BILL ANALYSIS
SENATE LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE
Senator Dave Cox, Chair
BILL NO: AB 1204 HEARING: 6/30/10
AUTHOR: Huber FISCAL: Yes
VERSION: 1/14/10 CONSULTANT:
Weinberger
EL DORADO COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION
Background and Existing Law
Regional transportation planning agencies (RTPAs) are
responsible for allocating Transportation Development Act
revenues and conducting regional transportation planning
activities within their jurisdictions.
The El Dorado County Transportation Planning Agency,
commonly known as the El Dorado County Transportation
Commission (EDCTC), is the RTPA for El Dorado County,
exclusive of the Tahoe Basin. The EDCTC's governing board
is composed of three members appointed by the El Dorado
County Board of Supervisors and three members appointed by
the Placerville City Council (SB 902, Leslie, 1996).
Placerville is the only city in western El Dorado County.
Five RTPAs' governing boards include members appointed by
any city within their jurisdictions:
Placer County Transportation Planning Agency (SB
2110, Leslie, 1994)
Nevada County Transportation Planning Agency (SB
2110, Leslie, 1994)
Transportation Agency of Monterey County (SB 2110,
Leslie, 1994)
Santa Cruz Regional Transportation Commission (SB
869, Mello, 1995)
San Diego County consolidated agency (SB 1703,
Peace, 2002)
By contrast, a newly incorporated city in the EDCTC's
jurisdiction cannot appoint members to the Commission's
governing board without a change in state law. EDCTC
officials want to authorize any city in the Commission's
jurisdiction to appoint members to its governing board.
Proposed Law
AB 1204 -- 1/14/10 -- Page 2
Assembly Bill 1204 increases, from three to four, the
number of members that the El Dorado County Board of
Supervisors appoints to the El Dorado County Transportation
Commission's (EDCTC's) governing board. AB 1204 authorizes
the city council of each incorporated city within the
EDCTC's jurisdiction to appoint two members to the
Commission's governing board. If there is only one
incorporated city, the bill authorizes the city council to
appoint three members to the governing board.
Comments
1. Flexibility . Responding to demographic shifts and
efforts to incorporate the community of El Dorado Hills,
the EDCTC appointed a citizens' advisory committee to
examine the composition of the EDCTC's governing board and
recommend changes to its structure. Based on more than 12
hours of public commentary received over the course of six
public town hall meetings, the committee unanimously
recommended allowing representation on the EDCTC for newly
formed cities. After considering the advisory committee's
recommendations, the EDCTC's board voted unanimously to
approve the language in AB 1204. By allowing
representation on the EDCTC to evolve if one or more new
cities incorporate in western El Dorado County, AB 1204
gives the EDCTC the same flexibility that state law already
provides to RTPAs in Placer, Nevada, Monterey, Santa Cruz,
and San Diego counties.
2. Playing favorites . In light of a failed 2005 effort to
incorporate El Dorado Hills, and that community's continued
growth, another effort to incorporate El Dorado Hills is
likely. Some local officials who oppose incorporation are
concerned that, by guaranteeing that a new city gets to
appoint members to the EDCTC, AB 1204 tips the balance in
favor of incorporation when voters next consider cityhood
for El Dorado Hills. The Committee may wish to consider
whether AB 1204 unnecessarily involves the Legislature in
determining the outcome of a local governance decision.
3. Re-referral . The Senate Rules Committee first referred
AB 1204 to the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee,
which passed the bill by a vote of 6-1 at its June 16
hearing and referred it back to the Rules Committee. The
Senate Rules Committee then re-referred AB 1204 to the
AB 1204 -- 1/14/10 -- Page 3
Senate Local Government Committee.
Assembly Actions
Assembly Local Government Committee: 5-0
Assembly Appropriations Committee:17-0
Assembly Floor: 68-0
Support and Opposition (6/24/10)
Support : El Dorado County Transportation Commission, El
Dorado Hill Chamber of Commerce, Four Seasons Civic League.
Opposition : Unknown.