Transportation: emerging transportation technologies: California Smart City Challenge Grant Program.

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. This bill would establish the California Smart City Challenge Grant Program to enable municipalities to compete for grant funding for emerging transportation technologies to serve their transportation system needs, and would specify certain program goals. The bill would require the commission to form the California Smart City Challenge Workgroup on or before July 1, 2020, to guide the commission on program matters, as specified. The bill would require the commission, in consultation with the workgroup, to develop guidelines on or before March 1, 2021, for the program, which would not be subject to the Administrative Procedure Act, and would authorize the commission to revise them as necessary. The bill would make the implementation of the program contingent upon an appropriation in the annual budget act.