Local alternative transportation improvement program.

Under existing law, if the Department of Transportation determines that real property or an interest therein, previously or hereafter acquired by the state for highway purposes, is no longer necessary for those purposes, the Department of Transportation is authorized to sell, contract to sell, sell by trust deed, or exchange the real property or interest therein in the manner and upon terms, standards, and conditions established by the California Transportation Commission. Existing law authorizes the commission, in cooperation with the regional transportation planning agencies, to prescribe study areas for analysis and evaluation by those agencies and guidelines for the preparation of the regional transportation plans. Existing law, in order to resolve local transportation problems resulting from the infeasibility of planned state transportation facilities on certain state highway routes, authorizes specified cities and counties to develop and file with the commission a local alternative transportation improvement program that addresses transportation problems and opportunities in the county that was to be served by the planned facilities. Existing law creates the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) and makes it responsible for, among other things, the establishment of overall goals and objectives to achieve optimal transport service for the movement of goods and people on a countywide basis. This bill would, for purposes of preserving the funding capacity for LACMTA to make transportation investment choices within the State Highway Route 710 Study Area, as defined, authorize LACMTA in consultation with the department and jointly with specified cities, to develop and file with the commission a local alternative transportation improvement program that addresses transportation problems and opportunities in specified cities. The bill would require the commission to have the final authority regarding the content and approval of the local alternative transportation improvement program. The bill would require all proceeds from the sale of the specified excess properties, except as specified, to be allocated by the commission to fund the approved local alternative transportation improvement program, with not less than 25% of the proceeds to be allocated to certain soundwall projects, as specified. The bill would require the commission and the department to declare as excess state properties, the surface estates of certain properties, acquired for the Route 710 surface freeway extension and require the department to expeditiously release those properties for sale, as specified. The bill would require that tenants in good standing of nonresidential properties be offered a right of first refusal to purchase at fair market value the property. The bill would provide that the sale proceeds may not be used on any activity to advance any subsurface alternative for the Route 710 North Gap Closure Project. Existing law imposes various requirements on these local alternative transportation improvement programs including that the department is required to maintain a specified account for each local alternative transportation improvement program into which it will deposit the funds derived from the sale of the respective excess properties. Existing law also requires a specified local alternative transportation improvement program to include various housing programs, including, but not limited to, relocation assistance, relocation advice and moving expenses, and replacement housing units. This bill would make the local alternative transportation improvement program in the State Highway Route 710 Study Area subject to those account and deposit requirements and would authorize LACMTA, with the concurrence of the commission and the department, to advance a project included in the local alternative transportation improvement program in the study area prior to the availability of sufficient funds, as specified. The bill would make certain of those housing program provisions applicable to the local alternative transportation improvement program in the State Highway Route 710 Study Area. The bill would enact other related provisions.