BILL ANALYSIS �
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 61
Author: Jeffries (R)
Amended: 3/8/11 in Assembly
Vote: 21
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE : 8-1, 6/7/11
AYES: DeSaulnier, Gaines, Harman, Huff, Lowenthal, Pavley,
Rubio, Simitian
NOES: Kehoe
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 60-0, 4/14/11 (Consent)- See last page for
vote
SUBJECT : Neighborhood electric vehicles
SOURCE : Western Riverside Council of Governments
DIGEST : This bill authorizes, until 2017, the County of
Riverside and the cities within that county to adopt
neighborhood electric vehicle transportation plans.
ANALYSIS : Existing law defines a low-speed vehicle as a
motor vehicle that is four-wheeled; can attain a speed of
no more than 25 miles per hour (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 (NEVs). NEVs meet federal
motor vehicle safety standards, and one must possess a
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valid California driver's license to operate a 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 several
communities to run pilot projects, provided that the
following conditions are met:
1. Each local government establishes a "neighborhood
electric vehicle transportation plan" for its
jurisdiction 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
the plan may allow NEVs on streets with speed limits
over 35 MPH only where dedicated lanes are provided for
NEVs.
2. Each jurisdiction works with the California Department
of Transportation (Caltrans) to establish uniform
specifications and symbols for signs, traffic control
devices, and rights-of-way designation in the plan areas
and obtain Caltrans approval in any instance where a NEV
route in the plan will cross or use a state highway.
3. If a jurisdiction adopts a NEV transportation plan, it
reports to the Legislature on the plan, its
effectiveness, and its impact on traffic flows and
safety, and the jurisdiction makes a recommendation to
the Legislature on whether to extend the sunset date or
expand the authorization for NEV transportation plans
statewide. These reports are due to the Legislature
about a year before the jurisdiction's NEV plan
authority sunsets.
Communities statutorily authorized to adopt NEV plans are:
Lincoln and Rocklin . AB 2353 (Leslie), Chapter 422,
Statutes of 2004, authorizes the NEV transportation plan
pilot projects until January 1, 2009, for the cities of
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Lincoln and Rocklin, and AB 2963 (Gaines), Chapter 199,
Statutes of 2008, extends the sunset date on these pilot
projects until January 1, 2012.
Amador County and the cities of Jackson, Sutter Creek, and
Amador City . AB 584 (Huber), Chapter 437, Statutes of
2010, allows until 2016, the County of Amador and the
cities of Jackson, Amador City, and Sutter Creek to
establish a NEV transportation plan or plans.
Fresno . AB 1781 (Villines), Chapter 452, Statutes of 2010,
authorizes until 2016 the City of Fresno to establish a NEV
plan.
Ranch Plan Planned Community in Orange County . SB 956
(Correa), Chapter 442, Statutes of 2007, authorizes Orange
County to establish a 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 Riverside and the cities
within that county to establish jointly or individually NEV
transportation plans under the same terms as the pilot
projects previously authorized in law. Specifically, the
bill:
1. Permits the County of Riverside or any of the cities
within it to establish by ordinance or resolution a NEV
plan for streets under its jurisdictions. Prior to
adoption, the county or city or a combination thereof
shall receive comments on the plan from the Riverside
County Transportation Commission and any agency with
traffic law enforcement responsibilities in those
jurisdictions. The plan must accommodate the travel of
NEVs by identifying routes and providing for NEV
facilities (e.g., separate lanes, trails, street
crossings, parking, charging stations, etc.).
2. Requires the jurisdictions that adopt a NEV plan to
report to the Legislature by January 1, 2016, in
consultation with Caltrans, CHP, and local law
enforcement agencies. Each report shall describe the
plan adopted, evaluate its effectiveness and impact on
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traffic flows and safety, and make a recommendation to
the Legislature on whether to extend the sunset date or
expand the authorization for NEV transportation plans
statewide.
3. Sunsets on January 1, 2017.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: Yes
SUPPORT : (Verified 6/27/11)
Western Riverside Council of Governments (source)
City of Banning
City of Corona
City of Lake Elsinore
City of Moreno Valley
City of Murrieta
City of Perris
City of San Jacinto
South Coast Air Quality Management District
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : The author's office notes that
NEVs provide zero-emission-vehicle alternatives that can
assist communities in improving mobility while reducing
carbon-based vehicle emissions. In order to do this
effectively, NEV plans are needed to overcome connection
issues and identify safe routes for NEVs. The author's
office represents a portion of the County of Riverside,
which includes a number of cities that have begun to
consider and develop NEV plans and hope to implement them
in the near future. This bill will enable those
communities to implement the NEV plans they are developing.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Achadjian, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Beall, Bill
Berryhill, Block, Blumenfield, Bonilla, Bradford,
Brownley, Buchanan, Campos, Carter, Cedillo, Chesbro,
Cook, Davis, Dickinson, Donnelly, Eng, Fletcher, Fong,
Fuentes, Furutani, Gatto, Gordon, Hagman, Halderman,
Hall, Hayashi, Roger Hern�ndez, Hill, Huber, Hueso,
Huffman, Jeffries, Lara, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Miller,
Mitchell, Monning, Nestande, Nielsen, Norby, Pan, Perea,
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V. Manuel P�rez, Portantino, Silva, Skinner, Smyth,
Solorio, Swanson, Torres, Valadao, Wieckowski, Yamada,
John A. P�rez
NO VOTE RECORDED: Alejo, Butler, Charles Calderon, Conway,
Feuer, Galgiani, Garrick, Gorell, Grove, Harkey, Jones,
Knight, Logue, Mansoor, Mendoza, Morrell, Olsen, Wagner,
Williams, Vacancy
JJA:do 6/27/11 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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