BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND HOUSING
Senator Jim Beall, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: AB 2073 Hearing Date: 6/14/2016
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|Author: |Holden |
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|Version: |2/17/2016 |
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|Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |No |
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|Consultant|Randy Chinn |
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SUBJECT: Golf carts: City of La Verne
DIGEST: This bill allows for the use of oversized golf carts as
part of the City of La Verne's golf cart transportation plan.
ANALYSIS:
Existing law:
1)Defines "golf carts" as motor vehicles weighing less than
1,300 pounds, designed to operate at not more than 25 miles
per hour, and designed to carry not more than two persons.
2)Authorizes cities or counties to adopt golf cart
transportation plans that do not include the use of any state
highway. A crossing of, or a golf cart lane along, a state
highway may be included in the plan if authorized by the law
enforcement agency having primary traffic enforcement
responsibility.
3)Specifies certain required elements in the golf cart
transportation plan, including minimum general design criteria
for the development, planning, and construction of separated
golf cart lanes.
4)Exempts the City of La Verne from the requirement for
separated golf cart lanes under specified conditions.
This bill expands the definition of "golf cart" in the City of
AB 2073 (Holden) Page 2 of ?
La Verne to include utility-style golf carts and shuttle-style
golf carts for use within the area included in their golf cart
transportation plan.
COMMENTS:
1)Purpose of bill. The author seeks to revise his bill from
last year, which eliminated the sunset on La Verne's authority
to permit golf carts on specified city streets under specified
conditions, by expanding the definition of "golf cart" to
include larger vehicles. This would allow the continued use
of oversized golf cart-like vehicles, according to the author.
2)History of La Verne and golf carts. Founded in 1887, La Verne
is in the foothills of the San Gabriel-Pomona valleys. La
Verne is approximately 35 miles east of Los Angeles in Los
Angeles County. La Verne is a small city of 33,000 covering
8.5 square miles. It has eight mobile home parks, three large
retirement communities, and a university of about 2,500
students.
Golf carts have been authorized for use on certain city
streets in La Verne since 2009. The original authorizing
legislation sunset on January 1, 2016; this was intended to
allow time for the university and retirement communities to
transition to safer vehicles which meet the Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standards. Because of the historic use of golf
carts by the retirement communities and the university, La
Verne was exempted from the requirement to have separate golf
cart lanes. However, La Verne was still required to develop a
golf cart transportation plan and subject to several
additional safety restrictions, including:
a) Limiting the golf carts to streets with speed limits of
not more than 25 miles per hour
b) Limiting the golf carts to streets immediately adjacent
to or surrounded by the university or a retirement
community
c) Requiring the law enforcement agency with primary
traffic jurisdiction to approve the street segments
d) Limiting the authority to golf carts owned by the
university or retirement community and equipped with a
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windshield, headlights, brake lights, and seatbelts
e) Limiting the golf cart usage to employees of the
university or retirement community within the scope of
employment of the university or retirement community
In 2015, the sunset was eliminated via AB 173 (Holden, Chapter
65, Statutes of 2015), allowing La Verne to permanently permit
the use of golf carts, a change in the policy articulated in
the original legislation.
This bill revises the definition of "golf cart" for purposes of
La Verne by authorizing the use of vehicles which are larger and
heavier than the typical two-person golf cart. These include
vehicles which can transport as many as eight people, as well as
larger flatbed vehicles. While these vehicles have apparently
been used for years, this bill legitimizes their use.
1)Recent experience indicates no problems. The La Verne Police
Chief indicates there have been no issues with these vehicles.
As these vehicles wear out, he expects that they will be
replaced with larger street-legal neighborhood electric
vehicles.
Assembly Votes:
Floor: 77-0
Trans: 16-0
Related Legislation:
AB 173 (Holden, Chapter 65, Statutes of 2015) - deleted the 2016
sunset on the authority of the City of La Verne to permit golf
carts to be used on city streets thereby continuing the
authority indefinitely.
AB 963 (Adams, Chapter 6, Statutes of 2008) - allowed the City
of La Verne, until January 1, 2016, to designate a highway or
portion thereof for use by both golf carts and motor vehicles
under specified conditions.
AB 1244 (Adams, 2007) - would have exempted the City of La
Verne, from the requirement to provide separate lanes for golf
carts. AB 1244 was passed by the Legislature but vetoed due to
concerns about the safety of mixing motor vehicle traffic and
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golf carts in the same travel lanes. This bill was vetoed by the
Governor.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No Local:
No
POSITIONS: (Communicated to the committee before noon on
Wednesday,
June 8, 2016.)
SUPPORT:
Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities
City of La Verne Police Department
Hillcrest
University of La Verne
OPPOSITION:
None received
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