BILL ANALYSIS �
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | ACR 145|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|1020 N Street, Suite 524 | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
THIRD READING
Bill No: ACR 145
Author: Achadjian (R)
Amended: As introduced
Vote: 21
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE : 10-0, 8/5/14
AYES: DeSaulnier, Beall, Cannella, Galgiani, Hueso, Lara, Liu,
Pavley, Roth, Wyland
NO VOTE RECORDED: Gaines
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 75-0, 6/23/14 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Faces of Freedom Veterans Memorial: highway signs
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This resolution requests that the Department of
Transportation (Caltrans) erect signs on State Route (SR) 101 in
the City of Atascadero directing motorists to the Faces of
Freedom Veterans Memorial.
ANALYSIS : Existing law assigns Caltrans the responsibility of
operating and maintaining the state highway system, including
the installation and maintenance of highway signs. In
administering its duties, Caltrans has developed guidelines to
use when considering whether to erect non-required signage along
the state's highways, or what Caltrans refers to as
"supplemental destination signage."
CONTINUED
ACR 145
Page
2
Supplemental destination signs give information to motorists
regarding the location of specific destinations such as
historical sites, cultural centers, and tourist attractions
which are accessible from an upcoming highway exit. Caltrans
has established specific qualifying criteria for certain
destinations considered traffic generators, for example:
Post-secondary schools (public or private) with a minimum
enrollment of 1,000 students each week;
Museums, zoos, stadiums, and sports arenas (publicly owned and
nonprofit) with a minimum of one million in annual attendance;
Convention centers (publicly owned) with a minimum of 500,000
in annual attendance;
Fairgrounds (publicly owned and operated) with a minimum of
500,000 in annual attendance; and
Governmental centers with a 5,000 minimum number of employees.
The operative theory regarding these criteria is that only those
facilities that generate a substantial amount of traffic should
receive highway signing. For destinations for which attendance
criteria are not specifically identified in its manual, Caltrans
considers destination signs only when "unusual operational or
safety issues become apparent that will be mitigated by
signing."
This resolution requests that Caltrans determine the cost of
appropriate directional signs and, consistent with the signing
requirements for the state highway system and upon receiving
donations from non-state sources sufficient to cover the cost,
erect such signs on SR 101 at its intersection with westbound SR
41 in the City of Atascadero, directing motorists to the Faces
of Freedom Veterans Memorial.
CONTINUED
ACR 145
Page
3
Background
In 2012, Caltrans' Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices
(CUTCD) wrestled with setting guidance for the placement of
supplemental destination signs for veterans' memorial monuments.
Ultimately, the CUTCD could not resolve the issue, and
supplemental destination signs to monuments are not currently
authorized. It should be noted that legislative requests for
supplemental destination signs that do not comply with Caltrans'
standards are not without precedent, and Caltrans typically
complies with these requests. These requests, in the form of
non-binding resolutions, include:
The Paramount Hay Tree (SCR 48, Lowenthal, Resolution Chapter
118, Statutes of 2006);
The Wall Las Memorias Project AIDS Monument (SCR 3, Cedillo,
Resolution Chapter 102, Statutes of 2007);
The Armenian Genocide Martyrs Monument (ACR 148, Charles
Calderon, Resolution Chapter 10, Statutes of 2010); and
The Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of
America (ACR 126 Charles Calderon, Resolution Chapter 99,
Statutes of 2012).
It should also be noted, however, that Governor Schwarzenegger
vetoed the one recent request contained within a bill, AB 2234
(Strickland of 2006). His veto message stated that the World
War II Aviation Museum's annual attendance did not fulfill
Caltrans' established criteria and that granting a special
exemption for the museum would unfairly disadvantage the many
other equally worthy organizations that would not get their own
signage.
Comments
According to the author's office, Caltrans has criteria for
supplemental directional signs for facilities such as schools,
museums, zoos, and convention centers, but not for veterans'
CONTINUED
ACR 145
Page
4
memorials. Directing motorists to the Faces of Freedom Veterans
Memorial will further the purpose of honoring all the brave men
and women who fought to protect the people of California and the
United States.
FISCAL EFFECT : Fiscal Com.: Yes
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/11/14)
City of Atascadero
Purple Heart Trail Committee of the Marine Corps League #680
Veterans Caucus of the California Democratic Party
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 75-0, 6/23/14
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Bigelow, Bloom,
Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bonta, Bradford, Brown, Buchanan, Ian
Calderon, Campos, Chau, Ch�vez, Chesbro, Conway, Cooley,
Dababneh, Dahle, Daly, Dickinson, Donnelly, Eggman, Fong, Fox,
Frazier, Beth Gaines, Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon,
Gray, Grove, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Roger Hern�ndez, Holden,
Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Linder, Lowenthal, Maienschein,
Mansoor, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian,
Olsen, Pan, Patterson, Perea, John A. P�rez, V. Manuel P�rez,
Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Rendon, Ridley-Thomas,
Rodriguez, Salas, Skinner, Stone, Ting, Wagner, Waldron,
Weber, Wieckowski, Williams, Yamada, Atkins
NO VOTE RECORDED: Gorell, Logue, Nestande, Wilk, Vacancy
JA:d 8/12/14 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
**** END ****
CONTINUED