California Air Resources Board

Summary

Authorizes the Department of Housing and Community Development to reject the housing element of a planning agency's annual progress report, which explains its progress toward meeting its regional housing needs assessment target, if the report does not contain the required data on housing or is otherwise out of compliance.

View full bill text here

Summary

Would have required specified state transportation programs to incorporate strategies from the Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure (CAPTI) into program guidelines, as provided, and required the California Transportation Agency, the California Transportation Commission, and the California Department of Transportation to establish new transparency and accountability guidelines for certain transportation funding programs, as specified.

View full bill text here

• Category: Transportation Planning, Land Use, and Housing

Governor’s Veto Message

To the Members of the California State Assembly: 

I am returning Assembly Bill 2438 without my signature.

This bill requires the alignment of certain transportation funding programs with the Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure (CAPTI) adopted in July 2021, and requires additional public transparency procedures in the project selection process for various transportation programs.

While I share the goal of addressing the impacts of the transportation sector on climate change, this bill is unnecessary. Work is well under way at the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA), the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the California Transportation Commission to align funding programs in the bill with CAPTI, with several actions already completed.

CalSTA is committed to reviewing outcomes and integrating public feedback in future years to make modifications to CAPTI, as necessary, to meet the needs of the statewide transportation system. Linking these programs in statute to a specific iteration of this plan inhibits the state's ability to appropriately respond to the evolution of the state's response to climate change.

A draft Annual Report on CAPTI Implementation Progress will be released in October of this year, outlining the progress made on CAPTI implementation since its adoption last July. My Administration will continue collaborating with transportation stakeholders to increase program funding accountability and transparency as well as enhance financial planning for climate change impacts to transportation infrastructure.

For these reasons, I cannot sign this bill.


Sincerely, 

Gavin Newsom

View Governor’s veto message here

Summary

Stipulates that the San Diego Association of Governments may implement every component of its Regional Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy, as specified.

View full bill text here

Summary

Allows a housing development project in 17 specified counties to receive added height and unlimited density if the project is located in an urbanized very low vehicle travel area, at least 80 percent of the units are restricted to lower income households, and no more than 20 percent are for moderate income households.

View full bill text here

Summary

Would have required projects and programs included in each Regional Transportation Improvement Program also be consistent with the most recently prepared applicable Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) and State and federal air quality standards. This bill also would have prohibited funds from local transportation tax measures passed after 2023 from being spent until the proposed transportation projects were included in the most recently adopted SCS, and would have prohibited State funds from being used for a project that increased single-occupancy vehicle capacity, unless the project was included in an adopted SCS and provided sufficient enforceable mitigation to ensure that it would not increase the emissions of greenhouse gases and the metropolitan planning organization found that the project helps advance other regional goals. Was not heard in the Senate Committee on Transportation.

View full bill text here

Summary

Prohibits public agencies from imposing minimum automobile parking requirements on specified residential, commercial, and other developments located within one-half mile of public transit, unless the city or county makes written findings within 30 days stating that not imposing minimum parking would have a substantially negative impact on affordable housing or housing for special needs or elderly populations.

View full bill text here

Summary

Creates a ministerial, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)-exempt, time-limited approval process for multifamily housing developments on commercially zoned property, if projects pay prevailing wages to construction workers and meet specified affordable housing targets.

View full bill text here

Summary

Would have exempted from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) a project financed pursuant to the Infill Infrastructure Grant Program of 2019, and would make all legal actions, proceedings, and decisions undertaken or made pursuant to the program exempt from CEQA. Was not heard in the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee.

View full bill text here

Summary

Would have prohibited, notwithstanding any other law, State funds or personnel time from being used to fund or permit freeway widening projects in areas with high rates of pollution and poverty. Failed passage in the Senate Transportation Committee.

View full bill text here

Summary

Adds the impacts of climate change as a factor that a regional council of governments may consider in developing their methodology that allocates regional housing needs, as specified.

View full bill text here