KHTS Radio Santa Clarita Radio – Santa Clarita News
Friday, Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, announced the introduction of the Transportation Accountability Act, AB 2086, which will create needed transparency and accountability in California’s transportation investments, paving the way for a more efficient and equitable transportation system.
The Greenlining Institute and TransForm are co-sponsors of this vital legislation.
California is experiencing climate disasters with more and more regularity. The transportation sector is the single largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in our state. Yet, legislation designed to address these emissions has been undermined by a lack of transparency about where California’s transportation budget goes and whether those investments are serving our climate goals.
The Transportation Accountability Act requires the state to set targets, track, and regularly report to the legislature and the public how transportation dollars support state and federal mandates.
“Our state’s transportation system impacts the daily lives of every Californian, as well as the state’s ambitious climate, equity, economic, and safety goals. Yet the legislature and public have no meaningful way of tracking the impacts of California’s transportation investments and how they are supporting or hampering progress toward our goals. The Transportation Accountability Act will lay the foundation for transforming the way California invests in transportation to ensure future transportation initiatives improve mobility and help us meet state and federal goals while advancing equity for all,” Schiavo said.
State and federal agencies that impact California’s transportation system include:
- CalSTA’s Core Four Priorities of “Safety, Equity, Climate Action, and Economic Prosperity,”
- California law under AB 32 (Pavley, 2006), which requires the state to reduce climate emissions by at least 40 percent by 2030
- The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration’s new requirement for state departments of transportation and metropolitan planning organizations, and more.
“California has historically failed to align its transportation investments with state and federal goals; we need our transportation agencies to be transparent and show that they are meeting these goals,” Schiavo continued.
“Decades of inequitable transportation policies and investments have burdened communities of color and low-income communities with worse health and economic outcomes. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Transportation investments have the potential to yield more economic opportunities by creating high-quality jobs, increasing options to get people to work, and improving local economic activity. Our communities deserve transparency and accountability to ensure we don’t replicate harms, and the state needs this information to target resources and maximize taxpayer dollars,” said Alvaro Sanchez, Vice President of Policy at The Greenlining Institute. “The Transportation Accountability Act is essential to those goals.”
“Despite spending billions of dollars annually on transportation, California is failing to meet our own climate and safety goals. The Transportation Accountability Act is an essential step to ensure everyone can safely and conveniently access what they need and enjoy fulfilling lives without the fear of climate catastrophe,” said Zack Deutsch-Gross, Policy Director at TransForm.
“The Transportation Accountability Act helps ensure benefits promised to the Californians, state, local, and regional governments and the public are transparent and can be fulfilled. By understanding the impacts and gaps, the state can make more effective, responsible, and fair transportation investments for decades to come,” said Schiavo.
Ed. Note: The above information was provided to KHTS Radio by Pilar Schiavo’s office.
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Why doesn’t she sponsor a bill to bring transparency and fiscal responsibility to the DemonicTaxRats feel good spending on unfunded socialist dreams, while the state is in deficit spending (as always).
Schiavo: the word you can’t seem to spell or even pronounce is TAXES!
The cure for Donkey Pox is cut out the diseased brained, and sew the mouth shut with steel wire.
How about she investigate where the gas & road tax is going
Again they talk about the environment as if the sky is falling. This State is failing in every thing it is doing. Gavin came in with a surplus and now we have a huge deficit! Maybe we need to look for someone who knows how to stop spending our hard earned tax dollars.
“The Transportation Agency set goals encompassing its Core Four priorities of safety, equity, climate action, and economic prosperity.”
I thought the Transportation Agency goals would be related to transportation. Of the four “goals” only safety is directly related. Transportation tax dollars should be used for transportation.
This Bill is about using transportation dollars for anything but new roads and the repair of existing roads, or even about investment in public transportation that serves all people.
What is the bill about ?
The Greenlining Institute. is quoted as a supporter of the bill. Go to their website and you can see what the bill is about. It is not about transportation needs, but rather the tax money that is supposed to be spent on transportation.
It seems Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo would like for our tax dollars that are earmarked for transportation to benefit the taxpayers of her district, to be spent elsewhere to create “equity”.
This bill is socialist, even though most of her constituents are not. It will not benefit us.
She is full of Schiavo!
She can’t spell or pronounce TAXES,
But everything Sshe ever talks about is spending Tax Payer’s money.