As a community-based organization focused on health, mobility, climate, and equity issues, ActiveSGV took a position on several bills during the 2022 legislative cycle that supports our mission. Below are several bills that we took a position on last year that have now been signed into law and a couple bills that did not become law but may come back in some form in the 2023 legislative cycle.
BILLS THAT PASSED
AB 1909 - "The OmniBike Bill”
This law includes four changes to California vehicle code ranging from how drivers should pass people riding bikes, to how people on bikes can cross at signalized intersections. Below are the four changes to the California vehicle code.
- Improving upon the 3ft passing law, drivers are now required to move over a full lane when passing a person riding a bike, where possible.
- Cities and counties can no longer enforce bicycle license laws.
- Changes existing prohibition of class 3 e-bikes on bikeways/lanes/trails but still allows the Department of Parks and Recreation to prohibit them (class 1, 2, and 3) on some trails and allows local authorities to ban them from equestrian, hiking, and recreational trails.
- Allow people riding bikes at signalized intersections to cross the street when the pedestrian walk signal/leading pedestrian interval (LPI) is activated.
AB 2147 - "The Freedom to Walk Bill"
This law does not fully decriminalize jaywalking (mid-block crossing) but prevents the police from issuing tickets unless the street crossing is truly dangerous, e.g. “unless a reasonably careful person would realize there is an immediate danger of collision with a moving vehicle or other device moving exclusively by human power.”
This law creates the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency an agency’s that purpose is to increase the supply of affordable housing in Los Angeles County by providing for funding and technical assistance at a regional level for renter protections, affordable housing preservation, and new affordable housing production.
This law makes it easier to complete sustainable transportation planning and construction projects, like biking, walking, and transit projects by exempting them from CEQA requirements.
SB 932 - “Plan for the Future Bill”
ActiveSGV was a co-sponsor on this bill that was authored by our local State Senator, Anthony Portantino and we are excited that it has now become law. This law requires counties and cities to identify their high-injury streets and intersections in their General Plan and prioritize safety improvements to reduce traffic collisions while incorporating the principles found in the Federal Highway Administration’s Safe System Approach. SB 932 also creates an annual grant program that will help fund the implementation of bicycle, pedestrian, and other active transportation projects. The law further mandates that cities and counties must begin to implement those plans within two years after adoption and sets goals for completion of the plan within 25 years and implementation of the plan within 2 years. Cities and Counties must also regularly review and revise progress towards completing implementation of their plans.
DID NOT PASS
Here are some bills that we supported last year that did not pass but may come back at some point during the 2023 legislative cycle. If they do, we will keep you apprised.
AB 1713 - “Stop-as-Yield”
This bill was an updated version of the “Bicycle Safety Stop” bill - that would have allowed bike riders to treat stop signs as yield signs, if there was no other traffic present. To address the Governor’s concerns the updated version, AB 1713 included an age limit, in that it would not apply to riders under eighteen years of age.
This bill would have required transit agencies to offer free youth transit passes to all persons 25 years of age and under with California residency, regardless of immigration status.
This bill would have aligned Califonina’s transportation investments with our aggressive climate goals.
This bill would have prohibited freeway expansions projects in low-income communities that are overburdened by pollution.
