California Government Code

§ 66540.1

GOV § 66540.1 Effective Jan 1, 2009Title 7.10 · Ch. 1

Statute text

The Legislature hereby finds and declares all of the following:

(a)In 1999, based on the findings and analyses in a study sponsored by the Bay Area Council, the Legislature created the San Francisco Bay Area Water Transit Authority for purposes of preparing a bay area water transit implementation and operations plan and operating a comprehensive regional public water transportation system. In 2002, after two years of study, public hearings, collaboration with existing bay area transit and public transportation ferry service providers, and peer review, the San Francisco Bay Area Water Transit Authority submitted the required plan to the Legislature. The plan included rationale for expanded ferries, ridership projections and routes, potential terminal locations, capital, operating and maintenance costs, vessel specification, and emergency and safety response capabilities.

(b)While the efforts of the existing San Francisco Bay Area Water Transit Authority to develop a regional water transit plan are commendable, the country has seen several significant disasters, including the 9/11 tragedy and Hurricane Katrina, which have emphasized the need for coordinated emergency response. From the lessons learned from those events, it is apparent that the bay area’s current emergency response infrastructure is not sufficient to respond to emergencies of the magnitude witnessed in the past few years and anticipated in the future.

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Legislative history

Amended by Stats. 2008, Ch. 179, Sec. 116. Effective January 1, 2009.