RECEIVE state legislative update.

The main state legislative activities during the winter recess relate to the implementation of Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) and two efforts to repeal that bill. The Legislature reconvenes on January 3, and the Governor is slated to publish his draft budget on January 10.

SB 1 represents approximately $30 million per year for Monterey County local streets and roads, approximately $2.25 million for Monterey Salinas Transit, stability for the State Transportation Improvement Program, and grant funding opportunities for various transportation projects.

Senate Bill (SB) 1, known as the "Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017", is a transportation investment plan to rebuild California by fixing neighborhood streets, highways and bridges and targeting funds toward transit and congested trade and commute corridor improvements. New funding for each community in Monterey County from the gas tax will enable TAMC and its member jurisdictions to address significant maintenance, rehabilitation and safety needs on the local street and road system. Funds from the gas tax will give TAMC the ability to accelerate the construction of Measure X projects with matching funds from new SB1 programs. Attachment 1 is a flyer that summarizes what SB1 funding means for Monterey County.

One SB 1 repeal effort is now gathering signatures (with a May 21 deadline) to put a ballot measure on the November 2018 ballot. Another repeal effort, led by Assembly Member Allen, is held up in the courts regarding the ballot language. Online as web attachments are a few news articles analyzing the repeal effort. The Fix Our Roads Coalition is working to keep SB 1 by publicizing the projects underway with the new funds.

Meanwhile, the Governor signed Assembly Constitutional Amendment (ACA) 5, known as the California Transportation Taxes and Fees Lockbox Amendment, which puts a ballot measure before voters in June 2018 to enact constitutional protections of the funding to keep it from being diverted to uses other than transportation purposes.

In other news, the California State Transportation Agency released the Final Report for the Road Charge Pilot Program (the full report, summary and highlights are online). This report demonstrates California’s commitment to investigate a long-term, sustainable transportation funding mechanism. This was the largest road charge research effort to date, with over 5,000 participating statewide vehicles, reporting in excess of 37 million miles driven over the nine-month pilot program. The next step is that Caltrans and the Federal Highway Administration are researching a pay-at-the-pump road charge method allowing drivers the ability to pay a road charge, pay-as-you-go, at the gas pump instead of paying an invoice via an account manager, which was simulated during the road charge pilot.

1. December 25, 2017 article in the Orange County Register, "One gas-tax repeal effort gains steam, another is fading"
2. November 27, 2017 article in the San Diego Union Tribune, "Petition kicks off to repeal increase in California gasoline tax"