Land use: environmental quality.

The Planning and Zoning Law establishes the Planning Advisory and Assistance Council in the Office of Planning and Research, and prescribes the membership and duties of the council. This bill would change the designated membership, as specified, of the Planning Advisory and Assistance Council and would require that the council work with the Strategic Growth Council, regional agencies, and cities and counties to facilitate the implementation of regional blueprint plans. The bill would also require the council to develop and propose recommendations to specified state agencies to facilitate coordination between regional blueprint plans, state growth and infrastructure funding plans, and programs that facilitate the implementation of regional blueprint plans. The bill would further require the council to report to the Legislature on regional performance measures, as specified, and on the manner in which state agencies are implementing the 5-year infrastructure plan. The bill would require the council to begin to perform the above functions and duties when sufficient funding, as determined by the council, exists from the revenue transmitted to it by metropolitan planning organizations, councils of governments, or county transportation commissions and subregional councils of governments jointly preparing subregional sustainable communities strategies. Existing law authorizes a local air quality management district, except the Sacramento district, that has been designated by the State Air Resources Board as a state nonattainment area for any pollutant emitted by motor vehicles to levy a fee of up to $6 on motor vehicles registered within the district, subject to specified conditions. Existing law also authorizes the board of the Sacramento district, subject to specified provisions of law or with the approval of the board of supervisors of each county included, in whole or in part, within the district, to adopt a surcharge, not to exceed $6, on the motor vehicle registration fees applicable to all motor vehicles registered in those counties within the Sacramento district whose boards of supervisors have adopted a resolution approving the surcharge, subject to additional specified conditions. The bill would require, upon the request of a municipal planning organization, as defined, a council of governments, as defined, or a county transportation commission and a subregional council of governments jointly preparing a subregional sustainable communities strategy, the Department of Motor Vehicles to increase the fee on motor vehicles within the district, or the surcharge on motor vehicles registered in those counties within the Sacramento district, as the case may be, by $1 or $2. The bill would require the department to transmit the additional fee revenue to the respective entity requesting the increase. The bill would authorize the additional fee amount to be authorized only if the metropolitan planning organization, the council of governments, or the county transportation commission and the subregional council of governments jointly preparing a subregional sustainable communities strategy adopts a resolution, as specified, authorizing the additional fee. The additional fee would be required to apply to an original vehicle registration occurring on or after 6 months following the adoption of the resolution, as specified, and to a renewal of registration with an expiration date on or after that 6-month period. The bill would require that all revenue received by the metropolitan planning organization, the council of governments, or a county transportation commission and a subregional council of governments jointly preparing a subregional sustainable communities strategy pursuant to the above provisions be used solely to develop a sustainable communities strategy or a regional blueprint plan to identify land use strategies to reduce the use of motor vehicles in its jurisdiction and to carry out applicable transportation-related activities necessary to implement the plan, in order to achieve a specified greenhouse gas emission reduction target. The bill would also require that the additional fee revenue that exceeds $1 in specified jurisdictions be used to provide grants to cities, counties, cities and counties, and congestion management agencies for planning and projects related to the implementation of a regional blueprint plan, and 5% of all the revenue it receives from the first $1 of the additional fee to be transmitted to the council for performance of specified functions. The bill would make conforming changes to existing law. The bill would state the intent of the Legislature to update the duties and composition of the Planning Advisory and Assistance Council to assist in the state's land use planning processes by providing funding to support the development and implementation for regional blueprints and related planning and to work with state agencies providing funding for resource protection and local infrastructure to facilitate coordination between state planning and funding decisions and regional blueprints.