CalSTA deputy outlines 2026 legislative calendar, flags AB 98 and other bills with local impacts
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Summary
Alejandro Espinosa, CalSTA deputy secretary for legislation, briefed the Interagency Transportation Equity Advisory Committee on the 2026 legislative calendar and bills that touch transportation equity — including AB 98, AB 30, SB 131 and SB 79 — and offered to connect local concerns to Caltrans districts.
Alejandro Espinosa, deputy secretary for legislation at the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA), told the Interagency Transportation Equity Advisory Committee on Dec. 16 that CalSTA’s role during the legislative cycle is primarily technical assistance and coordination rather than formal bill implementation.
Espinosa laid out the early‑2026 timetable — the Legislature reconvenes Jan. 5, the administration’s budget typically publishes Jan. 10 and Feb. 20 is the usual deadline for bill introduction — and said CalSTA reviews bills through four priorities: safety, equity, climate action and economic prosperity.
Why it matters: the measures Espinosa discussed could affect how local governments plan truck routes, warehouse land use, housing near transit and environmental review, all of which intersect with transportation equity for low‑income and historically marginalized communities.
Espinosa described AB 98 as primarily a local ordinance bill that “establishes and expands new regulations on warehouses, truck routes, and their logistic use” and said it tasks the California Air Resources Board (CARB) with an impact report. He emphasized CalSTA "rarely take[s] an official position on bills" but provides technical assistance and will coordinate where a bill touches state highway routes or Caltrans jurisdiction.
He summarized other measures discussed with the committee: AB 30, a budget‑trailer that supports a statewide vehicle‑miles‑traveled (VMT) mitigation bank (CalSTA helped draft language but is not the implementing agency); SB 131, which allows certain CEQA exemptions for community‑centered or sustainable infrastructure projects (CalSTA provided technical help but is not the CEQA implementing authority); and SB 79, which promotes housing near existing transit.
Committee members pressed for clarity about who should be contacted locally when implementation questions arise. Vice Chair Anna Gonzales said coordination often breaks down "at the district level, at the regional level," and asked how the committee could help improve collaboration between local municipalities and Caltrans. Espinosa offered to "connect our Caltrans folks with whoever they need to connect down at the local level," and to follow up on specific local concerns.
Espinosa also recommended policy‑committee bill analyses as the best available plain‑English summaries of legislation and agreed to share the presentation slide deck with the committee.
The committee did not take any formal votes on legislative positions. Espinosa closed by saying he is available as a resource to the group and can return with follow‑up on specific bills or local coordination issues.
