• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) co-led two bills aimed at strengthening U.S. supply chains, alleviating congestion, and improving efficiency in U.S. transportation corridors, according to a May 24 statement from the congressman’s office. The House Committee on Transportation advanced legislation that allows a variance of up to 10 percent weight between axles of a commercial vehicle when transporting dry goods like flour or grain—which allows potential shifts of dry bulk goods within the vehicle without violating weight-per axle regulations. Committee lawmakers also approved the Intelligent Transportation Integration Act that will help bring traffic management and planning “into the 21st century” by creating a federal program that will allow the use of anonymized, aggregated, secured data to inform both planning decisions and real-time traffic flow management decisions on the federal highway system. “Efficient and safe transportation corridors are not only critical to local commerce and our national economy, but they are also one of the most bedrock parts of a working family’s quality of life,” Carbajal said in the statement. “The time that it takes to get to work or school, the grocery store, the next town or county over—these are major factors that drive daily decisions on the Central Coast of California.”
• U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) joined several other senators in introducing the bicameral EVs for All Act: legislation that would increase access to electric vehicles (EVs) for residents of public housing across the nation, according to a May 23 statement from Padilla’s office. Many of these individuals currently face limited or no access to EVs while grappling with high gas prices and disproportionate exposure to pollution from conventional vehicles. “California has been a leader in transitioning from polluting, gas-powered cars to zero-emission vehicles,” Padilla said in the statement. “But we have work to do to make electric vehicles accessible and affordable to all. By making EVs more accessible to residents of public housing—who face some of the worst air quality in the nation—we can begin to close the gap in access to clean and healthy transportation, safeguard clean air, and save working families costly trips to the gas pump.” Specifically, the legislation includes developing an EV car sharing program that will offer grants up to $1 million to public agencies, local governments, nonprofits to help implement EV car sharing services designed for public housing projects; allocate annual appropriations of up to $50 million from fiscal years 2024 to 2033; and comprehensive support to cover the various expenses associated with EV adoption.
• Gov. Gavin Newsom announced $39 million in state funding going to economic development projects across the state that support California’s transition to a low-carbon, green growth future, according to a May 24 statement from the governor’s office. The funds, awarded through the Community Economic Resilience Fund (CERF), support communities with their transition to more sustainable, climate-forward industries while strengthening access to good jobs. Launched in 2021, CERF is a $600 million program catalyzing high-growth, low-carbon industries and high-quality jobs in the transition to a clean energy economy. As part of CERF’s initial planning phase, 13 economic development entities known as High Road Transition Collaboratives were awarded $5 million each to develop roadmaps—including a strategy and recommended series of investments—for their region. Following the planning phase, the program’s implementation phase will provide $500 million to fund projects identified by the High Road Transition Collaboratives. “Our transition to a clean economy must include all Californians—that’s why we’re investing hundreds of millions of dollars into innovative projects across our state that put workers first,” Newsom said in the statement. “We’re leaving no one behind on our path to achieving world-leading climate goals that will slash pollution and supercharge our economy.”
