BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 584|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 584
Author: Huber (D)
Amended: 6/1/10 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE : 7-1, 6/15/10
AYES: Lowenthal, Huff, Ashburn, DeSaulnier, Harman,
Pavley, Simitian
NOES: Kehoe
NO VOTE RECORDED: Oropeza
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 67-0, 1/25/10 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Neighborhood electric vehicles
SOURCE : Amador Citizens for Transportation Options
DIGEST : This bill authorizes, until 2016, the County of
Amador and the cities of Jackson, Amador City, and Sutter
Creek to establish a neighborhood electric vehicle
transportation plan or plans.
ANALYSIS : Existing law defines a low-speed vehicle as a
motor vehicle that is four-wheeled, can attain a speed in
one mile of more than 20 miles per hour (MPH) and not more
than 25 MPH on a paved, level surface, and has a gross
vehicle weight rating of less than 3,000 pounds. Low-speed
vehicles are also known as neighborhood electric vehicles
CONTINUED
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(NEVs). NEVs meet federal motor vehicle safety standards,
and one must possess a valid California driver's license to
operate an NEV on public streets.
Existing law generally prohibits NEVs from being operated
on any roadway with a speed limit in excess of 35 MPH, but
a number of bills have provided exceptions for three
communities, as follows:
1. AB 2353 (Leslie), Chapter 422, Statutes of 2004,
authorized the NEV transportation plan pilot projects
until January 1, 2009, for the cities of Lincoln and
Rocklin, as follows:
A. Each city may establish a "neighborhood electric
vehicle transportation plan" for the city or some
part of it. Existing law puts numerous requirements
on the adoption of the plan, including consultation
with local law enforcement and transportation
planning officials. The plan must accommodate the
travel of NEVs by identifying routes and providing
for NEV facilities (separate lanes, trails, street
crossings, parking, charging stations, etc.), and it
may allow NEVs on streets with speed limits over 35
MPH where dedicated lanes are provided for NEVs.
B. The cities must work with the Department of
Transportation (Caltrans) to establish uniform
specifications and symbols for signs, traffic control
devices, and right-of-way designation in the plan
areas.
C. If Lincoln or Rocklin adopts an NEV transportation
plan, then the city must report to the Legislature on
the plan, its effectiveness, and its impact on
traffic flows and safety, and it must make a
recommendation to the Legislature on extending the
sunset date or expanding the authorization for NEV
transportation plans statewide.
2. AB 2963 (Gaines), Chapter 199, Statutes of 2008,
extended the sunset date on the Lincoln and Rocklin
pilot projects from 2009 until January 1, 2012. In
doing so, the bill required the cities jointly or
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individually if only one proceeds, to report to the
Legislature by January 1, 2011, on implementation of
their NEV transportation plans. This report shall be
prepared in consultation with Caltrans, the California
Highway Patrol (CHP), and local law enforcement and
provide specified information on the NEV transportation
plans and their implementation.
3. SB 956 (Correa), Chapter 442, Statutes of 2007, allowed
Orange County to establish an NEV transportation plan
for Ranch Plan Planned Community under essentially the
same criteria as the Lincoln and Rocklin pilot projects,
except with a sunset date of January 1, 2013.
This bill authorizes the County of Amador and the cities of
Jackson, Sutter Creek, and Amador City to establish jointly
or individually neighborhood electric vehicle
transportation plans under the same terms as the pilot
projects in Lincoln and Rocklin. Specifically, this bill:
1. Permits the County of Amador and the cities of Jackson,
Sutter Creek, and Amador City, to establish by ordinance
or resolution an NEV plan for streets under their
jurisdictions. Prior to adoption, the county and cities
shall receive comment and review on the plan from the
Amador County Transportation Commission and any agency
with traffic law enforcement responsibilities in these
jurisdictions. The plan must accommodate the travel of
NEVs by identifying routes and providing for NEV
facilities (separate lanes, trails, street crossings,
parking, charging stations, etc.).
2. Requires the jurisdictions that adopt an NEV plan to
report to the Legislature by January 1, 2015, in
consultation with CHP and local law enforcement. Each
report shall describe the plan adopted, evaluate its
effectiveness and impact on traffic flows and safety,
and make a recommendation to the Legislature on
extending the sunset date or expanding the authorization
for NEV transportation plans statewide.
3. Sunsets on January 1, 2016.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
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Local: Yes
SUPPORT : (Verified 6/29/10)
Amador Citizens for Transportation Options (sponsor)
Amador County Transportation Commission
OPPOSITION : (Verified 6/29/10)
California Council of the Blind
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : The author introduced this bill so
that several communities in her district may create a more
sustainable transportation option that encourages NEV use
while decreasing fossil fuel use, greenhouse gas emissions,
and overall energy use within the community. The author
reports that a local community organization, Amador
Citizens for Transportation Options (ACTO), has been
working with Amador County to consider transportation
alternatives that will link the small, historic towns of
Jackson, Sutter Creek, and Amador City. ACTO has proposed
developing a NEV transportation plan similar to those
established by Lincoln and Rocklin. This bill permits
implementation of such a plan.
ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION : The California Council of the
Blind opposes this bill because it does not address the
safety issues that NEVs pose for pedestrians and especially
for visually impaired pedestrians. NEVs and other electric
vehicles emit little sound, and it is vehicle sound on
which blind pedestrians rely to detect the presence of
vehicles and know when it is safe to cross a street. The
Council indicates that it will support the bill if it is
amended to require NEVs to emit sufficient sound for blind
pedestrians to audibly detect the presence of NEVs.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Beall, Bill
Berryhill, Tom Berryhill, Blakeslee, Block, Blumenfield,
Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan, Chesbro, Conway, Cook,
Coto, De La Torre, De Leon, Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer,
Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes, Fuller, Gaines, Galgiani,
Garrick, Gilmore, Hagman, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill,
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Huber, Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Lieu, Logue,
Mendoza, Miller, Monning, Nava, Niello, Nielsen, John A.
Perez, V. Manuel Perez, Portantino, Ruskin, Salas,
Saldana, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Audra
Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Tran,
Villines, Yamada, Bass
NO VOTE RECORDED: Caballero, Charles Calderon, Carter,
Davis, DeVore, Furutani, Hall, Harkey, Bonnie Lowenthal,
Ma, Nestande
JJA:mw 6/29/10 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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