California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed two Assembly Bills into law that grant greater operational flexibility to Bay Area transit agencies, including the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit). One of the new laws, authored by San José Assemblymember Ash Kalra, will enable the Santa Clara VTA to create dedicated affordable housing opportunities for its employees.
Assembly Bill 2263, authored by Assemblymember Kalra (D-San José), permits the Santa Clara VTA to set aside affordable housing for its workforce. This legislation, which will become effective on January 1, 2027, aims to help VTA employees live closer to their workplaces, addressing the region's high housing costs. According to the Santa Clara VTA, while its employees earn competitive middle-class wages, many are priced out of the immediate area, leading to one-way commutes that can last one to two hours. The agency believes this authority will support its dedicated employees by improving their livelihoods through shorter commutes.
Santa Clara VTA General Manager and CEO Carolyn Gonot stated that AB 2263 provides an "important new tool to support the dedicated employees who keep our transit system moving every day." Gonot added that creating workforce housing near transit can help reduce long commutes, strengthen the workforce, and support safer, more sustainable communities. Assemblymember Kalra, a former chair of the Santa Clara VTA Board of Directors, commented that setting aside workforce housing within VTA's robust transit-oriented developments will significantly benefit the region by enhancing housing affordability, reducing emissions from commutes, and improving road safety.
The second piece of legislation, Assembly Bill 1837, preserves AC Transit’s authority to utilize front-facing cameras for enforcing parking violations in bus stops and bus-only lanes. This statewide authorization was initially set to expire on January 1, 2027, and AB 1837 extends its duration. The camera technology is deployed to deter illegal parking, which can slow bus service, obstruct access to bus stops, and create safety and accessibility issues when buses cannot align properly with the curb.
AC Transit reported that this automated camera technology proved substantially more effective than the previous manual process, which relied on bus operators to identify potential violations. The agency began deploying these cameras along the Tempo Bus Rapid Transit corridor in June 2024, targeting vehicles illegally occupying bus-only lanes and blocking station platforms. By August 2024, AC Transit expanded the program to 100 buses across its service areas, each equipped with two small forward-facing cameras. Recent data, compiled in partnership with Hayden AI, the developer of the technology, indicates a significant decline in violations.
AC Transit General Manager and CEO Salvador Llamas thanked Governor Newsom for his action, stating that illegally stopped vehicles do "more than an inconvenience," causing service delays, disrupting trips, and creating risks for riders with disabilities and other vulnerable individuals needing safe access. Llamas also expressed pride in AC Transit's collaboration with the California Transit Association and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority in sponsoring and advocating for the legislation, anticipating improvements for riders statewide.
Assembly Bill 1837 was authored by Assemblymember Mark Gonzalez (D-Los Angeles), with Senator Jesse Arreguin (D-Oakland) serving as principal co-author, and it advanced through the Legislature with bipartisan support. AC Transit also acknowledged regional support for continued automated bus lane and bus stop enforcement from entities including the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, the city and county of San Francisco, and the Alameda County Transportation Commission.
Both bills highlight state-level efforts to improve transit operations and support transit workforces across California.
