Recent Streetsblog CALIFORNIA posts about Assembly

Opaque Process Leaves Californians in the Dark about Transportation Funding

By Melanie Curry | Aug 28, 2015 | No Comments

Amid the swirling madness that is the final few weeks of the California legislative session—all bills must be voted on by September 11, or wait until next year—the question of how to raise, and spend, money on transportation is still very much up in the air. Increasingly, it looks like major decisions will be made […]

California Legislative Update: How to Fund Transportation

By Melanie Curry | Aug 21, 2015 | 1 Comment

The legislature came back from its summer break on Monday, and has only a month to resolve some big goals before the session ends on September 11. Over 600 bills are pending in both the Senate and the Assembly, plus there are behind-the-scenes negotiations on leftover budget issues and two concurrent special sessions aimed at […]

#DamienTalks Episode 14: Assemblymember Richard Bloom

By Damien Newton | Aug 21, 2015 | No Comments

Today, #DamienTalks with Assemblymember Richard Bloom, who represents western Los Angeles County in the State Assembly. Bloom is on the Finance Special Session Committee in the State Assembly, meaning that for the next two and a half weeks, the Assemblymember will have a chance to weigh in on any transportation bills before they come to the […]

Senate Leader Dismisses Idea of Using Cap-and-Trade Funds for Road Repairs

By Melanie Curry | Aug 20, 2015 | 13 Comments

At a press conference in Sacramento yesterday, Senate President Pro-Tem Kevin de Leon dismissed the idea, floated by Republican legislators and anti-tax advocates, that revenue in the state’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction fund could be used for road maintenance and repair. “That is not a serious proposal,” said de Leon. “There is no nexus between […]

Finally Transit Is Included in CA Transportation Funding Discussions

By Melanie Curry | Aug 17, 2015 | 17 Comments

On Friday, in separate press events in Los Angeles and San Francisco, several members of the California legislature presented new bills for consideration in the ongoing legislative special session on transportation funding. Various estimates put California’s backlog of deferred road maintenance in the $100-plus-billion range. The special sessions, which involve the creation of new committees […]