Transportation

SB 321 (Beall) – Support
As amended on March 25, 2015

Senate Bill 321, by Senator Jim Beall, would make a technical adjustment to the gas tax swap to reduce revenue volatility. The Board of Equalization is charged with setting the rate of the gasoline excise tax to ensure that it generates the same amount of revenue of the former sales tax. The current process for setting the rate is susceptible to rapid changes due to fluctuations in the price of gasoline. CSAC supports SB 321 because it will incorporate historical prices during the rate-setting process, which will smooth out revenues while maintaining revenue neutrality with the former sales tax. The bill would also allow a mid-year adjustment if prices differ drastically from prior estimates. Finally, SB 321 would reduce the anticipated $885 million cut to transportation funding in 2015-16 by $270 million dollars.

SB 321 will be heard in the Senate Governance and Finance Committee on April 15. 


SB 564 (Cannella) – Support
As introduced on February 26, 2015

Senate Bill 564, by Senator Anthony Cannella, would impose an additional $35 dollar fine on specific specified traffic violations within a posted school zone when children are present. The revenues would be returned to local governments in the form of grants for safe routes to school projects under the auspices of the Active Transportation Program. 

SB 564 will be heard in the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee on April 14.


SB 632 (Cannella) – Support
As introduced on February 27, 2015

Senate Bill 632, by Senator Anthony Cannella, would promote active transportation and pedestrian safety near schools by removing provisions in law that limit the 25 mph speed limit in school zones to time while children are arriving or leaving school or present on the school grounds and extending the maximum distance away from school grounds where the warning signs and speed limit can be posted from 1,000 feet to 1,320 feet. Finally, the bill would give local agencies additional discretion to extend the school zone based on and engineering and travel survey that documents school attendance boundaries or travel patterns to and from the school. 

SB 632 will be heard in the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee on April 14.
 

Housing

AB 999 (Daly) – Request for Comment
As amended on April 7, 2015

Assembly Bill 999, by Assembly Member Tom Daly, would amend the Mobilehome Residency Law to authorize a procedure for the management of a mobilehome park to dispose of an abandoned mobile home and to dispose of or sell its contents without requiring the management to obtain a tax clearance certificate. 

CSAC is requesting feedback from counties on this measure as soon as is practicable. 


SB 364 (Leno) – Support
As introduced on February 24, 2015

Senate Bill 364, by Senator Mark Leno, would allow the City and County of San Francisco (San Francisco) to enact law or regulations to prohibit a rental housing owner, with some limitations, from removing a building from the market pursuant to the Ellis Act unless all owners in the property have held their ownership interest for at least five years. Moreover, an owner that acquires additional properties within ten years of providing notice of intent to withdrawing accommodations from a previous property would be precluded from withdrawing accommodations under the Ellis Act for the latter property. 

SB 364 will be heard in the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee on April 14.