BACKGROUND:
Introduction: Just prior to publishing, the legislature released a 9/5/17 revision to the subject bill. Due to the timing, this version of the bill is not reflected in the text below. The 9/5/17 version of the bill is attached in a marked up and a clean version.
Due to the highly fluid nature of negotiations, staff will provide a verbal report at the 9/12/17 meeting so that the Board of Supervisors has an up-to-date understanding of the bill's status.
Bill Summary: The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) is considering a regional bridge toll increase* on the seven state-owned bridges** in the Bay Area through a new Regional Bridge Toll Measure (RM3). Senate Bill 595 (SB595 - Beall), the subject of this report and attached draft letter, has been introduced that would authorize MTC to conduct a special election to ask the voters in the nine Bay Area Counties to approve the RM3 toll increase.
8/14/2017 Transportation, Water, and Infrastructure Committee (TWIC) Meeting: TWIC discussed the 7/19/2017 version of the bill. The project list included in that version of the bill was described by the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) as "not equitable" relative to the benefit to Contra Costa toll payers. CCTA also expressed "grave concerns" with the project list (See attachment: 08/09/17 CCTA Letter to Chair Frazier and Chair Beall - Analysis.pdf).
Subsequent to the 8/14/17 TWIC discussion there have been several meetings between CCTA representatives and Senator Beall, as well as one amendment to the bill (still unprinted at the time this summary was written). Communication with our legislative advocate suggests that the next few versions of the bill are likely to include the following changes: oversight increase (Inspector General), authority to provide discounts to commuters that traverse two bridges regularly, and changes to the project list and funding levels to address the aforementioned lack of equity for Contra Costa residents.
The draft letter reviewed and approved by TWIC will likely be out of date by the time of the 9/12/17 BOS meeting although it is attached for reference.
Some insight in to the negotiations can be seen in the attached 8/28/17 letter from CCTA Chair Tom Butt to Senator Beall, (FINAL letter to Senator Beall 08-28-17). The letter makes specific project funding requests to address equity issues as well as requesting amendments to impose Maintenance of Effort requirements on Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) to be be overseen by an Inspector General.
Bill Details: The following is a description of bill details that are not likely to change with the upcoming revisions.
The bill would require the City and County of San Francisco and the other eight counties in the San Francisco Bay area to conduct a special election in 2018 on a increase ($1-$3) in the amount of the toll rate charged on the state-owned toll bridges in that area to be used for specific projects and programs.
For every $1 in tolls, approximately $127 million per year is estimated to be generated in revenue. Revenues generated by the toll increase are intended to fund projects that demonstrate a strong nexus to reducing congestion and increasing efficiency in the bridge corridors. The current (7/19/17) expenditure plan is included at the bottom of this report and in the attached copy of the bill. Again, staff anticipates changes to this list by the 9/12/17 BOS meeting.
Oversight Committee: The bill includes a provision directing BATA to establish an independent oversight committee to "...ensure RM3 toll revenues are expended consistent with the authority being granted...". The membership includes two representatives from each of the nine Bay Area counties and are appointed by the applicable Board of Supervisors.
Status/Location of the Bill: Assembly
Registered Support/Opposition
Support
City of Emeryville
City of Oakland
City of Palo Alto
City of San Leandro
City of Walnut Creek
East Bay Regional Parks District
International Longshore and Warehouse Union
Metropolitan Transportation Commission
Transbay Joint Powers Authority
Oppose
No Opposition at the time this report was published
* Bay Area Bridge Toll Status
| Regional Measure 1 |
$1 |
| Regional Measure 2 |
$1 |
| Toll Bridge Seismic Retrofit Program |
$3 |
| Current Total |
$5 |
| |
|
| New Total Including Proposed RM3 (+1$) |
$6 |
| New Total Including Proposed RM3 (+2$) |
$7 |
| New Total Including Proposed RM3 (+3$) |
$8 |
Toll Status Notes:
• SB 595/RM3 includes a provision authorizing BATA to increase the toll over time to offset inflation in contrast to the fixed toll amount included RM1 and RM2, "The authority may, beginning January 1, 2019, phase in the toll increase over a period of time and may adjust the toll increase for inflation based on the California Consumer Price Index after the toll increase has been phased in completely."
• The Bay Bridge is subject to variable, congestion based pricing: +$1 (5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday).
**Seven Bay Area State-Owned Bridges:
- Senator John A. Nejedly Bridge (Antioch)
- Benicia-Martinez
- Carquinez
- Dumbarton
- Richmond – San Rafael
- San Francisco – Oakland (Bay Bridge)
- San Mateo – Hayward
Current (7/19/17) Version of the SB 595/RM3 Expenditure Plan
(1) BART Expansion Cars. Five hundred million dollars ($500,000,000).
(2) Corridor Express Lanes: Interstate 80 between Alameda County and Contra Costa County, Alameda County Interstate 880, Alameda-Contra Costa Interstate 680, San Francisco Highway 101, San Mateo Highway 101, State Route 84, State Route 92, Solano Interstate 80 Express Lanes from Red Top Road to Interstate 505. Three hundred million dollars ($300,000,000).
(3) Goods Movement and Mitigation: Interstate 580 and Interstate 880 in Alameda County, Port of Oakland, Freight Rail Improvements. One hundred twenty-five million dollars ($125,000,000).
(4) Bay Trail/Safe Routes to Transit. One hundred fifty million dollars ($150,000,000).
(5) Ferries: new vessels to add frequency to existing routes and service expansion in the Counties of Alameda,
Contra Costa, San Mateo, San Francisco, and Solano, and the Antioch terminal. Three hundred twenty-five million dollars ($325,000,000).
(6) BART to Silicon Valley: Phase Two. Four hundred million dollars ($400,000,000).
(7) Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District (SMART). Forty million dollars ($40,000,000).
(8) Capitol Corridor Connection. Ninety million dollars ($90,000,000).
(9) Caltrain Downtown Extension: Transbay Terminal Phase Two. Three hundred fifty million dollars ($350,000,000).
(10) MUNI Expansion Vehicles. One hundred forty million dollars ($140,000,000).
(11) Core Capacity Transit Improvement Serving the Bay Bridge corridor. One hundred forty million dollars ($140,000,000).
(12) Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit): Rapid Bus Improvements. Fifty million dollars ($50,000,000).
(13) New Transbay BART Tube and Approaches. Fifty million dollars ($50,000,000).
(14) Tri-Valley Transit Access Improvements. One hundred million dollars ($100,000,000).
(15) Eastridge to BART Regional Connector. One hundred thirty million dollars ($130,000,000).
(16) San Jose Diridon Station. One hundred twenty million dollars ($120,000,000).
(17) Dumbarton Rail/Altamont Corridor Express (ACE)/BART/Shinn Station. One hundred thirty million dollars ($130,000,000).
(18) Highway 101/State Route 92 Interchange. Fifty million dollars ($50,000,000).
(19) Contra Costa Interstate 680/State Route 4 Interchange Improvements and Transit Enhancements. One hundred fifty million dollars ($150,000,000).
(20) Marin-Sonoma Narrows. One hundred twenty-five million dollars ($125,000,000).
(21) Solano Interstate 80/Interstate 680/State Route 12 Interchange Improvements. One hundred seventy-five million dollars ($175,000,000).
(22) Solano West-Bound Interstate 80 Truck Scales. One hundred twenty-five million dollars ($125,000,000).
(23) Highway 37 Corridor Access Improvements from Highway 101 to Interstate 80 and Sea Level Rise Adaptation. One hundred fifty million dollars ($150,000,000).
(24) San Rafael Transit Center/SMART. Thirty million dollars ($30,000,000).
(25) Marin Highway 101/580 Interchange. One hundred thirty-five million ($135,000,000).
(26) North Bay Transit Improvements: Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Solano, and Sonoma. One hundred million dollars ($100,000,000).
(27) State Route 29, South Napa County. Twenty million dollars ($20,000,000).
(b) (1) Not more than 16 percent of the revenues generated from the toll increase shall be made available annually for the purpose of providing operating assistance for transit services as set forth in the authority's annual budget resolution. The funds shall be made available to the provider of the transit services subject to the performance measures described in paragraph (3). If the funds cannot be obligated for operating assistance consistent with the performance measures, these funds shall be obligated for other operations consistent with this chapter.
(2) The Metropolitan Transportation Commission may annually fund the following operating programs as another component of the Regional Measure 3 expenditure plan:
(A) Transbay Terminal. Five million dollars ($5,000,000).
(B) Ferries. Thirty-five million dollars ($35,000,000).
(C) Regional Express Bus. Twenty million dollars ($20,000,000).
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If the Board of Supervisors does not authorize the subject letter the County will miss an opportunity to communicate policy preferences and a position on Senate Bill 595.
CLERK'S ADDENDUM
Updated information became available after the agenda was published. By unanimous vote, the Board waived the Better Government Ordinance time limits and accepted the new staff materials, the latest version of SB 595, into the record (attached).
RECEIVED an update from staff on the status of Senate Bill 595 (Beall): Bridge Tolls; and took no position on the bill.