Infrastructure Program

Another issue which the Legislature and the Governor came to a bipartisan agreement early on in the 2006 session was enactment of a program to strengthen the infrastructure system of California (roads, levees, schools, and housing). The Governor had proposed a strategic grant program in the 2006 State of the State address. Four bonds totaling $37.281 billion will appear on the November 2006 ballot for voter approval. These enable the following:

SB 1266 (Perata-D): Transportation Bond ($19.925 billion)

Mobility, transit, and congestion relief: $17.250 billion

- $4.5 billion for high priority corridor improvements
- $1 billion for State Highway 99 Enhancement Plan
- $2 billion for trade infrastructure
- $2 billion for STIP augmentation
- $4 billion for rail, bus, transit, and improvements
- $750 million for SHOPP and ITS
- $1 billion for State-Local Partnership Program
- $1 billion for roads -- cities
- $1 billion for roads -- counties

Safety, security, disaster preparedness: $1.475 billion

- $1 billion for transit safety and disaster response
- $100 million for Port Security Program
- $125 million for local bridge seismic retrofit
- $250 million for grade separations

Air quality: $1.2 billion

- $1 billion for port air quality
- $200 million for school bus retrofit and replacement


AB 127 (Nunez-D): Education Bond ($10.416 billion)

K-12 facilities: $7.329 billion
- $1.9 billion for new construction
- $3.3 billion for rehabilitation and modernization
- $200 million for small high schools (included in new construction and modernization above)
- $1 billion for overcrowded schools
- $500 million for charter schools
- $500 million for career technical education facilities
- $100 million for energy-efficient schools
- $29 million for joint use facilities

Higher education: $3.087 billion

- $1.58 billion for University of California and California State University
- $1.5 billion for community colleges

SB 1689 (Perata-D): Housing and Land Use Bond ($2.85 billion)

Affordable housing: $1.5 billion

- $345 million for multi-family housing
- $300 million for Cal Home homeownership program
- $200 million for CHADAP down payment assistance program
- $195 million for supportive housing
- $135 million for farmworker housing
- $125 million for the Building Equity and Growth in Neighborhoods Program
- $100 million for affordable housing innovation
- $50 million for homeless youth housing
- $50 million for emergency housing

Infill incentives: $850 million (up to $200 million available for urban parks)

Housing-related parks in urban, suburban, and rural areas: $200 million

Transit-oriented development: $300 million

AB 140 (Nunez-D): Flood protection ($4.09 billion)

- $3 billion for levee inspection, repair, flood control improvements, and delta levee protection
- $500 million for flood control subventions
- $290 million for flood corridors, bypasses, and flood plain mapping
- $300 million for storm flood management

In addition, $500 million in general funds was approved for levee repair (AB 142, Nunez-D) as well as a constitutional amendment (SCA 7, Torlakson-D) to protect Proposition 42 which guarantees funds from the gas tax go to improve the state’s highways.

Also, two policy bills were enacted as follows:

- AB 1039 (Nunez-D) which streamlines environmental regulations for repairing levees and the seismic retrofitting of bridges.
- AB 1467 (Nunez-D) which establishes public/private partnerships for goods movement.

Also, approved was AB 1540 (Nunez-D), an election bill that provided a ballot label and title for SCA 7 for purposes of the November 7, 2006 General Election.