This division shall be known and may be cited as the Local Transportation Authority and Improvement Act.
Chapter 1General Provisions
Section § 180000
This law establishes the name for a set of regulations known as the Local Transportation Authority and Improvement Act.
Local Transportation Authority Improvement Act transportation regulations local authority infrastructure improvement transportation projects public transportation traffic management transportation planning community transit infrastructure development regional transportation transit authority local transit improvements transportation governance
Section § 180001
This law emphasizes the urgent need to improve local highways and transportation services due to economic and quality of life concerns. It highlights a significant backlog in city and county road maintenance, with an annual funding gap of $500 million to $840 million. To address this, local agencies must create additional funding programs beyond what state and federal sources provide. The law supports letting county voters establish local transportation authorities to raise more funds. The goal is to use these funds as extra financial support for transportation development, not to substitute existing local revenue.
The Legislature hereby finds and declares all of the following:
(a)CA Public Utilities Code § 180001(a) Local highway and transportation improvements and services are an immediate high priority needed to resolve local and regional transportation problems that threaten the economic viability and development potential of counties and cities and adversely impact the quality of life therein. Furthermore, regional transportation is a matter of statewide concern.
(b)CA Public Utilities Code § 180001(b) Comprehensive studies and reports have been completed by the Department of Transportation, the Assembly Office of Research, the Governor’s Task Force on Infrastructure, and the California Business Roundtable which conclude that there exists a local city street and county road maintenance backlog and shortfall of between five hundred million dollars ($500,000,000) and eight hundred forty million dollars ($840,000,000) annually.
(c)CA Public Utilities Code § 180001(c) In order to deal in an expeditious manner with current and future local transportation maintenance and improvement needs, local agencies need to develop and implement local funding programs that go significantly beyond current federal and state funding which is inadequate to resolve these problems.
(d)CA Public Utilities Code § 180001(d) It is in the public interest to allow the voters of each county to establish local transportation authorities and raise additional local revenues to provide highway capital improvements and maintenance and to meet local transportation needs in a timely manner.
(e)CA Public Utilities Code § 180001(e) It is the intent of the Legislature that funds generated pursuant to this division be used to supplement and not replace existing local revenues used for transportation purposes.
local highway improvements transportation services economic viability quality of life road maintenance backlog funding shortfall local funding programs voter-established transportation authorities additional local revenues highway capital improvements supplement existing revenues county road maintenance regional transportation concern infrastructure development public interest transportation funding
Section § 180002
This section defines the term "Authority" as a local transportation authority that is established or identified according to the rules in this division.
“Authority” means a local transportation authority created or designated pursuant to this division.
local transportation authority established designated pursuant definition rules division transportation entity local governance transit authority designation creation public transport government transportation municipal transportation
Section § 180003
This law is meant to be interpreted in a broad way to make sure it achieves its goals. If there's a minor mistake or oversight in the process, it won't ruin the proceedings or affect any taxes or charges applied to pay for road improvements or local transport, as long as there's no fraud involved.
This division shall be liberally construed in order to effectuate its purposes. No inadvertent error, irregularity, informality, or the inadvertent neglect or omission of any officer, in any procedure taken under this division, other than fraud, shall void or invalidate that proceeding or any levy imposed to finance highway improvements or local transportation needs.
liberal construction inadvertent error procedural irregularity officer omission highway improvements local transportation financing levy imposition validation of proceedings procedural informality transportation needs fraud exception public utility code construction interpretation error in procedure financing procedures
