Assembly Standing Committee on Transportation

Alrighty. The Assembly Transportation Committee is called to order. Good afternoon and welcome, everyone. The hearing room is open for attendance of this hearing and it can be watched from a live stream on the Assembly website. We encourage the public to provide written testimony by visiting the committee website.

Please note that any written testimony submitted to the committee is considered public comments and may be read into the record or reprinted. We will allow two minutes each for two primary witnesses in support and opposition of the bill.

Additional witness comments will be limited to your name, organization, and position. With that, we will begin our hearing. We do notice a lack of quorum, so we will begin as a subcommittee until a time a quor is a quorum, excuse me, is established.

Just noting for purposes today, we have one measure on our proposed consent calendar, file item number 3, ACR 228. We have two items that we will be discussing today. File items one, SCR 129 Cortese. File item two, SJR 16 Caballero. Both of those bills are Senate bills.

The Senate is still in session, so we do expect Assemblymembers to present on those bills, and they will be here shortly. And we will begin hearing bills as soon as those Assemblymembers arrive. Encouraging all Assemblymembers who are a part of this hearing, to come so we can establish a quorum, and noting that our quorum, the role will be hold held open for a very limited time before we adjourn for the day. Thank you.

Alright.

Moving on to file item one, SCR 129, presented by our colleague from the Transportation Committee, Assemblymember Ahrens. You may proceed at your convenience.

Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair. I am proud today to present SCR 129 by Senator Cortese, which designates a specified portion of State Highway Route 152 in the County Of Santa Clara as the Rusty Areias Highway and request that the Department of Transportation determine the cost of appropriate signs showing this special designation and upon receiving donations from non state sources sufficient to cover the cost to erect those signs.

According to the our author, Rusty Areias is a dedicated public servant who has made a lasting impact on our district and our state. And as a former Assemblymember who who served in the 25th And 28th Districts for twelve years, Rusty had over 100 pieces of legislation signed into law under two Republican Governors.

He secured critical funds for numerous key projects, including the Marshall Carter Park and a one of a kind agricultural park surrounded by the urban development in in Santa Clara County. Rusty also helped obtain a $150,000,000 for key improvements to Highway 152 that made the road from the South Bay to the San Joaquin Valley safer and more accessible for all. Would would respectfully request for your aye vote at the appropriate time.

Thank you. Go ahead. Press the button.

Thank you. It's been a while. My name is Billy Rutland, and I'm here in support of this resolution. I did a lot of work with Rusty. I started in this building before most of you were here in 1970 and worked till for a very, very long time.

And I spent an inordinate amount of time working with Rusty on some of the issues that are clearly mentioned in the analysis, and I just wanted to be supported. Thank you very much.

Thank you. With that, we'll move on to members of the public who would like to support the bill, as a me too. So now is an appropriate time to come to the microphone with name, organization, and position.

Seeing none, moving on to those in opposition to the bill. We don't have any opposition witnesses confirmed, although we do have, an opposition by an individual, but we don't have any confirmed to speak.

So with that, I'll give an opportunity for any member of the public who would like to note their opposition in a me too format. Now would be an appropriate time to come to the microphone, providing your name, organization, and position.

Seeing none, bring it to members of this committee who would like to have who has any questions, comments, or concerns?

Seeing none. We don't yet have a quorum but at the time that we do, we will, I'll entertain a motion for this item.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Alrighty. I think we have another Assembly member en route. En route.

Alright.

We do have another author, Assemblymember presenting for Senator Caballero. So item number 2, SJR 16.

Thank you, Madam Chair and members. I am presenting SJR 16 on behalf of Senator Caballero. Thank you again. This resolution amplifies the voices of California's commercial truck drivers, the livelihood of our state's supply chain and economy.

Last year in September, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration or FMCSA issued a preliminary determination of noncompliance against the California Department of Motor Vehicles, arguing that a driver involved in a August crash may have failed to meet the English language proficiency standard required for the commercial driver examination.

In November 2025, the federal administration finalized its review with a conditional determination of noncompliance, concluding that California had not complied with the federal safety standard. In response, the DMV took corrective action and received 17,000 alleged noncompliant, non domicile commercial learner's permits and commercial driver licenses.

Federal regulators continue to apply pressure through this period and would withheld roughly 160,000,000 in federal highway funds from California. The federal administration has the authority to fully certify a state's driver's license program when we find substantial noncompliance.

A full certification has barred California from issuing, renewing or upgrading any commercial credentials, not just those classified as non domicile, bringing our state's ability to license to a halt.

The California DMV pushed back, filing litigation against the federal administration, arguing that states retain meaningful autonomy with their federal regulations to determine how they assess compliance and other inadequacy with their own licensing program. On March 7, a federal court ruling directed the DMV to cancel approximately 13,000 California driver licenses, strapping thousands of experienced drivers of their livelihoods overnight.

Senator Caballero's districts has a large sick and Latino communities, many of whom have stated their own businesses, making major investments in commercial business and have spent decades building relationships and learning the craft necessary to engage in commercial transactions and who now have been disproportionately affected by rulemaking intended to vilify immigrant workers. These drivers, many with decades of experience behind the wheel, now face unemployment with no path to restore their driving privileges.

They are the men and women who lock countless hours on the road and spend weeks away from their families to deliver the essential goods we all depend on, medical supplies, fuel, and the food that stocks our shelves.

As California fights to lower the cost of living, sidelining the very drivers who move our goods will only deprive prices higher and strain families further. SJR 16 uses United States Congress to act swiftly, reinstate these driver credentials for those who meet California and BNB standards, and safeguard the strength and resiliency of our supply chain. With that, on behalf of the Senator Caballero, respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you. Before we go to testimony, I will establish a quorum. Madam Secretary, please call the roll.

[roll call]

Quorum is established. With that, you may the witness may testify. As a reminder, you have two minutes.

Madam Chair, members of the committee. Shane Gusman, on behalf of Teamsters California in strong support of this resolution. We're supporting this measure because it shines a light on a great injustice that was done to thousands of commercial drivers and small business owners this last spring. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued its final rule and required these drivers to lose their licenses even though there was no demonstrated safety concern.

In fact, in the FMCSA's own documents, they readily admit that there's no empirical evidence that this population of drivers who, by the way, are trained, educated, and have the experience just like every other commercially licensed commercial driver on California's roads. No evidence that they that they provide a greater safety or security risk than any other licensed driver.

These folks followed the rules, many of them who are Teamster members and members of other unions that represent commercial drivers like those in public transit. We their livelihoods were robbed from them simply because of an anti immigrant animus. We need to shine a lot on this, and we urge your aye vote for this.

Thank you. Moving on to members of the public who would like to add on their support. This is appropriate time to come forward with name, organization, and position.

Seeing none, moving on to opposition. We don't have any on file, so there will be no witnesses today.

However, I will give this opportunity for members of public to note their opposition. Once again, this is an appropriate time to come to the microphone, name, organization, and position.

Seeing none, bringing it back to members of this committee for any questions, comments, or concerns.

Seeing none, I'll give you an opportunity to close. I'll note that, on 03/06/2026, DMV was forced to suspend approximately 13,000 non domiciled commercial driver's licenses because of action taken by the Trump administration.

These 13,000 individuals were legally present in The United States, many as refugees or DACA recipients. All had been granted work authorization by the Federal Government at the time their license was issued. This action by the Trump administration particularly hurt the Sikh community across our state. Many of these drivers have not only lost their ability to earn a living, but are now stuck with leases for trucks they can no longer drive.

This comes at a time when our state was already facing a critical shortage of truck drivers.

Moreover, the President is continuing to withhold a 160,000,000 in federal highway funds to California, further jeopardizing jobs. I am happy and proud to support this resolution, and I join you in urging the president to reconsider his position. With that, I'll give you an opportunity to close.

Thank you, Madam Chair. On behalf of Senator Caballero, I respectfully ask an aye vote.

Thank you. You are our first bill with the quorum. So uh-huh. Oh. So I will now turn it over.

Madam Secretary, please call the roll. Oh, I'm sorry. We do need a motion on this. It's moved by Aguiar Curry, seconded by Pappan. My apologies.

Thank you. I'm just trying to go. Madam secretary, please.

SJR 16. The motion is to be adopted.

[roll call].

Alrighty. With that, we'll hold the role open for members to be able to add on.

Alright. With that, now that we've established a quorum, I'm going to go back from the beginning. We have one measure on proposed consent calendar file item number 3, ACR 228.

Madam oh, to entertain a motion on consent calendar. Yes. Moved by Aguair Curry and seconded by Vice Chair Davies. Madam secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll call]

Alright. We'll hold that open for members to be able to add on. Moving on to, this was presented already. Item number 1, SCR 129. We need a motion.

I'll give it I'll give it to Lackey since you present it, if that's alright. Been been moved by Ward, seconded by Lackey. With that, madam secretary, please call the roll.

SCR 129, the motion is to be adopted.

[Roll call]

Alright. With that, we'll hold the role open for members to be able to add on. A notice to members of this committee. If you would like to add on to this bill I mean, to this bill to these bills, now would be an appropriate time to make your way. We are starting the timer of, you have ten minutes, to make it here.

Okay. Alright. We will, we're gonna go through the role, but then we'll wait for the members to add on before we go through the roll. Okay. Starting with consent calendar, madam secretary.

[Roll call]

Going oh, thank you. What was 12. Alright. Going from the top, these items have been presented already. Item number 1, SCR 129.

The motion was to be adopted.

[Roll call]

Alright. We'll continue to hold the roll open for members to be able to add on. Moving on to item number 2.

SJR 16 to be adopted.

[Roll call]

Thank you. We'll hold that role open for members to be able to add on.

Alrighty. We are back. We are still missing members of this committee, but I'll note to those members, this is the last time we are calling the roll upon the at the note of each one of these items, we will close the roll.

Starting with consent calendar, item number 3, ACR 288.

[Roll call]

That has, 14 aye votes. It is out. Moving on to item number 1, SCR 129. I'm sorry. Cortese.

SCR 129 Cortesi. The motion is to be adopted.

[Roll call]

That bill has 10 aye votes, so it is out. Moving on to item number 2, SJR 16 Caballero.

The motion to be adopted.

[Roll call]

That bill has 10 aye votes and one no vote. Now the role is closed, I believe. I believe this is might be our last hearing unless something interesting happens in the legislature, which in August, you never ever ever know. But I will say that our Assembly Transportation Committee staff from both this the Democratic side consultants as well as the Republican consultants are amazing. They do phenomenal work, not only for us as legislators but truly on behalf of Californians as it relates to transportation policy.

So thank you. Thank you. And thank you. With that, this committee is now adjourned.