Recent Streetsblog CALIFORNIA posts about State Capitol Updates

California Legislative Update: Bikes, Transit, Environmental Justice, More

By Melanie Curry | Apr 22, 2016 | 3 Comments

Today is the deadline to pass any policy bills that have a fiscal impact out of all California legislative committees, so the last two weeks have seen a flurry of long hearings. Here’s a quick recap of pertinent bills. BIKES Riding side-by-side is okay: Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) has a bill, A.B. 2509, that […]

Transportation Equity Bills Defeated in Assembly Transpo Committee

By Melanie Curry | Apr 19, 2016 | 6 Comments

Two bills that had the potential to increase equity in transportation planning died yesterday for lack of support. A.B. 1982 would have created two positions on the California Transportation Commission (CTC) for representatives of low-income communities. A.B. 2332 would have required Caltrans to follow its own guidelines on incorporating complete streets concepts into all projects, […]

Bill to Eliminate Free Parking Could Help Disabled People Find a Spot

By Melanie Curry | Apr 14, 2016 | 13 Comments

Assemblymember Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) has introduced a bill that would require some people with disabled parking permits to pay, rather than park for free as long as they want. If it works, A.B. 2602 could free up parking spots for every driver, including disabled people who most need them. It could also potentially discourage […]

Transportation Committee Hears Bills: Active Transpo, High-Speed Rail, More

By Melanie Curry | Apr 12, 2016 | No Comments

A marathon hearing in the Assembly Transportation Committee yesterday was a sign of looming deadlines in the California legislature. It was also an illustration of the strange and sometimes surreal world in which California’s laws are debated and created. An hour before the hearing, a coalition of groups working on equity and transportation presented a […]

CA Transportation Funding Should Reflect State Goals

By Melanie Curry | Apr 7, 2016 | 13 Comments

Transportation funding in California has, as SBCA readers must know by now, reached a “crisis.” Shrinking gas tax revenues, combined with an increasing reliance on local sales taxes limited to specific transportation projects, have left our overbuilt and under-maintained highways, roads, and bridges without enough funds to keep them in a basic state of good repair. […]

A Few Good Bills

By Melanie Curry | Apr 5, 2016 | 1 Comment

Continuing our coverage of bills making their way through the California legislative session, today we’re highlighting some bills that we like. Some of these will likely be heard first at the Assembly Transportation Committee this Monday, April 11. Firstly, the state budget is undergoing its usual complicated negotiation process. It is made more complex because […]

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