BILL ANALYSIS
AB 774
Page 1
Date of Hearing: May 5, 2009
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION
Anthony Portantino, Chair
AB 774 (Cook) - As Introduced: February 26, 2009
SUBJECT : Riverside Community College District: transportation
fees.
SUMMARY : Allows the Riverside Community College District
(Riverside CCD) to charge a fee to students or students and
employees in order to fund transportation services, if specific
requirements are met. Specifically, this bill :
1)Allows a campus of Riverside CCD to establish a fee for
transportation services, paid by students and employees using
the service or by any of the following groups:
a) All students and employees, regardless of whether they
use the service, upon the favorable vote to do so by a
majority of the students and a majority of the employees of
the campus; or,
b) All students, regardless of whether they use the
service, upon the favorable vote to do so by a majority of
the students of the campus; or,
c) All students taking at least a specified minimum number
of course credits determined by the governing board upon
the favorable vote to do so by a majority of those
students.
2)Allows Riverside CCD to establish a fee for transportation
services for students taking at least a specified minimum
number of course credits determined by the governing board
upon the favorable vote to do so by a majority of those
students.
3)Requires that any fee charged be pro-rated to a lesser amount
for part-time students. Allows Riverside CCD to adopt rules
to exempt low-income students from all or part of this fee.
4)Prohibits Riverside CCD from entering into or extending a
contract for transportation services until a majority of
students have voted to support the fee and provides that
AB 774
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Riverside CCD may enter into a transportation contract for up
to 10 years from the date of that favorable vote. Requires
Riverside CCD to provide a contracted transportation carrier
at least 12 months notice of intent to terminate or alter a
contract.
5)Prohibits Riverside CCD from charging a fee in excess of the
costs for transportation services and prohibits the fee from
exceeding $60 per semester, $30 for intersession, or the
proportional equivalent for a part-time student. Authorizes
Riverside CCD to require persons other than students and
employees to pay a fee for use of the transportation services.
6)Prohibits a fee from being charged for on-campus shuttles or
other transportation services operated on or between campuses
and parking facilities owned by Riverside CCD.
EXISTING LAW applies the aforementioned provisions to Los Rios
Community College District (Los Rios CCD), Rio Hondo Community
College District (Rio Hondo CCD), and Peralta Community College
District (Peralta CCD).
FISCAL EFFECT : None
COMMENTS : Background on Los Rios, Rio Hondo and Peralta CCD
provisions : Existing law authorizes California Community
College (CCC) districts, upon a majority vote of students or
students and employees, to charge a fee to students or students
and employees in order to cover the costs of contracted
transportation services. Low-income students are statutorily
exempt from paying the fee.
As a result of the increase in student utilization of
transportation services and an increase in the CCC Board of
Governors Fee Waiver recipients who were exempt from paying the
transportation services fee, Los Rios CCD faced rising numbers
of users and falling fee revenues. Without the ability to
divide the fee among all students, including low-income
students, Los Rios CCD was concerned that the transportation
service fee would increase to the point that students would
likely not have voted to continue transportation services.
In 2006, AB 1968 (Leslie), Chapter 560, Statutes of 2006,
authorized Los Rios CCD and Rio Hondo CCD to include low-income
students in the fee. In 2008, with Peralta CCD governing board
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members and student leaders in conversations with the local
public transit authority to establish transportation services
similar to those at Los Rios CCD. AB 1980 (Swanson), Chapter
145, Statutes of 2008, added Peralta CCD to these provisions.
Purpose of this bill : According to the author, Western
Riverside County has some of the worst air quality in Southern
California. In addition, the traffic on the area's streets and
freeways often comes to a standstill, particularly during
commuting hours. Riverside CCD has three campuses in Western
Riverside County and enrolls over 34,000 students, each of whom
must travel to class, mostly by driving single-occupant
vehicles. This volume of cars adds to the traffic and
contributes to the emissions problems harming the communities'
environment and quality of life.
The author asserts that this bill will lead to the creation of a
student-funded transit pass program, in which Riverside CCD
students can board all of the Riverside Transit Agency's fixed
route and commuter buses and ride free. The author contends
that the benefits of such a program are numerous: removing cars
from the congested roads by luring budget-conscious college
students onto public transit, thus, decreasing traffic and
vehicle emissions and lessening pressure on Riverside CCD to
construct additional parking facilities, thus, saving capital
dollars for other, more necessary projects.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
City of Moreno Valley
Community Action Partnership of Riverside County
Councilmember Debbie Franklin, City of Banning
Riverside Community College District
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Laura Metune / HIGHER ED. / (916)
319-3960