The California Transportation Commission on Nov. 20 held a virtual kickoff workshop to begin public guidelines development for Cycle 5 of its Senate Bill 1 competitive programs, staff said.

Commission deputy director Matthew Yosgott opened the session and told attendees the workshops are intended to orient stakeholders and gather feedback rather than produce final consensus. Staff outlined a tentative schedule that would include program-specific workshops starting in January 2026, office hours in February–May 2026, an informational commission item in June 2026 and final guideline adoption targeted for the August 2026 CTC meeting.

Yosgott summarized three staff-driven CapTI 2 actions that will guide Cycle 5 revisions: update Trade Corridor Enhancement Program guidelines to favor goods-movement projects that reduce passenger vehicle miles traveled (VMT); revise Solutions for Congested Corridors Program guidance to target a VMT-neutral mix of investments; and strengthen SB 1 transportation equity supplements to better account for environmental-justice impacts and meaningful community engagement. "Projects that mitigate passenger vehicle miles traveled impacts are more likely to be competitive for funding," Yosgott said.

Program managers presented details for each competitive program. LPP (Local Partnership Program) staff noted the program is appropriated $200 million annually, with $20 million set aside for new or renewed voter-approved local transportation initiatives and the remainder split 40/60 between competitive and formulaic allocations. LPP staff said agencies should submit eligibility documentation in advance and that formulaic funds carry programming deadlines (for example, roughly $20 million from the 2022 cycle must be programmed by 06/30/2026, and about $89 million from the 2024 cycle must be programmed by 06/30/2028).

Navin Habib, who manages the Solutions for Congested Corridors Program, said SCCP funds construction-ready corridor projects and requires corridor plans, environmental clearance and a complete committed funding plan. Habib said the commission has programmed 33 SCCP projects across four cycles totaling roughly $2.5 billion, with Cycle 4 programming seven projects for about $483 million.

Beverly Nguyen Burkhard, who manages the Trade Corridor Enhancement Program, reviewed TCEP eligibility and Cycle 4 results: 26 projects funded with about $995.5 million in TCEP funds and total project costs of roughly $3.1 billion. She highlighted eight medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicle projects funded in Cycle 4 (about $94 million) that will add roughly 509 charging ports, a near 25% increase in ports statewide.

Staff urged stakeholders to take advantage of program office hours for project-specific technical assistance and said debriefs will be available to both successful and unsuccessful applicants after awards. Staff also encouraged applicants seeking to partner with Caltrans to contact Angel Pyle, Caltrans SB 1 program manager, or their Caltrans district liaison.

The workshop included multiple public questions and comments about how staff will treat passenger versus freight VMT, how workforce-development measures will be documented, and how community engagement will be assessed and scored. Yosgott and program managers said staff will bring proposed revisions and supporting materials to future workshops and coordinate with state partners—including Caltrans and the Department of Housing and Community Development—before presenting drafts to commissioners.

The commission will post the workshop slide deck and related materials to its website and circulate save-the-dates for the January program-specific workshops. Staff asked stakeholders to submit written comments in the Q&A function and offered follow-up contact information for further technical discussions.