West San Bernardino County Rail Construction Authority.

Existing law creates the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority for the purpose of awarding and overseeing all design and construction contracts for completion of the Los Angeles-Pasadena Foothill Extension Gold Line light rail project extending from Union Station in the City of Los Angeles to Sierra Madre Villa Boulevard in the City of Pasadena and any mass transit guideway that may be planned east of Sierra Madre Villa Boulevard along the rail right-of-way extending to the City of Montclair. This bill would create the West San Bernardino County Rail Construction Authority for purposes of awarding and overseeing all design and construction contracts for completion of an extension of the Metro Gold Line light rail project from the City of Montclair to the Ontario International Airport. The bill would prescribe the powers and duties of the construction authority. The bill would require the construction authority to be governed by a board consisting of 7 voting members and one nonvoting member. The city councils of the Cities of Montclair, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, and Upland would each appoint one member to the governing board and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) , the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA) , and the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA) would each appoint one member. The nonvoting member would be appointed by the Governor. The bill would require the construction authority and the SBCTA to enter into an agreement for the construction authority to hold in trust all real property interests held by the SBCTA that are necessary for the planning, design, and construction of the project at no cost to the construction authority. The bill would require the construction authority to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the SBCTA that specifically authorizes the SBCTA to review any significant changes in the scope of the design or construction, or both design and construction, of the project, as specified. The bill would require the construction authority to coordinate its work in the City of Montclair with the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority, as specified, and would require the construction authority to coordinate its work in the City of Ontario with the OIAA. The bill would prohibit the construction authority from encumbering the project with any obligation that is transferable to LACMTA or the SBCTA upon completion of the design and construction of the project without the consent of those entities, except the bill would require the SBCTA to assume responsibility for operating all completed phases of the project. The bill would require the construction authority to be dissolved upon completion of the project. This bill would create a state-mandated local program by imposing these duties on local government entities. 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 the statutory provisions noted above.