Transportation planning.

Existing law creates the California Transportation Commission, with various powers and duties relative to the programming of transportation capital projects and allocation of funds to those projects, pursuant to the state transportation improvement program and various other transportation funding programs. Existing law provides that the commission consists of 13 members, including 11 voting members, of which 9 are appointed by the Governor subject to Senate confirmation and 2 are appointed by the Legislature. In addition, 2 members of the Legislature are appointed as ex officio members without vote. This bill would provide for 2 additional voting members of the commission to be appointed by the Legislature. The bill would also provide for the Chairperson of the State Air Resources Board to serve as an ex officio member without vote. Existing law requires the Governor, in appointing members to the California Transportation Commission, to make every effort to assure that there is a geographic balance of representation on the commission. This bill would also require each appointing power to make every effort to assure that expertise in the transportation community that has not traditionally been represented on the commission is reflected in future appointments to the commission, with a particular emphasis on stakeholders involved and engaged in, among other things, efforts to make California's transportation system more sustainable. Existing law provides for the commission to organize itself into various committees, including the Committee on Planning, which, among other things, is responsible for monitoring the transportation planning and programming process. Existing law requires each transportation planning agency to adopt a regional transportation plan for its area. Existing law requires transportation planning agencies designated as metropolitan planning organizations in urban areas to adopt sustainable communities strategies or alternative planning strategies as part of their regional transportation plans, relative to attaining certain greenhouse gas reduction targets. This bill would provide that the commission's Committee on Planning is also responsible for monitoring outcomes from the sustainable communities strategy or alternative planning strategy required to be adopted by transportation planning agencies as part of the regional transportation plan. This bill would require each transportation planning agency that is required to prepare a sustainable communities strategy or alternative planning strategy as part of its regional transportation plan to provide the commission with a copy of the strategy and a brief report describing the progress the agency has made in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The bill would provide that the report may also outline the challenges that affect implementation of the plan and attainment of the greenhouse gas reduction targets. The bill would provide that the report shall not be binding on future regional transportation plans or funding decisions, as specified. The bill would also provide that the report shall not constitute an alternative, or a foundation for future analysis, under the California Environmental Quality Act. Existing law requires the commission to prepare and submit an annual report to the Legislature on various topics. This bill would require the annual report to include a summary by the commission's Committee on Planning of its actions in monitoring implementation and outcomes from the sustainable communities strategies or alternative planning strategies adopted by transportation planning agencies. Existing law requires each transportation planning agency, on a biennial basis, to prepare and submit to the commission a regional transportation improvement program containing transportation capital projects identified for funding through the next cycle of the 5-year state transportation improvement program. This bill would require the regional transportation improvement program to include a discussion of how the program relates to the region's adopted sustainable communities or alternative planning strategy. The bill would provide that this discussion shall not be binding on future regional transportation improvement programs or funding decisions, as specified, and shall not constitute an alternative, or a foundation for future analysis, under the California Environmental Quality Act. By imposing additional requirements on transportation planning agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.