California panel advances bill to require fire‑agency consultation on major road projects

Assemblymember Rogers introduced AB 612 to the Assembly Transportation Committee, asking the California Department of Transportation to update its Highway Design Manual so local jurisdictions consult fire departments when undertaking major road improvements.

Supporters said the change is intended to ensure new street designs do not impede emergency response. Doug Soopers, speaking for the sponsor California Professional Firefighters, said CPF “represents 35,000 professional firefighters and emergency medical services personnel statewide” and that recent local road designs have at times been implemented “without coordination with their fire agencies,” producing situations in which crews “had difficulty getting around” traffic features such as roundabouts.

Opponents warned the requirement could impede street‑safety projects and overburden local governments. George Spies of Traffic Violence Rapid Response argued the bill “misses an opportunity to support prevention first,” saying an exclusive emphasis on response‑time metrics risks returning planners to wider, faster streets that increase crash risk. Mark Fucovich of Streets for All said AB 612 “mandates a 1 dimensional conversation about a single metric — response time” and warned it could undercut local policy decisions about how streets balance safety for people walking and biking with vehicle throughput.

The California State Association of Counties described itself as supportive in concept but urged changes. Mark Neuberger said counties are concerned about making consultation mandatory in very rural areas “when there is either not a local fire district or not a local fire district that would be kind of anybody to consult with on that project.” He asked the author and sponsors to tighten the bill so it applies to projects with a significant potential to affect emergency response and to exclude routine maintenance work such as chip sealing or resurfacing.

Assembly members who spoke on the bill framed it as a governance and safety improvement that would formalize a discussion that often already occurs between public works and fire agencies. Multiple members agreed to be listed as coauthors and the committee moved the bill to the Appropriations Committee.

Votes at a glance: AB 612 (Rogers) — moved by Assemblymember Lowenthal; seconded by Assemblymember Harabedian; passed to the Committee on Appropriations (aye votes recorded in committee roll call).