SB 1557 amends legislation that Wiggins authored when she was in the Assembly, AB 857, which established planning priorities for state infrastructure.
“This bill adds three simple, but important, provisions to those priorities,” Wiggins said.
“First, it adds a reduction in greenhouse gases as a goal of the state’s planning priorities. Second, it considers a reduction of vehicle miles traveled when citing state infrastructure. Lastly, it updates the state administrative manual to include the planning priorities.”
Former Gov. Gray Davis signed AB 857 in 2002. That Wiggins bill established state planning priorities that would encourage the state to lead by example in development of infrastructure that support smart growth principles. While AB 857 was signed into law, there are varying opinions on whether or not the law has been adequately implemented.
Wiggins said SB 1557 will both update and strengthen the law created by her earlier bill by adding a provision stating that the planning priorities are intended to meet the state’s greenhouse gas emissions limits that will be developed under AB 32, and by including efficient development patterns that will provide a reduction in vehicle miles traveled.
In 2005, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's signed an executive order calling for reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 2010 and 2020. The following year, he signed AB 32 (the California Global Warming Solutions Act, authored by former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez).
Wiggins represents the state’s 2nd Senate District, made up of portions or all of six counties: Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.
Now that it has passed the Senate, SB 1557 next goes to the Assembly for review.
For more information on SB 1557 or other legislation by Senator Wiggins, please visit her Web site at http://dist02.casen.govoffice.com/.
{mos_sb_discuss:3}
