Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, 36th Assembly District
AB 1385 – Riverside County Transportation Commission: transaction and use tax
Updated 5/4/23
BACKGROUND
In 1987, the State granted tax administration and
fee collection authority to the Riverside County
Transportation Commission (RCTC) (PUC 240000).
Riverside County’s voters subsequently passed a
countywide half-cent sales tax measure to fund
transportation improvements in 1987, known as
Measure A, with a 78.8% “yes” vote. Voters
extended Measure A to 2039 by a 69.2% “yes” vote
in 2002.
Measure A has provided more than $4.1 billion in
local sales tax funding to date for transportation
projects across Riverside County. This revenue
supports Riverside County’s nearly 2.5 million
residents with public transit, commuter and
motorist assistance, highways, local streets and
roads, and habitat conservation for 146 protected or
endangered species.
In 2020, the Commission approved the Traffic Relief
Plan (TRP), a long-term, multimodal transportation
strategy for Riverside County’s residents. The TRP
was developed using public input from the
Coachella Valley, the Palo Verde Valley (Blythe
area), and western Riverside County, including
3,184 responses and 6,538 comments through
www.TrafficReliefPlan.org.
In February 2023, the Commission held a workshop
in part to discuss transportation needs in Riverside
County and consider how to fund them. As a result,
the Commission created the 2023 Projects and
Funding Strategies Ad Hoc Committee to amplify the
need for project funding for all modes of
transportation in Riverside County. On March 8,
2023, the Commission voted to sponsor legislation
that would increase RCTC’s sales tax authority.
ISSUE
Riverside County is one of the fastest growing
counties in the state and nation. As a result of
population growth, increased goods movement,
and state housing mandates, additional investments
are critical to ensuring the continued safety and
reliability of the region’s transportation network.
BILL SUMMARY
AB 1385 does not raise taxes. It increases RCTC’s
sales tax authority from one cent to one and a half
cents per dollar. Changing the sales tax authority
allows residents in Riverside County the opportunity
to vote to adjust Measure A in the future.
This bill does not alter Measure A’s half-cent per
dollar sales tax rate. Any changes to Measure A
require approval from Riverside County’s voters.
SUPPORT (Partial List)
American Council of Engineering Companies
Associated General Contractors of California
California Alliance for Jobs
California Asphalt Pavement Association
California Construction and Industrial Materials
Association
California State Council of Laborers
Coachella Valley Association of Governments
District Council of Iron Workers of California and
Vacinity
Rebuild SoCal Partnership
Riverside County Transportation Commission
Riverside County Supervisor V. Manuel Perez
Self-Help Counties Coalition
Southern California Contractors Association
Transportation California
Western Regional Association for Pavement
Preservation
For More Information:
Fabiola Moreno Ruelas | Assembly Fellow
Office of Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia
fabiola.ruelas@asm.ca.gov | (916) 319-2036