The compounding effects of the pandemic stay-home orders and the drastically reduced revenues have had an enormous effect on the legislative agenda and schedule in Sacramento. Though the State Senate and State Assembly are starting to reconvene, lawmakers are drastically cutting back on the bills they have introduced and sponsored, as very little legislation not directly tied to the emergency is being pursued.
We are pleased with the continued progress of SB 127 (Wiener), the Complete Streets bill we are co-sponsoring along with California Walks, the California Bicycle Coalition and the American Heart Association. The bill has now passed out of the Senate Transportation and Appropriations committees. In the process, we have agreed to amendments that removed our proposed reordering of the State Highway Account’s priorities.
With the end of the 2017-2018 legislative session, it’s an opportune moment to review the fortunes of some of the bills we have supported this year.
We co-sponsored SB 760 under author Senator Wiener, which would have required the State Highway Operations and Protection Program (SHOPP) implement Complete Streets near critical locations. As we reported in January, it was scaled back due to concerns over the effort to repeal last year’s increase in the Gas Tax. While we plan to reintroduce a bill with similar objectives next session, Sen.
Last week, California voters supported equitable transportation, open space and climate spending by large margins at the ballot box.
AB 179 (Cervantes), which aims to restructure the California Transportation Commission (CTC) to ensure diverse representation that promotes equitable transportation planning and protect public health, passed out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee and is headed to the Assembly floor.
Some 500 junior high and high school students from around the region swarmed the Bay Area Metro Center in February for the fourth annual YES Conference. Teen activists presented to their peers on such topics as “Proving That Climate Change Is Not a Hoax” and “Go Away, Throwaway,” to inspire participants to be environmental leaders in their schools and communities.
We are excited to be working with our statewide coalition partners to advance a number of bills in this year’s legislative session, including a Transportation Equity Package of bills that together will improve sustainable, affordable transportation options across the state, especially for low-income Californians.
The Safe Routes Partnership is sponsoring a bill in the California legislature this session that would require complete streets improvements to be made on state highways within California. Senate Bill 760 sets new policies and allocates funding to help Caltrans implement the agency’s already adopted Strategic Management Plan goals to make streets safer and more accessible for everyone, including children, seniors, and families, and to accommodate all transportation modes, includi