments are negotiated at no costs to the state. 

          Existing law, SB 415 (Price), Chap. 353/2012, authorizes the CTC  
          to relinquish a park-and-ride lot to a county transportation  
          commission or a regional transportation planning agency (RTPA)  








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          on terms and conditions that CTC finds to be in the best  
          interests of the state.  Caltrans and the local transportation  
          entity must enter into an agreement providing for that  
          relinquishment, including a requirement that the local entity  
          maintain an equal or greater number of parking spaces in the  
          lot.

          Caltrans has relinquished park-and-ride lots to cities and  
          counties pursuant to statutory authority provided in Streets and  
          Highways Code Section 73.  The authority to relinquish these  
          facilities to RTPAs or county transportation commissions, as  
          authorized by SB 415, has not been exercised to date.

          Proposed Law: SB 1368 would authorize CTC to relinquish a  
          park-and-ride lot to a JPA formed for purposes of providing  
          transportation services in the same manner authorized under  
          current law for relinquishing those facilities to a county  
          transportation commission or RTPA.

          Staff Comments: This bill is intended to allow the Solano County  
          Transit (SolTrans) Joint Powers Authority to take ownership of a  
          park-and-ride lot facility known as the Curtola Park-and-Ride  
          Lot that is located within state highway right-of-way.  Soltrans  
          is a JPA comprised of the City of Benicia, the City of Vallejo,  
          and the Solano Transportation Authority that provides unified  
          public transit services in the southern Solano County cities of  
          Benicia and Vallejo.  Soltrans would like to assume ownership of  
          the lot to increase parking supply, improve transit operations,  
          facilitate carpools, modernize on-site amenities, and serve a  
          transit hub to nearby facilities such as the Vallejo Transit  
          Center and the Vallejo Ferry Terminal.  Caltrans has been  
          engaged in ongoing dialogue with SolTrans, the City of Vallejo,  
          and the Solano County Transit Authority regarding planned  
          improvements to the Curtola Park-and-Ride Lot.

          Caltrans indicates that local jurisdictions frequently seek  
          concessions-typically future maintenance funds as well as  
          upfront rehabilitation from the department-as part of  
          relinquishment agreements.  Depending on the outcome of  
          negotiations between Caltrans and transportation JPAs, the  
          number of lots proposed for relinquishment, and the condition of  
          those lots, potential one-time special fund costs could exceed  
          $150,000.  Any upfront costs would be offset in future years by  
          ongoing savings related to avoided maintenance and  








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          rehabilitation costs. 

          Current federal regulations do not allow for the relinquishment  
          of park-and-ride facilities procured with federal funds.