BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 2574
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 28, 2014
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Bonnie Lowenthal, Chair
AB 2574 (Rodriguez) - As Amended: March 17, 2014
SUBJECT : Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction
Authority
SUMMARY : Authorizes the extension of the Gold Line light rail
line from the City of Montclair in San Bernardino County to the
City of Ontario in San Bernardino County. Specifically, this
bill :
1)Redefines the Gold Line light rail project to include an
extension to the City of Ontario.
2)Redefines the extension cities for the Gold Line to include
the cities of Upland and Ontario.
3)Authorizes the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation
Authority (Metro) to operate the project to the LA/Ontario
International Airport.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Creates the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Authority
(Authority) for the purpose of awarding and overseeing all
design and construction contracts for completion of the Gold
Line light rail project and grants the Authority all the
powers necessary for planning, acquiring, developing, owning,
using, designing, procuring, and building the project.
2)Defines the Gold Line project as the Los Angeles-Pasadena
Foothill Extension Gold Line light rail project, formerly
known as the Los Angeles-Pasadena Metro Blue Line, extending
from Union Station in the City of Los Angeles to Sierra Madre
Villa Boulevard in the City of Pasadena and any mass transit
guideway that may be planned east of Sierra Madre Villa
Boulevard along the rail right-of-way extending to the City of
Montclair.
3)Defines the extensions cities as the cities of Arcadia,
Monrovia, Duarte, Irwindale, Azusa, Glendora, San Dimas, La
Verne, Pomona, Claremont, and Montclair.
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4)Prescribes the roles, responsibilities, and membership of the
Authority and requires the Authority to adhere to applicable
laws, specifically including those related to open meetings,
contracts and procurement, and conflict of interest.
5)Requires the Authority to be governed by a board consisting of
five voting members and four nonvoting members appointed as
follows:
a) Three voting members appointed by the city councils of
the cities of Los Angeles, Pasadena, and South Pasadena,
with each city council appointing one member by a majority
vote of the membership of that city council;
b) One voting member to be appointed by the president of
the governing board of the San Gabriel Valley Council of
Governments, subject to confirmation by that board;
c) One voting member to be appointed by Metro;
d) One nonvoting member to be appointed by the Governor;
e) Two nonvoting members to be appointed by the city
councils of the Cities of Pasadena and South Pasadena, with
each city appointing one nonvoting member; and,
f) One nonvoting member to be appointed by the president of
the board of directors of the San Bernardino Associated
Governments (SANBAG), subject to confirmation by that
board.
6)Requires Metro to assume responsibility for operating all
completed phases of the project.
7)Gives Metro the authority to operate the portion of the
project located in the County of San Bernardino, extending
approximately one-half mile from the Los Angeles and San
Bernardino County line to the Montclair Transit Center.
8)Specifies that with respect to the portion of the project on
the right-of-way owned by SANBAG, Metro's authority to operate
the project shall be contingent upon the approval of SANBAG's
board, acting as the county transportation commission, through
approval of an operations and maintenance agreement with
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Metro.
9)Requires the operations and maintenance agreement to provide
that SANBAG reimburse Metro for the costs of operating that
portion of the line located in the County of San Bernardino.
10) Requires the Authority to enter into a construction
agreement with SANBAG, acting as the county transportation
commission, prior to the commencement of construction of the
portion of the project in the County of San Bernardino.
11) Specifies that Metro is not required to allocate funds to
the project beyond funds that were allocated as of January 1,
2012.
12) Requires that the Authority be dissolved when project
construction has been completed.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : The Authority (formerly known as the Pasadena Metro
Blue Line Construction Authority) was created by statute in 1998
to oversee the planning, design, and construction of a light
rail line from east Pasadena to Claremont. Currently, the
Authority has sufficient resources to build the line as far as
Azusa. Metro operates the light rail service and maintains the
line to east Pasadena.
In 2012, the Authority, working with Metro, proposed an
extension of the Gold Line from its current terminus in Pasadena
to Montclair, about a half mile into San Bernardino County. The
Authority felt that Montclair, with its TransCenter regional
transit hub, was a logical terminus for the next phase of the
light-rail service. The extension required a statutory change
because the law at the time only authorized the line to go as
far as Claremont, west of Montclair in Los Angeles County.
The Authority sponsored, and the Legislature passed, AB 1600
(Torres), Chapter 189, Statutes of 2012 to authorize the
Montclair extension. Additionally, because Metro's jurisdiction
stops at the Los Angeles County line, the bill gave Metro the
authority to operate the extension into Montclair. The bill
additionally added a nonvoting member to the Authority board
representing SANBAG, required SANBAG's approval for Metro to
operate the line within San Bernardino County (which is proposed
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to be built on right-of-way owned by SANBAG), and required
SANBAG to reimburse Metro for the costs of operating the portion
of the line within San Bernardino County. AB 1600 had no
opposition because the Authority, SANBAG, and Metro worked
together to craft the language in the bill.
This bill would extend the Gold Line to Ontario to connect with
the LA/Ontario International Airport, and eight-mile extension
beyond the Montclair TransCenter. Unlike with the half-mile
portion within San Bernardino County to Montclair, the current
language in the bill does not give SANBAG any approval over
Metro's authority to operate the project within the county,
although SANBAG would still be required to reimburse Metro for
all operational costs.
The author introduced this bill to grant the Authority the legal
authority to initiate feasibility and planning studies for what
it believes should be the final extension of the Gold Line
system. The Authority is statutorily restricted to work related
to the project as defined, which under current law ends at
Montclair.
Arguments in support : Writing in support, the Gold Line Phase
II Joint Powers Authority states that this bill will "allow the
Construction Authority to continue planning the final extension
of the light rail line from the Montclair TransCenter to the
LA/Ontario Airport. The member cities of the JPA strongly
support extending the line to the airport, and believe that the
planning work should continue moving forward, knowing that we
are many years from being ready for construction. Without
planning the project now, there is little change for it to
succeed later. To that end, the Construction Authority's Board
of Directors has already agreed to fund the initial stages of
planning with its own money."
Arguments in opposition : Writing in opposition, SANBAG states
that it is "deeply concerned that this bill is premature as
results from the present Ontario Airport Access study are not
anticipated until later in 2014. This study is analyzing more
than 30 alternatives for connections to the LA/Ontario
International Airport and an extension of the Gold Line is but
one of these options. Additionally, as funding for the
presently authorized extension to Montclair is not secured, and
appears to be dependent on a future, unscheduled local
transportation sales tax measure in L.A. County, the need for
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authority to extend the Gold Line to Ontario International
Airport is premature and should be sought later when all
jurisdictions have a better understanding of funding
opportunities and the need for the extension is better
understood."
Committee concerns : When AB 1600 came through the Legislature,
it had no opposition. The Authority, Metro, and SANBAG worked
together to craft language that worked to protect the interests
of the three entities. AB 2574 is different. SANBAG opposes
this bill and neither SANBAG nor Metro had a role in crafting
the language prior to the bill being introduced. AB 1600
centered around a half-mile extension into San Bernardino
County, while AB 2574 is about a far more substantial
distance-eight miles. The author and sponsor thought that
applying the terms of the agreement negotiated for Montclair to
the Ontario extension would be sufficient, but it is not
unreasonable to expect that the terms negotiated for a half-mile
stretch on right-of-way already owned by SANBAG might not be the
same terms SANBAG and Metro would negotiate for a much longer
extension of the line.
The five voting member's on the Authority's board are all
appointed by government entities in Los Angeles County. While
SANBAG has a seat at the table via its nonvoting member, it has
no vote on a proposed project that would extend a significant
distance into its jurisdiction and that it would be required to
pay to operate.
For an extension of the Gold Line to Ontario Airport to have any
hope of becoming a reality, the Authority, SANBAG, and Metro
will have to work collaboratively for years to come. Given the
level of acrimony over this bill, things are not off to an
auspicious start. Under the terms set forth in this bill, the
project is doomed to fail.
Previous legislation : AB 1600 (Torres), Chapter 189, Statutes
of 2012, authorized the extension of the Gold Line to the City
of Montclair.
AB 706 (Torres) Chapter 533, Statutes of 2011, reconstituted the
Pasadena Metro Blue Line Construction Authority as the Metro
Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority and
specifically exempted city elected officials and the governing
board members of the Authority from incompatible office
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provisions of existing law.
SB 1847 (Schiff) Chapter 1021, Statutes of 1998, established the
Pasadena Metro Blue Line
Construction Authority, predecessor to the Authority, as an
independent transportation planning, design and construction
agency responsible for the design, contracting and construction
of the Los Angeles-to-Pasadena Metro Gold Line (formerly the
Pasadena Blue Line).
Double-referral : This bill was also referred to the Committee
on Local Government, where it is scheduled to be heard on April
30 should it pass out of this committee.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority
(sponsor)
City of Arcadia
City of Azusa
City of Claremont
City of Duarte
City of Glendora
City of Irwindale
City of La Verne
City of Monrovia
City of Pasadena
City of Pomona
City of San Dimas
City of South Pasadena
Gold Line Phase II Joint Powers Authority
San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments
Opposition
City of Adelanto
City of Hesperia
City of Rancho Cucamonga
City of Victorville
Inland Action
Move I.E.
San Bernardino Associated Governments
Self-Help Counties Coalition
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Analysis Prepared by : Anya Lawler / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093