Cleanup activities on state highways, rights-of-way, off ramps, and homeless encampments.

Existing law establishes the Department of Transportation and vests it with full possession and control of all state highways and all property and rights in property acquired for state highway purposes. Existing law authorizes the department to establish maintenance programs related to highway cleanup, as specified. Existing law establishes the Independent Office of Audits and Investigation within the department, whose director has the title of Inspector General. Existing law requires the office to ensure that the department, and external entities that receive state and federal transportation funds from the department, are spending those funds efficiently, effectively, economically, and in compliance with applicable state and federal requirements. This bill would require the department to coordinate cleanup activities related to state highways, rights-of-way, off ramps, and homeless encampments on department-owned property and solicit information from, and coordinate with, other agencies about highway cleanup activities, as specified. The bill would also require the department to submit a specified report of cleanup activities to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2023. The bill would require the Inspector General to submit a specified report to the Legislature on cleanup activities within each local department district to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2023, and annually thereafter. This bill would also require the department to establish an advisory board of the relevant state and local agencies for the ongoing planning and coordination of cleanup activities related to state highways, rights-of-way, off ramps, and homeless encampments. The bill would require each local department district to develop cleanup schedules once every two weeks and post these schedules on their internet website.