State highways: transfer to local agencies: pilot program.

Existing law provides that the Department of Transportation has full possession and control of all state highways and associated property, and sets forth the powers and duties with respect to operation, maintenance, and improvement of state highways. Existing law authorizes the California Transportation Commission to exercise various powers and duties on transportation matters, including the allocation of certain transportation capital improvement funds available to the state. This bill would require the department to participate in a pilot program over a 5-year period under which 2 counties, one in northern California and one in southern California, may be selected to operate, maintain, and make improvements to all state highways, including freeways, in the affected county. The bill would require the department, with respect to those counties, for the duration of the pilot program, to convey all of its authority and responsibility over state highways in the county to the county or to a regional transportation agency that has jurisdiction in the county. The bill would require the commission to administer and oversee the pilot program and to select the county or counties participating in the program by January 1, 2018, from applications received, but would provide that participation of a county in the pilot program is voluntary. The bill would require certain moneys to be appropriated for these purposes as a block grant in the annual Budget Act to a participating county, as specified. The bill would authorize any cost savings realized by a participating county to be used by the county for other transportation priorities. The bill would require the participating counties to report to the Legislature upon the conclusion of the pilot program. The bill would provide that its provisions shall become inoperative on January 15, 2018, if the commission is unable to select at least one county to participate in the pilot program because no county has submitted an application to the commission.