We’re so excited, we just can’t hide it! Last week, we received so much good news.

Thanks to the leadership of Assemblywoman Sabrina Cervantes, AB 179 is now law. AB 179 requires the Governor to ensure that the California Transportation Commission (CTC) has a diverse membership. The Governor must take into consideration factors that include socioeconomic background and experience working in, or representing, disadvantaged communities.

The current composition of the CTC is made up of practitioners in the building industry and private sector. The membership does not reflect the diverse needs of the users of California’s transportation system. And we’ve seen repeated shortcomings where the CTC has struggled to align our state transportation programs to our state’s ambitious climate and equity goals.

The CTC plays an important role in shaping our transportation system. Given our state’s ambitious climate and equity goals, it is critical that the state’s transportation investments promote equitable and sustainable development. This investment should not only improves access to transportation for vulnerable communities, but should also provide a pathway to clean, breathable air.

With this explicit direction for the CTC to reflect the diverse needs of California transportation, we are confident that we will see better representation of our state’s climate, equity, and environmental justice goals in our transportation programs and policy.