Existing law vests the Department of Transportation with full possession and control of all state highways. Existing law authorizes the department to do any act necessary, convenient, or proper for the construction, improvement, maintenance, or use of all highways that are under its jurisdiction, possession, or control.

This bill would establish the Memorial Highway Signage Fund in the State Treasury and would make moneys in the fund available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the department for the departments costs in erecting signage for memorial highway designations identified in the appropriation previously approved by the Legislature that memorialize individuals who have promoted racial and gender equity.

Existing law vests the Department of Transportation with full possession and control of all state highways. Existing law authorizes the department to do any act necessary, convenient, or proper for the construction, improvement, maintenance, or use of all highways that are under its jurisdiction, possession, or control.

This bill would establish the Memorial Highway Signage Fund in the State Treasury and would make moneys in the fund available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the department for the departments costs in erecting signage for memorial highway designations approved by the department identified in the appropriation that memorialize individuals who have promoted racial and gender equity.

Existing law vests the Department of Transportation with full possession and control of all state highways.

This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact subsequent legislation that would promote equity in the naming of memorial highways.

Date of Hearing: July 2, 2024

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Buffy Wicks, Chair

SBPCA Bill Id:SB 930

Author:(Laird) – As Amended Ver:June 12, 2024

Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: No Reimbursable: No

SUMMARY:

This bill creates the Memorial Highway Signage Fund in the State Treasury to memorialize individuals who have promoted racial and gender equity.

This bill specifies that all moneys in the fund shall be available, upon an appropriation by the Legislature, to the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) for the department’s costs in erecting signage for memorial highway designations previously approved by the Legislature that memorialize individuals who have promoted racial and gender equity.

FISCAL EFFECT:

Minor costs General Fund (GF) costs to establish the Memorial Highway Signage Fund.

Significant cost pressure, ranging in the tens of thousands of dollars to the millions of dollars, to the GF and various special funds, to provide monies for erecting signage for memorial highway designations previously approved by the Legislature that memorialize individuals who have promoted racial and gender equity.

COMMENTS:

Background and Purpose. State law charges Caltrans, after consultation with local agencies and public hearings, with adopting rules and regulations prescribing uniform standards and specifications for all official traffic control devices placed on state highways consistent with existing law, including, but not limited to, stop signs, yield right-of-way signs, speed restriction signs, railroad warning approach signs, street name signs, lines and markings on the roadway and stock crossing signs. State law further requires that only those official traffic control devices that conform to Caltrans’ uniform standards and specifications may be placed upon a street or highway.

The Legislature often considers resolutions to name portions of roads or highways in the memory of individuals who have provided extraordinary public service or some exemplary contribution to the public good. When approved, these namings are oftentimes accompanied by roadway signs to memorialize the naming of the road or highway. Such signs must comply with Caltrans’ uniform standards and specifications. Typically, private parties provide funding to pay for the memorial signage.

Most roads and highways in California that are named in honor of an individual are named for men. The author notes that such naming practice “has not been representative of the diversity of our state.” The author describes this bill as seeking “to address this inequity and promote increased racial and gender representation in memorial highway designations by creating a fund that covers the cost of signage that memorialize individuals who have promoted racial and gender equity.” However, the bill provides no funding to this end. Nor is any such funding included in the proposed 2024-25 budget act.

Were the Legislature to provide such funding, it could direct the money to the purposes of this bill, regardless of whether there exists the Memorial Highway Signage Fund or any other subaccount predesignated to receive the funds.

Analysis Prepared by: Jay Dickenson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081

Date of Hearing: June 17, 2024

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION

Lori D. Wilson, Chair

SBPCA Bill Id:SB 930

Author:(Laird) – As Amended Ver:April 25, 2024

SENATE VOTE: 33-6

SUBJECT: Memorial highways: Memorial Highway Signage Fund

SUMMARY: Establishes the Memorial Highway Signage Fund and makes all state General Fund appropriations, public or private bequeaths, and other donations available upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) for costs related to erecting signage for memorial highway designations for individuals who have promoted racial and gender equity.

EXISTING LAW:

Assigns Caltrans the responsibility of operating and maintaining state highways, including the installation and maintenance of highway signs. (Streets and Highways Code Section 91 and Vehicle Code 21400)

FISCAL EFFECT:

According to the Senate Committee on Appropriations:

“This bill would result in unknown cost pressures, potentially in excess of $50,000, to appropriate General Fund revenues into the new special fund.”

COMMENTS: Every year the Assembly and Senate Transportation committees consider resolutions to name stretches of highways or erect signage alongside highways in order to memorialize individuals who have provided extraordinary public service or some exemplary contribution to the public good.

Currently, most named highways in California are for fallen male public safety officers. Because of historical and current gender imbalances in public safety and transportation-related professions, the large majority of naming resolutions have been for men. Since 2012, about 90% of the memorial resolutions passed by this committee have been for men. The average cost of constructing a memorial sign is $7,000-11,000.

While these individuals have made a great sacrifice, they do not fully represent the wide range of public service contributions, as well as the gender and racial diversity of California’s communities. The Assembly Transportation Committee is committed to working with Caltrans to improve the naming process to ensure greater equity and to better represent the diversity of California. It is the intent of the Assembly Transportation Committee to use the memorial highway naming process to honor deceased Californians who have made significant public service contributions and also to reflect the diversity of our state.

In September 2020, the California Natural Resources Agency, the California Department of State Parks, and Caltrans announced “Steps to Address Discriminatory Names, Inequities in State Parks and Transportation System Features.” This announcement states that, “Caltrans will carry out a detailed review of all named assets located on the state transportation system and develop a proposal identifying those to be renamed or rescinded.” It is unclear what the status of this effort is, but it is possible that as part of this effort the Administration could consider strategies to increase the diversity of memorial naming statewide.

This bill establishes a new account in the State Treasury as a repository for any state General Fund appropriations, public or private donations or grants, and any federal funds that would be available to Caltrans, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to erect signage memorializing individuals who have promoted racial or gender equity. A General Fund Special Account is a legislatively created account or dedicated revenues within the General Fund. Moneys credited to such accounts may be used only for the purposes specified in legislation. These accounts are treated as special funds, and revenues and expenditures are included in the special funds totals in the summary schedules of the budget. They are excluded from the General Fund unrestricted revenues, expenditures and reserves.

Committee Comments: The fund this bill creates would cover some or all of the costs associated with constructing a memorial sign for individuals who have advanced racial or gender equity. Historically, the funds for a memorial sign have been provided by the private group that is sponsoring the memorial resolution. By creating a fund to cover those costs, the author hopes to encourage more groups to bring forward a greater diversity of potential honorees.

It is unclear how much of a barrier funding for signage has been for bringing forward more diverse nominees. It is possible that having such a fund will help ease the barrier to raising up people from other professions and backgrounds. Ultimately, the diversity of honorees is dependent upon who legislators choose to honor with memorial resolutions. Legislators could support this effort by soliciting more diverse potential honorees from their districts.

Highway memorials generally are introduced as concurrent resolutions, and thereby do not have the force of law. However to make an appropriation from the fund established under this bill, the memorial naming would require an actual bill. This may create a barrier to utilizing the funds, but will allow legislators to duly consider whether the person honored truly did advance racial or gender equity as the fund established by this bill would require.

However in the event of that a fiscal committee is considering multiple resolutions simultaneously it may be difficult to determine how the funds should be distributed, and it is possible there may not be enough monies available in the fund to pay for all of the signs being considered. This bill does not address what would be done in those circumstances. Also, it is unclear how or when the intended recipients of the fund would be able to access the funds.

According to the author, “California is a leader when it comes to promoting diversity, equity, and equality, but who we have chosen to honor though our memorial highways has not been representative of the diversity of our state. While California has a rich history of women who have provided extraordinary public service and made exemplary contributions to the public good, the vast majority of memorial highways are named for men. Senate Bill 930 seeks to address this inequity and promote increased racial and gender representation in memorial highway designations by creating a fund that covers the cost of signage that memorialize individuals who have promoted racial and gender equity.”

Previous legislation. AB 776 (Holden), Chapter 543, Statutes of 2023 requires Caltrans to work with specified entities to identify appropriate locations for highway signs and markers to recognize the historical and cultural importance of California tribes and tribal lands along State Route 210 in the Counties of Los Angeles and San Bernardino, and to erect those signs and markers.

AB 678 (Gaines), Chapter 747, Statutes of 2007 requires Caltrans to, among other provisions, place signs encouraging people not to drink and drive and memorializing victims of drunk driving along state highways, and to adopt program guidelines for the application and placement of these signs.

REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:

Support

None on file

Opposition

None on file

Analysis Prepared by: Julia Kingsley / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093

 THIRD READING  

Bill No: SB 930

Author: Laird (D)

Amended: 4/25/24

Vote: 21

SENATE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE: 11-4, 4/23/24

AYES: Cortese, Allen, Archuleta, Blakespear, Dodd, Gonzalez, Laird, Limón, Newman, Portantino, Umberg

NOES: Niello, Dahle, Nguyen, Seyarto

SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 5-2, 5/16/24

AYES: Caballero, Ashby, Becker, Bradford, Wahab

NOES: Jones, Seyarto

SUBJECT: Memorial highways: Memorial Highway Signage Fund

SOURCE: Author

DIGEST:

This bill creates a fund in the State Treasury to cover Caltrans costs in erecting signage for memorial highway designations for individuals who have promoted racial and gender equity.

ANALYSIS:

Existing law: Assigns the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) the responsibility of operating and maintaining state highways, including the installation and maintenance of highway signs. (SHC §91 and VEH §21400)

This bill:

1. Establishes the Memorial Highway Signage Fund in the State Treasury comprised of General Fund appropriations and public or private bequeaths, donations, gifts, or grants.
2. Specifies that money from the fund shall be available, upon an appropriation by the Legislature, to Caltrans for their costs in erecting signage for memorial highway designations identified in the appropriation that memorialize individuals who have prompted racial and gender equity.

COMMENTS:

1. Purpose of bill. According to the author:

“California is a leader when it comes to promoting diversity, equity, and equality, but who we have chosen to honor though our memorial highways has not been representative of the diversity of our state. While California has a rich history of women who have provided extraordinary public service and made exemplary contributions to the public good, the vast majority of memorial highways are named for men. Senate Bill 930 seeks to address this inequity and promote increased racial and gender representation in memorial highway designations by creating a fund that covers the cost of signage that memorialize individuals who have promoted racial and gender equity.”

1. Gender equity in highway naming. Every year this committee considers a variety of resolutions used to name stretches of highways or erect signage alongside highways in order to memorialize a person who has provided extraordinary public service or some exemplary contribution to the public good. The large majority of those honored are law enforcement officers, and other common memorials are for military veterans, fire fighters, and construction workers. This concentration of memorials for certain professions is likely due to a combination of danger associated with those jobs and professional organizations capable of providing the money to cover construction of the memorial sign, which is usually ~$8,000-$10,000.

Because of historical and current gender imbalances in those professions, the large majority of naming resolutions have been for men. Since 2012, about 90% of the memorial resolutions passed by this committee have been for men.

This bill attempts to address that imbalance by creating a fund to cover some or all of the costs associated with constructing a sign to memorialize someone who has advanced racial or gender equity. Usually the funds for a memorial sign must be provided by the private group that is sponsoring the memorial resolution. By creating a fund to cover those costs, the author hopes to encourage more groups to bring forward a greater diversity of potential honorees. It is unclear how much of a barrier funding signage has been for bringing forward more diverse nominees to honor through highway memorial naming. It is possible that having such a fund will help ease the barrier to raising up people from other professions and backgrounds through this process. Ultimately, the diversity of honorees is dependent upon who legislators choose to honor through memorial resolutions. Legislators could support this effort by soliciting more diverse sets of potential honorees from their districts.

1. Foundational group. Several special interest license plate funds are managed by nonprofit organizations. These organizations are able to take on some of the burden of both managing the fund and fundraising for the fund itself. The author may wish to consider identifying a nonprofit organization to host and manage this fund.
2. How do you choose? This bill does not provide any criteria for what qualifies as someone who has promoted racial and gender equity. It also does not specify how Caltrans is to determine how funds should be distributed from the account if multiple memorial signs are approved. Should the first sign in a year draw from the fund first, the second next, and so on until the fund is emptied or the signs are paid for? Alternatively, should all memorial signs passed in a year be awarded an equal amount, up to the full cost of the sign, from what is available in the fund within a given year?
3. Bill or resolution. Highway memorials generally are introduced as concurrent resolutions, and thereby do not have the force of law. This is convenient because resolutions operate under different deadlines than actual bills. However to make an appropriation from the fund established under this bill, the memorial naming would require an actual bill. This may create a barrier to utilizing the funds, but will allow members to duly consider whether the person honored truly did advance racial or gender equity as the fund established by this bill would require. Using a bill also means the question of how money should be distributed from the fund in the event of multiple resolutions by a fiscal committee.

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: No

According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:

This bill would result in “unknown cost pressures, potentially in excess of $50,000, to appropriate General Fund revenues into the new special fund.”

SUPPORT: (Verified 5/16/2024)

None received

OPPOSITION: (Verified 5/16/2024)

None received

Prepared by: Jacob O'Connor / TRANS. / (916) 651-4121

5/17/24 11:56:19

**** END ****

SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Senator Anna Caballero, Chair

2023 - 2024 Regular Session

SB 930 (Laird) - Memorial highways: Memorial Highway Signage Fund

Bill Summary:

SB 930 would establish the Memorial Highway Signage Fund in the State Treasury, and make all moneys deposited into the fund available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the Department of Transportation (Caltrans) for its costs in erecting signage for memorial highway designations for individuals who have promoted racial and gender equity.

Fiscal Impact:

• Unknown cost pressures, potentially in excess of $50,000, to appropriate General Fund revenues into the new special fund. See Staff Comments.

Background:

Existing law vests Caltrans with the full possession and control of all state highways and the responsibility of operating and maintaining state highways, including the installation and maintenance of highway signs within state highway rights-of-way. Existing law directs Caltrans to place and maintain memorial signs along state highways that read “Please Don’t Drink and Drive” followed by “In Memory of (deceased victim’s name),” upon request from an immediate family member of a person who was killed by a driver intoxicated with drugs or alcohol.

Existing law requires Caltrans to adopt rules and regulations prescribing uniform standards and specifications for all official traffic control devices in the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). Section 2M.10 of the MUTCD contains guidance for the placement of memorial signs that are requested through legislative action to name a freeway or highway, a bridge, an interchange, a rest area, a vista point, or a roundabout. Typically these signs are to be furnished at no cost to the state, as specified in the legislative resolution or act memorializing or dedicating a component of the highway. The district director must contact the sponsor of the legislation to determine appropriate wording for the signs, prepare a cost estimate and submit it to the sponsor, and purchase and install the signs upon receipt of funds from the sponsor. Costs for memorial signage typically ranges from $8,000 to $10,000.

Each year, the Legislature adopts a number of concurrent resolutions to name highways, bridges, and interchanges to memorialize a person who has provided extraordinary public service or other exemplary contribution to the public good. The large majority of those honored are law enforcement officers, and other common memorials are for military veterans, fire fighters, and construction workers. This concentration of memorials for certain professions is likely due to a combination of danger associated with those jobs, and the sponsors are often professional organizations capable of providing funding to cover construction costs of memorial signs. Because of historical and current gender imbalances in those professions, the large majority of naming resolutions have been for men; since 2012, about 90% of the memorial resolutions adopted by the Legislature have memorialized men.

Proposed Law:

SB 930 would establish the Memorial Highway Signage Fund in the State Treasury. All moneys in the fund, including state General Fund appropriations, public or private bequeaths, donations, gifts, or grants, and any federal funds, would be available to Caltrans, upon an appropriation by the Legislature, for costs to erect signage for memorial highway designations approved by the department that memorialize individuals who have promoted racial and gender equity.

Related Legislation:

AB 776 (Holden), Chap. 543/2023, required Caltrans to work with specified entities to identify appropriate locations for highway signs and markers to recognize the historical and cultural importance of California tribes and tribal lands along State Route 210 in the Counties of Los Angeles and San Bernardino, and to erect those signs and markers.

AB 678 (Gaines), Chap. 747/2007, required Caltrans to, among other provisions, place signs encouraging people not to drink and drive and memorializing victims of drunk driving along state highways, and to adopt program guidelines for the application and placement of these signs.

Staff Comments:

This bill establishes a new account in the State Treasury as a repository for any state General Fund appropriations, public or private donations or grants, and any federal funds that would be available to Caltrans, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to erect signage memorializing individuals who have promoted racial or gender equity. By establishing a new state fund and specifying that General Fund revenues may be appropriated to the fund, this bill would create General Fund cost pressures that could exceed $50,000 in order to support the purposes of erecting specified memorial signs in a future fiscal year, to the extent non-state funding sources are not identified.

While the bill does not prescribe a process for accessing those funds, staff assumes that future bills or budget appropriations would be the most likely vehicles for appropriating funds from the Memorial Highway Signage Fund to pay for the costs of memorial signs. To the extent multiple bills or budget appropriations are enacted in a given year that require funding exceeding the amount of revenues available in the fund, this bill could create additional cost pressures to backfill any shortfalls.

-- END --

SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION

Senator Dave Cortese, Chair

2023 - 2024 Regular

Bill No: SB 930 Hearing Date: 4/23/2024

SUBJECT: Memorial highways: Memorial Highway Signage Fund

DIGEST: This bill creates a fund in the State Treasury to cover Caltrans costs in erecting signage for memorial highway designations for individuals who have promoted racial and gender equity.

ANALYSIS:

Existing law:

1. Assigns the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) the responsibility of operating and maintaining state highways, including the installation and maintenance of highway signs. (SHC §91 and VEH §21400)

Committee policy:

1. The committee has adopted a policy regarding the naming of state highways or structures. Under the policy, the committee will consider only those resolutions that meet all of the following criteria:
2. The person being honored must have provided extraordinary public service or some exemplary contribution to the public good and have a connection to the community where the highway or structure is located.
3. The person being honored must be deceased.
4. The naming must be done without cost to the state. Costs for signs and plaques must be paid by local or private sources.
5. The author or co-author of the resolution must represent the district in which the facility is located, and the resolution must identify the specific highway segment or structure being named.
6. The segment of highway being named must not exceed five miles in length.
7. The proposed designation must reflect a community consensus and be without local opposition.
8. The proposed designation may not supersede an existing designation unless the sponsor can document that a good faith effort has uncovered no opposition to rescinding the prior designation.

This bill:

1. Establishes the Memorial Highway Signage Fund in the State Treasury comprised of General Fund appropriations and public or private bequeaths, donations, gifts, or grants.
2. Specifies that money from the fund shall be available, upon an appropriation by the Legislature, to Caltrans for their costs in erecting signage for memorial highway designations approved by Caltrans that memorialize individuals who have prompted racial and gender equity.

COMMENTS:

1. Purpose of bill. According to the author “California is a leader when it comes to promoting diversity, equity, and equality, but who we have chosen to honor though our memorial highways has not been representative of the diversity of our state. While California has a rich history of women who have provided extraordinary public service and made exemplary contributions to the public good, the vast majority of memorial highways are named for men. Senate Bill 930 seeks to address this inequity and promote increased racial and gender representation in memorial highway designations by creating a fund that covers the cost of signage that memorialize individuals who have promoted racial and gender equity.”
2. Gender equity in highway naming. Every year this committee considers a variety of resolutions used to name stretches of highways or erect signage alongside highways in order to memorialize a person who has provided extraordinary public service or some exemplary contribution to the public good. The large majority of those honored are law enforcement officers, and other common memorials are for military veterans, fire fighters, and construction workers. This concentration of memorials for certain professions is likely due to a combination of danger associated with those jobs and professional organizations capable of providing the money to cover construction of the memorial sign, which is usually ~$8,000-$10,000.

Because of historical and current gender imbalances in those professions, the large majority of naming resolutions have been for men. Since 2012, about 90% of the memorial resolutions passed by this committee have been for men.

This bill attempts to address that imbalance by creating a fund to cover some or all of the costs associated with constructing a sign to memorialize someone who has advanced racial or gender equity. Usually the funds for a memorial sign must be provided by the private group that is sponsoring the memorial resolution. By creating a fund to cover those costs, the author hopes to encourage more groups to bring forward a greater diversity of potential honorees. It is unclear how much of a barrier funding signage has been for bringing forward more diverse nominees to honor through highway memorial naming. It is possible that having such a fund will help ease the barrier to raising up people from other professions and backgrounds through this process. Ultimately, the diversity of honorees is dependent upon who legislators choose to honor through memorial resolutions. Legislators could support this effort by soliciting more diverse sets of potential honorees from their districts.

1. Foundational group. Several special interest license plate funds are managed by nonprofit organizations. These organizations are able to take on some of the burden of both managing the fund and fundraising for the fund itself. The author may wish to consider identifying a nonprofit organization to host and manage this fund.
2. How do you choose? This bill does not provide any criteria for what qualifies as someone who has promoted racial and gender equity. It also does not specify how Caltrans is to determine how funds should be distributed from the account if multiple memorial signs are approved. Should the first sign in a year draw from the fund first, the second next, and so on until the fund is emptied or the signs are paid for? Or should all memorial signs passed in a year be awarded an equal amount, up to the full cost of the sign, from what is available in the fund within a given year.
3. Bill or resolution. Highway memorials generally are introduced as concurrent resolutions, and thereby do not have the force of law. This is convenient because resolutions operate under different deadlines than actual bills. However to make an appropriation from the fund established under this bill, the memorial naming would require an actual bill. This may create a barrier to utilizing the funds, but will allow members to duly consider whether the person honored truly did advance racial or gender equity as the fund established by this bill would require. Using a bill also means the question of how money should be distributed from the fund in the event of multiple resolutions by a fiscal committee.
4. Technical amendment. The committee may wish to make technical amendments to the bill clarifying that the selection of honorees for memorial signage shall be selected by the Legislature.

Related Legislation:

AB (Holden, Chapter 543, Statutes of 2023) required Caltrans to work with California tribes to identify appropriate locations for highway signs and markers to recognize the historical and cultural importance of California tribes and tribal lands along State Route 210.

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: Fiscal Com.: Local:

POSITIONS: (Communicated to the committee before noon on Wednesday,

April 17^th.)

SUPPORT:

None received

OPPOSITION:

None received

-- END --