Sonoma County Regional Climate Protection Authority: greenhouse gas emissions.

The Local Transportation Authority and Improvement Act authorizes any county board of supervisors to create or designate a local transportation authority in the county for the purposes of imposing a retail transactions and use tax of up to 1%, by a 23 vote thereof, subject to voter approval, with revenues to be used for transportation improvements. The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 requires the State Air Resources Board to adopt a statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit equivalent to the statewide greenhouse gas emissions levels in 1990 to be achieved by 2020, as specified. This bill, until December 1, 2015, would create the Sonoma County Regional Climate Protection Authority. The bill would provide for the authority to be governed by the same board as that governing the Sonoma County Transportation Authority, which was created pursuant to the Local Transportation Authority and Improvement Act, and would impose certain duties on the authority, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program. The bill would provide that the authority is a separate entity from the Sonoma County Transportation Authority. The bill would authorize the authority, in cooperation with local agencies, as defined, that elect to participate, to perform coordination and implementation activities, within the boundaries of Sonoma County, to assist those agencies in meeting their greenhouse gas emission reduction goals and develop, coordinate, and implement programs and policies to comply with the California Global Warming Solutions Act and other federal or state mandates and programs designed to respond to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. The bill would authorize the authority to apply for, and to receive grants of, funds to carry out its functions, and would require those funds to be held in a separate account. The bill would prohibit the use of transportation funds by the authority other than for transportation activities. The bill would prohibit funding from the Traffic Relief Act for Sonoma County (Measure M) , approved by voters in 2004 to be used for these purposes. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.