SB 1151: Neighborhood electric vehicles: County of San Diego.

(1)Existing law authorizes, until January 1, 2022, the County of Orange (county) to establish a specified neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV) transportation plan for the Ranch Plan Planned Community in that county the purpose of which is to further the communitys vision of creating a sustainable development that reduces gasoline demand and vehicle emissions by offering a cleaner, more economical means of local transportation within the plan area. Existing law authorizes the county by ordinance or resolution to adopt the plan and requires that the plan have received a prior review and the comments of the transportation planning agency and any agency having traffic law enforcement responsibilities in the county. Existing law provides that the plan may include the use of a state highway, or any crossing of the highway, subject to the approval of the Department of Transportation.

Existing law requires the county, if it adopts an NEV plan, to establish (A) minimum general design criteria for the development, planning, and construction of separated NEV lanes, including, but not limited to, the design speed of the facility, the space requirements of the NEV, and roadway design criteria, and (B), in cooperation with the department, uniform specifications and symbols for signs, markers, and traffic control devices to control NEV traffic, to warn of dangerous conditions, obstacles, or hazards, to designate the right-of-way as between NEVs, other vehicles, and bicycles, to state the nature and destination of the NEV lane, and to warn pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists of the presence of NEV traffic. Existing law also requires the county, if it adopts the NEV plan, to submit a report to the Legislature on or before November 1, 2020, in consultation with the department, the Department of the California Highway Patrol, and local law enforcement agencies.

This bill would, until January 1, 2029, authorize the County of San Diego or any city in the county to establish a similar NEV transportation plan, as specified. The bill would require, if the county or any city in the county adopts an NEV plan, the entity to consult with the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) and any agency having traffic law enforcement responsibilities in an entity included in the plan area. The bill would require the County of San Diego or a city in the county that has adopted an NEV transportation plan to consult with SANDAG, the Department of Transportation, the Department of the California Highway Patrol, and any applicable local law enforcement agency in preparing a specified report to the Legislature. The bill would require the report to be submitted to the Legislature within 2 years of the date the NEV transportation plan is adopted.

The bill would require, among other things, as part of the plan, restrictions limiting the operation of NEVs to NEV routes identified in the NEV transportation plan and allowing only those NEVs that meet the safety equipment requirements specified in the plan to be operated on those routes. The bill would provide that a person who operates an NEV in violation of these restrictions is guilty of an infraction punishable by a fine not exceeding $100. By creating a new crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

(2)The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.