California 2021-2022 Regular Session Status: In Committee 1 D cosponsors

SB 475 — Transportation planning: sustainable communities strategies.

Last action — Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 56.

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed Assembly
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill died with 2021-2022 Regular Session. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Summary

Existing law requires certain transportation planning activities by designated regional transportation planning agencies, including development of a regional transportation plan. Certain of these agencies are designated under federal law as metropolitan planning organizations. As part of a regional transportation plan, existing law requires a metropolitan planning organization to adopt a sustainable communities strategy, which is designed to achieve certain targets established by the State Air Resources Board for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles and light trucks in the region. Existing law requires the State Air Resources Board to update the regional greenhouse gas emission reduction targets every 8 years consistent with each metropolitan planning organization's timeframe for updating its regional transportation plan under federal law until 2050. Existing law requires the State Air Resources Board to appoint a Regional Targets Advisory Committee, consisting of representatives of various entities, to recommend factors and methodologies to be used for setting greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for the regions required to prepare a sustainable communities strategy or alternative planning strategy as part of their regional transportation plan. This bill would require the State Air Resources Board, on or before June 30, 2023, and in coordination with the California Transportation Commission and the Department of Housing and Community Development, to issue new guidelines on sustainable communities strategies and require these guidelines to be updated thereafter at least every 4 years. The bill would delete the provisions related to the Regional Targets Advisory Committee and instead require the State Air Resources Board to appoint, on or before January 31, 2022, the State-Regional Collaborative for Climate, Equity, and Resilience, consisting of representatives of various entities. The bill would require the State-Regional Collaborative for Climate, Equity, and Resilience to develop a quantitative tool for metropolitan planning organizations to use to evaluate a transportation plan's consistency with long-range greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and recommend guidelines for metropolitan planning organizations to use when crafting long-range strategies that integrate state goals related to climate resilience and social equity. The bill would also require the State-Regional Collaborative for Climate, Equity, and Resilience to identify best practice implementation actions and generate point-based climate impact scores for each implementation action. The bill would require the State-Regional Collaborative for Climate, Equity, and Resilience, on or before December 31, 2022, to issue its recommendations to the State Air Resources Board for incorporation into the new guidelines for sustainable communities strategies. The bill would require the State Air Resources Board, in consultation with California Transportation Commission and the Department of Housing and Community Development, to identify regional greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for long-range strategies through 2050 and near-term implementation actions through 2030 to reduce emissions from automobiles and light trucks. The bill would require the State Air Resources Board to demonstrate, by March 30, 2023, how the targets could be achieved with existing revenues using tools developed by the State-Regional Collaborative for Climate, Equity, and Resilience, and would require an opportunity for public comment and a public hearing, before adoption of targets on or before June 30, 2023. The bill would require the state board to update the regional greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for near-term implementation actions every 4 years consistent with each metropolitan planning organization's timeframe for updating its regional transportation plan under federal law until 2050 and ensure that the targets are achievable within the context of each region's approach to meeting specified housing goals and climate adaptation strategies. The bill would also require the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, on or before July 1, 2023, and in consultation with various state entities, to set regional building decarbonization targets for 2030 and 2045 consistent with the state's targets for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases in the state's residential and commercial building stock for each geographic area represented by a metropolitan planning organization. Existing law, to the extent the sustainable communities strategy is unable to achieve the greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets, requires the affected metropolitan planning organization to prepare an alternative planning strategy showing how the targets may be achieved through alternative development patterns, infrastructure, or additional transportation measures or policies. Existing law requires the State Air Resources Board to review each sustainable communities strategy or alternative planning strategy to determine its effectiveness in meeting the targets, and requires certain actions by the metropolitan planning organizations to revise the strategy if it is found not to meet the targets. This bill would delete the provisions requiring the preparation of an alternative planning strategy. The bill would require a metropolitan planning organization to identify near-term implementation actions and calculate the climate points of each action before adopting a sustainable communities strategy. The bill would encourage a metropolitan planning organization that is unable to meet the near-term targets through identified implementation actions to work with the state board, as specified, to identify additional feasible implementation actions. If no additional feasible implementation actions are identified, the bill would allow the metropolitan planning organization to adopt a sustainable communities strategy but would make the metropolitan planning organization ineligible for state funds that require an adopted sustainable communities strategy that is compliant with state targets, until the time that an updated compliant plan is adopted. After adopting a sustainable communities strategy, this bill would require a metropolitan planning organization to submit a progress report on its implementation actions every 4 years to the state board for review. The bill would allow the state board to make a determination that a sustainable communities strategy is noncompliant if there is sustained and demonstrated lack of implementation activity from prior sustainable communities strategies. The bill would make metropolitan regions ineligible for funds that require a compliant sustainable communities strategy during this period of noncompliance. The bill would allow the metropolitan planning organization to appeal this determination of noncompliance annually. By imposing new requirements on metropolitan planning organizations, the bill would thereby impose a state-mandated local program. Before the adoption of a sustainable communities strategy or an alternative planning strategy, existing law requires a metropolitan planning organization to complete certain procedural requirements, including a requirement to conduct informational meetings, as specified, and a requirement to adopt a public participation plan that includes, among other things, public engagement gatherings throughout the region and public hearings on the draft sustainable communities strategy or alternative planning strategy, as specified. The Ralph M. Brown Act, with specified exceptions, requires that all meetings of a legislative body of a local agency be open and public and that all persons be permitted to attend and participate. Existing law, until January 1, 2023, authorizes these informational meetings, public engagement gatherings, and public hearings to be conducted by electronic means if a call-in telephonic option is also provided, and the meeting is not required to be conducted pursuant to the Ralph M. Brown Act. This bill would make permanent the above-described provisions relating to informational meetings, public engagement gatherings, and public hearings. 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.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 56.

  2. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on TRANS. (Ayes 6. Noes 0. Page 917.) (April 26). Re-referred to Com. on TRANS.

  3. Set for hearing April 26.

  4. Referral to Com. on HOUSING rescinded because of the limitations placed on committee hearings due to ongoing health and safety risks of the COVID-19 virus.

  5. Re-referred to Coms. on E.Q., TRANS., and HOUSING.

  6. From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on RLS.

  7. Referred to Com. on RLS.

  8. Joint Rule 55 suspended. (Ayes 32. Noes 4. Page 272.)

  9. (Ayes 32. Noes 4.)

  10. Art. IV. Sec. 8(a) of the Constitution dispensed with.

  11. From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 20.

  12. Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 121 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (121)

121 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

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Subjects

housing environment transportation
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Frequently asked questions

What does SB 475 do?
Existing law requires certain transportation planning activities by designated regional transportation planning agencies, including development of a regional transportation plan. Certain of these agencies are designated under federal law as metropolitan planning organizations. As part of a regional transportation plan, existing law requires a metropolitan planning organization to adopt a sustainable communities strategy, which is designed to achieve certain targets established by the State Air Resources Board for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles and light trucks in the region. Existing law requires the State Air Resources Board to update the regional greenhouse gas emission reduction targets every 8 years consistent with each metropolitan planning organization's timeframe for updating its regional transportation plan under federal law until 2050. Existing law requires the State Air Resources Board to appoint a Regional Targets Advisory Committee, consisting of representatives of various entities, to recommend factors and methodologies to be used for setting greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for the regions required to prepare a sustainable communities strategy or alternative planning strategy as part of their regional transportation plan. This bill would require the State Air Resources Board, on or before June 30, 2023, and in coordination with the California Transportation Commission and the Department of Housing and Community Development, to issue new guidelines on sustainable communities strategies and require these guidelines to be updated thereafter at least every 4 years. The bill would delete the provisions related to the Regional Targets Advisory Committee and instead require the State Air Resources Board to appoint, on or before January 31, 2022, the State-Regional Collaborative for Climate, Equity, and Resilience, consisting of representatives of various entities. The bill would require the State-Regional Collaborative for Climate, Equity, and Resilience to develop a quantitative tool for metropolitan planning organizations to use to evaluate a transportation plan's consistency with long-range greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and recommend guidelines for metropolitan planning organizations to use when crafting long-range strategies that integrate state goals related to climate resilience and social equity. The bill would also require the State-Regional Collaborative for Climate, Equity, and Resilience to identify best practice implementation actions and generate point-based climate impact scores for each implementation action. The bill would require the State-Regional Collaborative for Climate, Equity, and Resilience, on or before December 31, 2022, to issue its recommendations to the State Air Resources Board for incorporation into the new guidelines for sustainable communities strategies. The bill would require the State Air Resources Board, in consultation with California Transportation Commission and the Department of Housing and Community Development, to identify regional greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for long-range strategies through 2050 and near-term implementation actions through 2030 to reduce emissions from automobiles and light trucks. The bill would require the State Air Resources Board to demonstrate, by March 30, 2023, how the targets could be achieved with existing revenues using tools developed by the State-Regional Collaborative for Climate, Equity, and Resilience, and would require an opportunity for public comment and a public hearing, before adoption of targets on or before June 30, 2023. The bill would require the state board to update the regional greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for near-term implementation actions every 4 years consistent with each metropolitan planning organization's timeframe for updating its regional transportation plan under federal law until 2050 and ensure that the targets are achievable within the context of each region's approach to meeting specified housing goals and climate adaptation strategies. The bill would also require the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, on or before July 1, 2023, and in consultation with various state entities, to set regional building decarbonization targets for 2030 and 2045 consistent with the state's targets for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases in the state's residential and commercial building stock for each geographic area represented by a metropolitan planning organization. Existing law, to the extent the sustainable communities strategy is unable to achieve the greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets, requires the affected metropolitan planning organization to prepare an alternative planning strategy showing how the targets may be achieved through alternative development patterns, infrastructure, or additional transportation measures or policies. Existing law requires the State Air Resources Board to review each sustainable communities strategy or alternative planning strategy to determine its effectiveness in meeting the targets, and requires certain actions by the metropolitan planning organizations to revise the strategy if it is found not to meet the targets. This bill would delete the provisions requiring the preparation of an alternative planning strategy. The bill would require a metropolitan planning organization to identify near-term implementation actions and calculate the climate points of each action before adopting a sustainable communities strategy. The bill would encourage a metropolitan planning organization that is unable to meet the near-term targets through identified implementation actions to work with the state board, as specified, to identify additional feasible implementation actions. If no additional feasible implementation actions are identified, the bill would allow the metropolitan planning organization to adopt a sustainable communities strategy but would make the metropolitan planning organization ineligible for state funds that require an adopted sustainable communities strategy that is compliant with state targets, until the time that an updated compliant plan is adopted. After adopting a sustainable communities strategy, this bill would require a metropolitan planning organization to submit a progress report on its implementation actions every 4 years to the state board for review. The bill would allow the state board to make a determination that a sustainable communities strategy is noncompliant if there is sustained and demonstrated lack of implementation activity from prior sustainable communities strategies. The bill would make metropolitan regions ineligible for funds that require a compliant sustainable communities strategy during this period of noncompliance. The bill would allow the metropolitan planning organization to appeal this determination of noncompliance annually. By imposing new requirements on metropolitan planning organizations, the bill would thereby impose a state-mandated local program. Before the adoption of a sustainable communities strategy or an alternative planning strategy, existing law requires a metropolitan planning organization to complete certain procedural requirements, including a requirement to conduct informational meetings, as specified, and a requirement to adopt a public participation plan that includes, among other things, public engagement gatherings throughout the region and public hearings on the draft sustainable communities strategy or alternative planning strategy, as specified. The Ralph M. Brown Act, with specified exceptions, requires that all meetings of a legislative body of a local agency be open and public and that all persons be permitted to attend and participate. Existing law, until January 1, 2023, authorizes these informational meetings, public engagement gatherings, and public hearings to be conducted by electronic means if a call-in telephonic option is also provided, and the meeting is not required to be conducted pursuant to the Ralph M. Brown Act. This bill would make permanent the above-described provisions relating to informational meetings, public engagement gatherings, and public hearings. 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.
Who sponsors SB 475?
SB 475 is sponsored by Cortese, Dave (Democratic).
What is the current status of SB 475?
This bill died with 2021-2022 Regular Session. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track SB 475?
Track SB 475 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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