Olsen Bill to Streamline Minor Roadway Safety Improvements for Cities and Counties Passes Senate Committee

SACRAMENTO – Last night, the Senate Environmental Quality Committee passed Assembly Bill 890 by Assemblymember Kristin Olsen, R-Modesto, on a 6-1 vote. AB 890 will streamline the process for cities and counties to make minor roadway improvements related to public safety. 

“I’m grateful that committee members were able to work across the aisle in order to balance environmental concerns with government’s most basic duty of protecting lives,” said Olsen. “It is time for the Legislature to return more control to local governments in decisions that protect their citizens’ safety.”

In recent years, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) has held up many public works projects.  Olsen’s bill will create a statutory exemption from CEQA for roadway safety improvements as long as the project is on an existing road and doesn't cross a waterway or increase capacity of the road.  The bill will save cities and counties hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars, and help them avoid time delays, when pursuing minor safety improvements like adding guardrails on steep rural roads. 

“Cities and counties need to be able to quickly perform some public works projects, but CEQA requirements have hindered them from performing this basic duty,” said Olsen. “It is important to understand the environmental impacts of a public works project, but to hold up a minor roadway project that improves public safety and creates jobs, and has negligible environmental impacts is illogical.”

Olsen introduced AB 890 at the request of Tuolumne County. AB 890 is joint-authored by Assemblymember Henry Perea, D-Fresno, and was named a “job creator” by the California Chamber of Commerce.

AB 890 now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee for consideration.