UC Irvine Institute of Transportation Studies

The Honorable Walter M. Ingalls, Chairman of the California State Assembly Committee on Transportation, requested that the Institute of Transportation Studies, Transit Management Program, complete an analysis of the enabling legislation of the 15 California Transit Districts. This report was prepared in response to this request. A comparison is provided between districts to provide data, and recommendations are made to assist the Transportation Committee when drafting transit legislation. 

The research validated the concept of separate enabling acts for each district based on the demographic, geographical and political factors peculiar to that district. Therefore, there is no recommendation for the development of a general law for all California transit districts. The difference between the various districts is such that it appears prudent to rely on site-specific legislation drafted with knowledge of provisions applying to established districts. One of the goals of this study was to facilitate the between-district comparisons in existing law. 

Twenty major issues are highlighted in the report as being worthy of special consideration by the Assembly Transportation Committee. These issues extend over the complete range of subject matter in the enabling acts and represent potential troublesome areas that may have to be modified and amended. In addition to the 20 major issues, numerous other differences are delineated.