East Span, San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge Safety Review Task Force.

Existing law identifies the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a "toll bridge" and provides that the bridge and the approaches to it are a primary state highway. Existing law requires the Department of Transportation to permanently maintain and operate the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a primary state highway in such a manner that the physical condition and operating efficiency thereof are of the highest character. Existing law establishes the Bay Area Toll Authority and assigns to it responsibility for the administration of all toll revenues from state-owned toll bridges. Existing law provides that the power or duty of the authority to fix the rates of toll for the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge or the power and duty of the department to collect the tolls so fixed by the authority for the use of the bridge are not affected by any law providing that state highways are to be free highways. This bill would establish the East Span, San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge Safety Review Task Force in state government and require the Legislative Analyst to provide administrative support for the task force as necessary for the completion of its duties. The task force would consist of 7 members designated by the Legislative Analyst. The members of the task force would be deemed officers of the state, serve a term of one year, and receive compensation, as specified, and reimbursement for reasonable expenses. The bill would appropriate $149,000 from the State Highway Account in the State Transportation Fund to the Legislative Analyst for purposes of paying for the compensation and expense reimbursement of the task force members. The bill would require the Bay Area Toll Authority to reimburse the State Highway Account for all funds expended for purposes of the task force. The task force would be required to assess the anticipated seismic structural performance of the East Span, as defined, of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge by conducting a series of specified reviews. The task force would be required to submit a final written report to the Legislature and the Governor that includes the results of its assessment, as specified. This bill would provide that the task force is subject to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act. This bill would provide that the records of the task force are subject to disclosure in accordance with the California Public Records Act. This bill would make these provisions, except for the provisions regarding the defense and indemnity of task force members described below, inoperative on July 1, 2014, and would repeal them as of January 1, 2015. This bill would require the Department of Transportation to defend and indemnify a member of the task force pursuant to specified provisions of the Government Claims Act in the event that the member invokes the protections provided in those provisions. The bill would require the Bay Area Toll Authority to reimburse the department for costs and judgments incurred pursuant to this requirement. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.