AB 2015 – California Assembly (20212022) – Open States

Abstract

Existing law authorizes the formation of the Sacramento Regional Transit District with various powers and duties with respect to transportation planning, programming, construction, and operations. Existing law vests the government of the district in a board of directors, and provides for the appointment of the 7 members of the initial board of directors by the governing boards of the City of Sacramento and the County of Sacramento, as specified. Existing law prescribes procedures for increasing the number of members of the board of directors, including authorizing each member entity to make one appointment to the board. Existing law requires the affirmative vote of a majority of all the members of the board for each official act of the board.

This bill would specify that only a member entity that is annexed after the initial formation of the district, as provided, is authorized to make an appointment to the board in addition to those appointments of the City and County of Sacramento governing boards. The bill would explicitly exempt from the rule that a majority vote suffices for an official act of the board those acts for which a higher vote threshold is required by law.

Existing law authorizes a city or county that is not annexed to the district to become a participating entity, as provided, and establishes that execution of a participating entity agreement by the district and the City of Elk Grove serves as a complete defense in specified proceedings.

This bill would repeal the provision establishing the City of Elk Grove participating entity agreement as a complete defense in those proceedings.

Existing law requires the district to award contracts for the purchase of supplies, equipment, and materials in excess of $100,000 to the lowest responsible bidder after competitive bidding, or to the responsible bidder that provides the best value, as provided, except when an emergency is declared by the board, as specified. Existing law requires the district to obtain a minimum of 3 quotations, as provided, that permit prices and terms to be compared, whenever the expected expenditure required for the purchase of supplies, equipment, or materials exceeds $3,000 but does not exceed $100,000.

This bill would increase to $125,000 the monetary threshold for contracts above which the board must award contracts to the lowest responsible bidder, or to the responsible bidder that provides the best value, as provided. The bill would also require the district to obtain a minimum of 3 quotations, as provided, that permit prices and terms to be compared whenever the expected expenditure required for the purchase of supplies, equipment, or materials exceeds $3,000 but does not exceed $125,000. By imposing new duties on the district, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

Existing law authorizes the district to provide for a retirement system and requires that any retirement system covering those employees of the district represented by a labor organization be pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement, as provided.

This bill would, if the district chooses to establish a retirement board for the retirement system, authorize board members and district employees to serve on the retirement board.

Existing law prescribes requirements the district must comply with before establishing any transit service or system that may substantially divert, lessen, or compete for the patronage or revenues of any privately owned transit or intercity route existing before June 1, 1971, as provided. Existing law prescribes other requirements for the district in purchasing existing systems, as provided.

This bill would repeal those requirements.

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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.