last updated 7/7/08

• AB 2971 (DeSaulnier), Fair Share for Safety (passed the Assembly, under consideration by the Senate)
• AB 1358 (Leno), Complete Streets Act
• AB 2744 (Huffman), Motor vehicle fuel fee
• SB 375 (Steinberg), Regional planning for greenhouse gas reduction, travel demand models
• AB 2784 (Feuer) Driving Under the Influence Ignition Interlock

AB 2971, (DeSaulnier), Fair Share for Safety

Authored by Martinez Assemblymember Mark DeSaulnier, this bill would create the Fair Share for Safety program. Under this program, the California Department of Transportation would be required periodically to conduct an annual analysis for fatality rates of all modes of travel and to apportion federal transportation safety funds in a manner that is, to the extent possible, proportionate to the rate of fatalities for each mode of travel. The bill also provides for funding from developer fees, which are levied by cities and counties pursuant to the Subdivision Map Act, to defray the actual or estimated cost of constructing transportation facilities, including pedestrian, bicycle, transit and traffic-calming facilities. The fees collected would be deposited in a multimodal fund.

This bill has passed through the Assembly and has been taken up by the Senate.

• Read AB 2971 (as amended on 7/1/08)
• Read Senate bill analysis
• Read Assembly bill analysis

AB 1358, The Complete Streets Act

Authored by San Francisco Assemblymember Mark Leno, and co-authored by Van Nuys Assemblymember Lloyd Levine, Assembly Bill 1358, the Complete Streets Act, will ensure that the transportation plans of California communities meet the needs of all users of the roadway including pedestrians, bicyclists, users of public transit, motorists, children, the elderly, and the disabled. The AARP, California Chapter joins CBC as bill co-sponsor. This bill remains CBC's most important legislative priority.

AB 1358 requires the legislative body of a city or county, upon revision of the circulation element of their general plan, to identify how the jurisdiction will provide for the routine accommodation of all users of the roadway including motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists, individuals with disabilities, seniors, and users of public transportation. The bill also directs the Office of Planning and Research to amend guidelines for the development of general plan circulation elements so that the building and operation of local transportation facilities safely and conveniently accommodate everyone, regardless of their mode of travel. The bill remains on the Senate Inactive File and will likely be considered by the full Senate sometime this summer.

Find your senatorís mailing address and send a brief letter stating your support for this bill because complete streets make California streets safer for everyone. If you canít write a letter, call or send an email.

• Read AB 1358 (as amended on 7/18/07)
• AB 1358 fact sheet (.pdf)
• Read 7/2/07 Sacramento Bee Editorial in favor of AB 1358
• Learn about the nationwide Complete Streets movement at www.completethestreets.org
• Chart of Complete Streets policies throughout the nation (.pdf)
• Read Senate Bill Analysis (8/30/07)

AB 2744 (Huffman), Motor vehicle fuel fee

Assembly Bill 2744, authored by Marin County Assemblymember Jared Huffman, would authorize the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to impose a fee on the sale of gas – up to $0.10 per gallon – that could be used toward a Transportation/Climate Protection expenditure plan. Funding could be used for increased transit options, transit village development, increased safety and use of bicycle and pedestrian projects, and increased fuel efficiency of vehicles. This bill failed to pass out of the Assembly Transportation Committee, but has been granted reconsideration. A similar bill that the CBC is following is SB 445 by Senator Torlakson. CBC is requesting that the author include language that specifies bicycle projects would be an eligible use under this law.

• Read AB 2744 (as amended 4/8/08)
• Read Assembly Bill Analysis
• Sample support letter

SB 375 (Steinberg), Regional planning for greenhouse gas reduction, travel demand models

Authored by Sacramento Senator Darrell Steinberg, Senate Bill 375 seeks to reduce vehicle miles traveled through land use and planning incentives. Key provisions require the larger regional transportation planning agencies to develop more sophisticated transportation planning models, and to use them for the purpose of creating "preferred growth scenarios" in their regional plans that limit greenhouse gas emissions. The bill also provides incentives for local governments to incorporate these preferred growth scenarios into the transportation elements of their general land use plans.

• Read SB 375 (as amended on 3/24/08)
• Read Assembly Bill Analysis (8/21/07)

AB 2784 (Feuer), Driving Under the Influence Ignition Interlock

Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue a restricted driver’s license to a person whose driver’s license was suspended as a result of a first offense conviction for driving under the influence. The person’s driving privilege is restricted to driving to and from work, driving during the course of employment, and driving to and from activities required in the driving-under-the-influence program. AB 2784 would remove the restriction provision on the person’s driving privilege, if the person submits proof of installation of a certified ignition interlock device and agrees to maintain the device. An ignition interlock is a system that tests for alcohol on a driver's breath, and prevents the car from being started if the driver’s blood alcohol level is too high. These devices will help keep impaired drivers off the road, improving the safety of bicyclists and everyone else on the road.

• Read AB 2784 (as amended on 5/23/08)
• Read Assembly bill analysis and Senate bill analysis
• Read CBC support letter (.doc format)