Local transportation funds: Ventura County.

Existing law requires that 14% of the local sales and use tax be transferred to the local transportation fund of each county for allocation, as directed by the transportation planning agency, for various transportation purposes. Existing law specifies the allowable uses for local transportation funds, and generally requires these funds to be used for transit purposes in urban counties, while in counties with a population under 500,000 as of the 1970 census and certain other counties, these funds may also be used for local streets and roads, if the transportation planning agency finds that there are no unmet transit needs or no unmet transit needs that are reasonable to meet, and for other specified purposes. Existing law, beginning July 1, 2014, for counties with a population of less than 500,000 as of the 1970 decennial census, but that have a population of 500,000 or more as of the 2000 decennial census or at a subsequent census, requires the local transportation funds apportioned to the urbanized areas of those counties to generally be allocated for public transit purposes and not for street and road purposes, except that cities in those counties with a population of 100,000 or fewer are exempt from this requirement. Under existing law, local transportation funds apportioned to the nonurbanized areas in those counties remain available for allocation to street and road purposes and for other specified purposes. Existing law exempts Ventura County from these provisions and instead authorized the Ventura County Transportation Commission to submit, by December 31, 2011, a report to the Legislature analyzing options for organizing public mass transportation services in the county and for expenditure of revenues in the local transportation fund, along with a recommended legislative proposal. Under existing law, if a legislative proposal was not enacted by the end of the 2011–12 Regular Session of the Legislature, local transportation funds in Ventura County would be required to be available solely for transit purposes beginning July 1, 2014. This bill would repeal the provisions specifically relating to Ventura County and the expenditure of local transportation funds there. This bill would also require the Ventura County Transportation Commission to post on its Internet Web site an annual report for 5 years, beginning September 1, 2014, on transit service within the county, thereby imposing 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.