BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 1778
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Date of Hearing: April 9, 2012
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Bonnie Lowenthal, Chair
AB 1778 (Williams) - As Amended: March 28, 2012
SUBJECT : Local Transportation Funds: Ventura County
SUMMARY : Moves up the date, from July 1, 2014, to July 1, 2013,
after which Local Transportation Fund (LTF) funds in Ventura
County will be available only for public transportation and
community transit services, and not for other purposes such as
for local streets and roads.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Earmarks 0.25% of the state sales tax for transit and directs
the revenue to the LTF in each county.
2)Vests regional transportation planning agencies (RTPAs) with
the responsibility to allocate LTF funds, generally to cities,
counties, and transit districts by population.
3)Authorizes the use of LTF funds for a wide variety of
transportation programs, including planning and program
activities, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, community
transit services, public transportation, bus and rail
projects, and farm worker vanpools program.
4)Authorizes rural counties (those with a population under
500,000) to use their LTF funds for purposes other than public
transportation and community transit services, such as local
streets and roads, under certain conditions.
5)Provides that, before funds can be used for local streets and
roads, the RTPA in a rural county must hold public hearings
and make a finding that all reasonable transit needs have been
met.
6)Generally requires each county with a population of less than
500,000 as of the 1970 federal census but more than 500,000 as
of the 2000 (or subsequent) federal census to use its LTF
funds for transit.
7)Provides that, for counties that would be impacted by this
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change from rural to urban due to population growth since
1970, the requirement to use LTF funds for public
transportation and community transit services will not become
operative until July 1, 2014.
8)Also provides for these counties, except Ventura County, that
the requirement to use LTF funds for public transportation and
community transit services applies to urbanized areas of a
county, not the necessarily the entire county. LTF funds can
be used in non-urbanized areas in these counties for local
streets and roads, provided that there are no unmet transit
needs in the area.
9)Provides that the Ventura County Transportation Commission
(VCTC) may submit to the legislative policy committees a
report analyzing options for organizing public mass
transportation services in Ventura County and expending LTF
revenues. VCTC may also submit a legislative proposal to
implement a plan based on recommendations of the report.
10)Provides that, if VCTC does not secure legislation to
implement its proposed plan by the end of the 2011-12
legislative session, its LTF revenues would be available
solely for public transportation or community transit
services, even in the county's rural areas, beginning July 1,
2014.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS: In 2009, SB 716 (Wolk), Chapter 609, Statutes of
2009, updated counties' designation as either rural or urban for
purposes of using LTF funds, based on the 2000 census rather
than the 1970 census. For those counties whose designation
changed, SB 716 provided a sort of hybrid use of the LTF
funds-urban cities within the county would be required to use
LTF funds for public transportation or community transit
services and rural areas of the county could continue to use LTF
funds for other purposes, assuming certain conditions were met.
The operative date of these changes was postponed until July 1,
2014, to give the counties an opportunity to adjust to the new
LTF requirements.
SB 716, however, set forth unique provisions for Ventura County,
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one of the counties whose designation changed from rural to
urban. For Ventura County, SB 716 provided an opportunity for
Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) to submit a plan
to the Legislature (and to secure subsequent legislation) that
would set forth an alternative means of distributing LTF funds
throughout the county. VCTC had until December 31, 2011, to
submit the plan and until the end of the 2011-12 Regular Session
to secure subsequent legislation otherwise all of the county's
LTF would be directed to public transportation or community
transit service as of July 1, 2014.
According to the author, VCTC had two years to submit the plan
and failed to do so. Consequently, the author has introduced
this bill to move up the date by one year after which all of the
county's LTF will have to be used for public transportation and
community transit services. The author asserts that Ventura
County is an urban county (its population is over 800,000) and
that many transit-dependent people are not being served because
of the current diversion of these funds.
There are 10 cities within Ventura County, 4 of which exceed a
population of 100,000, according to 2010 data. The other 6
cities have populations well below 100,000. Under SB 716, all
Ventura's cities, large or small, will be required to use their
LTF funds for public transportation and community transit
services as of July 1, 2014 (unlike the other counties whose
population grew over 500,000 after 1970 who will have the option
to use LTF funds for purposes other than public transportation
and community transit services in rural areas of the county).
At least three of Ventura's smaller cities (Moorpark, Port
Hueneme, and Santa Paula) are reportedly planning on using their
LTF funds (totaling approximately $1.2 million cumulatively) for
local street and roads projects in Fiscal Year 2013-2014.
Additionally, Simi Valley, which uses its local General Funds to
fund its transit activities, typically uses it's approximately
$3 million annually in LTF funds for streets and roads projects.
Under this bill, these LTF funds will no longer be available
for these other purposes.
Writing in opposition to this bill, VCTC notes that it has been
working since September 2010 on a comprehensive Regional Transit
Study to review various options to potentially reorganize public
transportation services in Ventura County. The commission is
expected to adopt a final report at its April 13, 2012, meeting.
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Consequently, VCTC believes AB 1778 is premature at this time.
The City of Simi Valley, also in opposition to this bill,
further argues that the bill "seeks to create an artificial
urgency that is not needed since transit providers in Ventura
County, who are the most knowledgeable about meeting riders'
needs, are well underway in crafting a transit plan that
addresses countywide needs."
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
Ormond Beach Observers
Opposition
City of Simi Valley
Ventura County Transportation Commission
Analysis Prepared by : Janet Dawson / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093