Transportation planning: sustainable communities strategies: Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Program: local planning grants.

(1) Existing law requires certain transportation planning agencies to prepare and adopt every 4 years, except as provided, regional transportation plans directed at achieving a coordinated and balanced regional transportation system. Existing law requires a regional transportation plan to include a policy element, a sustainable communities strategy prepared by a metropolitan planning organization, an action element, and a financial element, as provided. This bill would instead require, on and after January 1, 2027, every 2nd regional transportation plan prepared and adopted by those transportation planning agencies to include a sustainable communities strategy prepared by a metropolitan planning organization. (2) Existing law creates the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Program to address deferred maintenance on the state highway system and the local street and road system. Existing law provides for the deposit of various moneys, including revenues from certain fuel taxes and vehicle fees, for the program into the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account. Existing law requires funds in the account to be allocated for various purposes, including, among others, $25,000,000, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for local planning grants to encourage local and regional planning that furthers state goals, as provided. This bill would instead require that $25,000,000, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to be allocated to specified local entities based on their share of the statewide population for the same purposes, as provided.