Aviation-Related Legislation Passed by the California Legislature in 2001
Chapter #
AB 93
Wayne “San
Diego County Regional Airport Authority 946**
AB 309
Longville “Sales
and Use Taxes: Fuel: Prepayment” 429
AB 491
Frommer
“Rental Vehicles: Passenger
Vehicles” 661
AB 631
Oropeza
“Transportation: Needs
Assessment” Vetoed**
AB 1207 Longville “Small Wind Energy
Systems” 562
AB 1367 Wiggins “Land
Use: School Siting”
396
AB 1382 Liu “Space
Industry Development
752
AJR 9
Runner “Space
Shuttle” 98*
AJR 29
Florez “Flight
Training Schools” 157*
SB 244 Speier “Environmental
Quality: Airport Expansion and
Enlargement Projects 534
SB 1054 Knight “Military
Base Retention” 612
*Resolutions express the intent of the Legislature and
are not sent to the Governor. These
are Resolution Chapters of 2001.
** Governor Davis had a signing message for AB 93, which
appears below. AB 631 has a veto
message (see below).
To obtain the text of the bills, you may go to the
Legislature’s web site at
<http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/bilinfo.html>. The previous update of Caltrans’
Aviation-Related Legislative Update Report (!legs9-18-01.doc) has summaries of
the bills and resolutions.
To the Members of the California Legislature:
I am signing Assembly Bill 93 with some reluctance.
This bill will create a San Diego County Regional Airport Authority and transfer operation of San Diego International Airport-Lindbergh Field from the Unified Port District to the new Airport Authority.
The authors of this legislation, Assemblymember Howard Wayne and Senator Steve Peace are to be commended for measurably advancing the airport debate in San Diego County. For decades, civic leaders have considered a number of sites for a new international airport, including Camp Pendleton, Carmel Valley, joint use of Rodriguez International Airport in Tijuana, Miramar Marine Air Station, North Island Naval Air Station, offshore, Otay Mesa, and an expanded Lindbergh Field.
My reluctance in signing this bill stems from three concerns:
1. The transfer of San Diego International Airport to the new Authority by December 2, 2002 would be premature. Planning for a new or expanded airport and a decision on its location should precede the transfer of airport operations from the Unified Port District to the Regional Airport Authority.
2. This legislation fails to clearly vest land use powers in the Authority.
3. The Regional Airport Authority’s recommendation on the location of a new international airport or expanded Lindbergh Field should be subject to a countywide public vote.
However, I am signing this bill because it advances the public debate on the future of Lindbergh Field.
Vesting exclusive responsibility in this single Authority to determine San Diego’s long term airport needs is good public policy. Transferring airport facilities and providing authority to coordinate airport related mass transit with transportation planning agencies is also a positive step towards consolidating infrastructure decision making in the county. In addition, a certified audit of San Diego International Airport, commissioned jointly by the Unified Port District and the Regional Airport Authority will provide essential and objective revenue information.
The incremental approach to airport siting embodied in AB 93 is preferable to no approach at all. For this Airport Authority to successfully accomplish its mission it must have the ability to plan and site an airport, a dedicated revenue stream, and the support of San Diego County’s electorate. Therefore, I have asked for and received a commitment from the authors that urgency legislation will be introduced in January 2002 to accomplish the following:
â Provide the Regional Airport Authority with clear authority to plan and site a new international airport or expand Lindbergh Field.
â Require the Port of San Diego to fund all operating expenses of the Regional Airport Authority until the effective date of the transfer of San Diego International Airport.
â Require a countywide public vote on the recommendation of the Regional Airport Authority for an expanded Lindbergh Field or the site of a new international airport. This vote is to occur no sooner than November 2004, and no later than November 2006.
â Clarify that designating the Regional Airport Authority as the only county agency to receive state or federal grants for airport planning and improvements will not jeopardize the receipt and pass through of those grants.
â Postpone the effective date of the transfer of San Diego International Airport operations and property until the voters of San Diego County have approved the site recommendation of the Regional Airport Authority.
Sincerely,
GRAY DAVIS
BILL NUMBER: AB 631
VETOED DATE: 10/10/2001
10/10/01
To Members of the California State Assembly:
I am returning Assembly Bill 631 without my signature.
This bill would require the California Transportation Commission (CTC), in conjunction with the Department of Transportation (Caltrans), and the state’s regional transportation planning agencies, to prepare and submit to the Legislature a comprehensive transportation needs assessment every five years.
Two years ago, both the CTC and Caltrans completed and delivered an exhaustive transportation needs assessment which identified the same transportation needs that the study required by this bill would presumably identify. That study provided the public, Legislature, and my Administration, important information on the state’s transportation infrastructure that is both current and relevant. To duplicate such an effort at this time would not be financially prudent. Nonetheless, an ongoing transportation needs assessment and report as envisioned by this bill would be useful to transportation policymakers at all levels of government. Accordingly, I am directing the Secretary of the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency and the Director of Caltrans to provide recommendations on the types of fiscal and operational requirements that would be useful in developing such a report, as well as other information that would be beneficial to transportation policymakers.
Sincerely,
GRAY DAVIS