BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 1219|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 1219
Author: Evans (D), et al
Amended: 4/22/09 in Assembly
Vote: 21
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMM : 8-1, 7/7/09
AYES: Lowenthal, Huff, DeSaulnier, Harman, Kehoe, Pavley,
Simitian, Wolk
NOES: Hollingsworth
NO VOTE RECORDED: Ashburn, Oropeza
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 56-22, 05/11/09 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Public transportation: Solano Transportation
Authority
SOURCE : Solano Transportation Authority
DIGEST : This bill authorizes the Solano Transportation
Authority to file a claim for Transportation Development
Act revenue.
ANALYSIS : Existing law authorizes statutorily created
regional transportation planning agencies to allocate to
themselves for planning and programming up to three percent
of Transportation Development Act (TDA) funds that the
Board of Equalization distributes to the counties within
the regions. In addition, existing law allows certain
agencies, including Los Angeles County Transportation
Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the Orange County
CONTINUED
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Transportation Authority, the Riverside County
Transportation Commission, the San Bernardino Associated
Governments, and the Ventura County Transportation
Commission, to be allocated from one to three percent of
TDA funds for transportation planning and programming.
This bill authorizes the Solano Transportation Authority
(STA) to file an annual claim with the Metropolitan
Transportation Commission (MTC) for up to two percent of
Solano County's TDA revenues for transportation planning
and coordination purposes.
In addition to the TDA program, the state has established
the State Transit Assistance Fund (STAF) into which are
deposited funds from the state sales tax on gasoline,
including the spillover funds. After transfers for state
transit programs, the remaining spillover funds are
distributed to regions, with 33.3 percent based each
region's share of the state's population and 33.3 percent
based on each regions share of transit revenues. The
amount distributed on the basis of population may be
allocated by the regional agencies for transportation
purposes, including planning and operations. The amount
allocated on the basis of fare revenues is allocated to
transit operators in the region.
This bill authorizes STA to file a claim with the
Metropolitan Transportation Commission to receive funds
from the STAF that are allocated to the region on the basis
of population.
Background
The Legislature enacted the TDA, SB 325, Chapter 1400,
Statutes of 1971, in order to ensure "the efficient and
orderly movement of people and goods in the urban areas of
the state." The TDA authorized the boards of supervisors
in each county to impose a 1/4 percent local sales tax for
transportation purposes. All counties imposed the tax in
1972, because if they had not, the state, under
California's uniform tax law would not have collected the
one-percent local sales tax that supports the general funds
of cities and counties. The TDA funds allocated to each
county based on retail sales in the county are deposited in
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the Local Transportation Fund (LTF) in each county
treasury.
The County of Solano and the cities of Benicia, Dixon,
Fairfield, Rio Vista, Suisun City, Vacaville, and Vallejo
have executed a join powers agreement creating the STA.
STA is responsible for transportation planning,
coordination, and the financing of projects for its eight
member jurisdictions. STA also provides countywide
planning for the development of roads, transit, rideshare,
rail, bicycle, and pedestrian facilities, manages the
Solano Napa Commuter Information and Safe Routes to School
programs and coordinates four transit services.
Solano County is under the jurisdiction of MTC, the
transportation planning, coordinating, and financing agency
for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. MTC functions
as both the regional transportation planning agency, a
state designation, and, for federal purposes, as the
region's metropolitan planning organization. As the
regional transportation planning agency, MTC allocates TDA
funds to the County of Solano and the cities in the county.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 7/8/09)
Solano Transportation Authority (source)
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : The STA wants to strengthen its
planning and programming responsibilities. In order for
STA to receive TDA funds for planning and programming, each
city and the County of Solano, must file a claim on its
behalf for the funds. Should this bill be enacted it will
be unnecessary for each city and the county to file its own
claim for the planning funds and then transfer the funds to
STA. The number of applications being prepared in the
county and being reviewed by MTC will be reduced from eight
to one. In addition, STA is seeking STAF funds that MTC
receives for transportation purposes, which includes
planning as well as transit operations. The amount of STAF
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funds that STA will receive will be negotiated by MTC and
STA.
STA uses the TDA funds for transportation planning and
programming. The STAF will be used several purposes,
including providing matching funds to local transit
operators for the purchase of buses, funding countywide and
local transit studies, funding transit marketing
activities, funding intercity transit operations on a
short-term or transitional basis, and supporting its
planning program.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Ammiano, Arambula, Beall, Block, Blumenfield,
Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero, Charles Calderon, Carter,
Chesbro, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De Leon, Emmerson,
Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes, Furutani,
Gaines, Galgiani, Hall, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill, Huber,
Huffman, Jones, Krekorian, Lieu, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma,
Mendoza, Monning, Nava, Niello, John A. Perez, V. Manuel
Perez, Portantino, Price, Ruskin, Salas, Saldana,
Skinner, Solorio, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico,
Tran, Yamada, Bass
NOES: Adams, Anderson, Bill Berryhill, Tom Berryhill,
Blakeslee, Conway, DeVore, Duvall, Fuller, Garrick,
Gilmore, Hagman, Harkey, Jeffries, Knight, Logue, Miller,
Nielsen, Silva, Smyth, Audra Strickland, Villines
NO VOTE RECORDED: Cook, Nestande
JA:RJG:nl 7/8/09 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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