Public Utilities Code, 1951

The Legislature may amend this part only if it follows the stated voting and consistency requirements.

The Clean Air and Transportation Improvement Fund is created.

California’s bond funds for this act are intended not to replace existing transportation funding sources, and future transportation funding laws should not reduce transit funding provided by this act.

Money in the fund is continuously appropriated to the commission for grant allocations.

The commission must allocate fund money for specified rail-related grants, applicants must show rail funds will stay rail-only if awarded, and grant funds may be used for matching requirements and certain grade separations.

Interest on certain loans to the fund must be paid from the General Fund, and those interest-payment appropriations are continuously appropriated and exempt from the appropriations limit as debt service.

This section says the commission must award fund money as grants for the purposes listed in later sections, and each grant may not exceed the amount specified for it.

$230 million is allocated to the department for specified rail projects.

$81 million must be allocated to the department for intercity and commuter rail projects on the Los Angeles-Santa Barbara rail corridor, with specified amounts for Ventura, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles Counties.

The section provides $80 million for grade separations on the Alameda-San Pedro branch rail line, gives the department responsibility for planning and construction, and lets the current owner keep operating the line if it chooses.

This section allocates $6 million to the department for rail service improvements in Humboldt County and limits grant approval unless specified findings are made.

This section allocates $4,000,000 to the department for rail service improvements and limits grant approval unless required findings are made.

If a railroad transportation authority is created or expanded to include certain counties, it replaces the department, councils of government, or county as the applicant and grantee agency for the listed grant sections.

The commission must allocate $73 million to listed counties for specified rail and public transportation projects, and grant applications must go through the county’s transportation planning agency.

$202,000,000 is allocated to the Los Angeles-San Diego Rail Corridor Agency for intercity and commuter rail projects, with specified county allocations.

$229 million must be allocated to the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission for rail projects in Los Angeles County, with at least $80 million for Metro Rail and at least $80 million for other rail projects.

This section allocates $79 million for commuter rail projects in the San Bernardino-Riverside-Orange County rail corridor, with set amounts for each county, and lets the county transportation commissions apply to reuse unused funds if outside funding becomes available.

$98 million must be allocated for San Bernardino-Los Angeles rail corridor commuter rail projects, with set amounts for Los Angeles County and San Bernardino County.

$61 million must be allocated to the Alameda County Transportation Commission for rail projects in Alameda County and for BART rail projects, with project selection determined by the authority.

$37,000,000 must be allocated to the Contra Costa Transportation Authority for certain rail projects.

$35 million must be allocated to the Public Utilities Commission of the City and County of San Francisco for rail projects in San Francisco.

$173,000,000 is to be allocated to the Peninsula Corridor Study Joint Powers Board for CalTrain capital improvements and rights-of-way acquisition.

$10 million must be allocated to the San Mateo County Transit District for BART extensions within San Mateo County.

$17 million must be allocated to the Monterey County Transportation Commission for specified transportation projects.

This section directs $28 million for a rail project on the Santa Rosa to Larkspur corridor, with possible allocations of $11 million to Marin and $17 million to Sonoma if both boards concur.

$11 million is allocated to the Santa Cruz County Transportation Commission for specified rail projects.

$47 million is allocated to the Santa Clara County Transit District for rail projects in Santa Clara County.

$77 million must be allocated on a per capita basis to two San Diego transit boards for rail projects in San Diego County.

$100 million shall be allocated to the Sacramento Regional Transit District for rail transit projects.

$14 million is to be allocated to the San Joaquin Council of Governments for rail projects in the Stockton-Manteca-Tracy corridor, with $300,000 included for a preliminary engineering and economic study for passenger rail service on the Stockton-Livermore (Altamont) corridor.

$125 million shall be allocated to the City of Irvine for a guideway demonstration project.

$10 million must be allocated to the City of Vallejo for water-borne ferry vessels and terminal improvements.

$7,000,000 is allocated to the City of South Lake Tahoe for specified transit project spending.

This section allocates $5 million to the Department of Parks and Recreation for construction of the California State Museum of Railroad Technology.

The commission must allocate $100 million for a rail equipment grant program, and the department must estimate needs and set delivery schedules.

$20 million must be allocated for competitive grants to local agencies for bicycle improvement projects that improve safety and convenience for bicycle commuters.

$20 million must be allocated to a competitive grants program for local agencies for water-borne ferry operations.

The commission may spend up to $10 million on administering this part, may contract with the department for technical review services, and may not reduce grant amounts to cover administration costs.

A grantee agency, including the department, may reallocate certain grant funds along a rail corridor if it does so by resolution and gets the required approvals.

A successor agency inherits the rights, powers, duties, and obligations of the agency it replaces.

Unexpended rail-project funds are reallocated to the department and must be made available to the High-Speed Rail Authority for expenditure on the state-sponsored high-speed rail project.

The commission must adopt guidelines for transit project grants and passenger rail grant criteria.

Certain eligible agencies may apply to the commission for a grant, and the application must identify the authorizing Chapter 3 section(s) and, if multiple sections apply, the amount requested under each.

Two or more applicant agencies may apply together for a grant if each agency will participate in the project.

Grant applications must include required planning information and show how a reasonable share of certain rail service costs will be covered by farebox revenue.

The commission must review grant applications within 30 days and approve or deny them within 180 days, with a new 180-day period if extra information is requested or an amended application is filed.

An applicant agency seeking certain rail transit grants must match grant funds dollar-for-dollar from other public or private sources and show the commission that those funds are available. Local agencies may not raise new or higher development-related taxes or fees to provide matching funds or cover operating costs of new service funded under this part, but bridge toll revenues may be used as matching funds.

An applicant agency’s eligibility for one Chapter 3 grant does not stop it from applying for or receiving another Chapter 3 grant.

Grant applications for commuter rail or rail transit projects within a transportation planning agency’s area are subject to that agency’s grant review authority.

Grant applications for commuter rail segments must show that the project coordinates with other planned and existing connecting commuter and intercity services.

A rail transit extension application must include a bus-integration plan, and the commission must review the plan before approving the extension.

Funds allocated under this part must not be used for certain rail and bridge projects, or for passenger rail facilities that are not open to the general public or mainly benefit a private person or entity.

This section limits funding for projects that need railroad right-of-way service unless the railroad agrees or the right-of-way is acquired by eminent domain or purchase.

Passenger rail and ferry equipment, facilities, vehicles, and vessels covered by this section must be accessible to people with physical disabilities, including wheelchair users.

Passenger vehicles, vessels, and stations acquired or constructed under this part must provide bicycle access and bicycle parking facilities.

Funds allocated under this part generally must be used by July 1, 2000 unless that is economically infeasible, and the Legislature can later reallocate unused funds or direct denied grants.

Unspent or unencumbered funds must be reallocated by July 1, 2020, and the California Transportation Commission must choose the projects for that reallocation.

If a grant has been denied, and within one year the Legislature has not required the commission to award it under Section 99684, the Governor may direct the commission to award the grant if the applicant is in substantial compliance with this part.