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<ns0:Id>20250SB__092299INT</ns0:Id>
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<ns0:ActionText>INTRODUCED</ns0:ActionText>
<ns0:ActionDate>2026-01-28</ns0:ActionDate>
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<ns0:SessionYear>2025</ns0:SessionYear>
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<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Senator Laird</ns0:AuthorText>
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<ns0:Legislator>
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<ns0:House>SENATE</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Laird</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Title> An act to amend Section 9400.8 of the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles.</ns0:Title>
<ns0:RelatingClause>vehicles</ns0:RelatingClause>
<ns0:GeneralSubject>
<ns0:Subject> Vehicles: local agency charges: use of streets or highways.</ns0:Subject>
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<html:p>Existing law prohibits a local agency from imposing a tax, permit fee, or other charge for the privilege of using its streets or highways, other than a permit fee for an extralegal load unless the local agency had imposed the fee prior to June 1, 1989.</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would expressly limit this prohibition to charges based on weight. The bill would also explicitly state that a fee, charge, or surcharge imposed by or for a local agency to recover the cost of street maintenance and repair and other costs associated with the use of its streets, roads, or highways to provide public services or public works is not a tax, permit fee, or other charge that is prohibited by the provision above. The bill would provide that nothing in the Vehicle Code prohibits a local agency from imposing or collecting this fee, charge, or surcharge. The bill would delete
obsolete references and make other technical changes.</html:p>
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<ns0:VoteRequired>MAJORITY</ns0:VoteRequired>
<ns0:Appropriation>NO</ns0:Appropriation>
<ns0:FiscalCommittee>NO</ns0:FiscalCommittee>
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<ns0:ImmediateEffect>NO</ns0:ImmediateEffect>
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<ns0:Urgency>NO</ns0:Urgency>
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<ns0:Election>NO</ns0:Election>
<ns0:UsualCurrentExpenses>NO</ns0:UsualCurrentExpenses>
<ns0:BudgetBill>NO</ns0:BudgetBill>
<ns0:Prop25TrailerBill>NO</ns0:Prop25TrailerBill>
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<ns0:Preamble>The people of the State of California do enact as follows:</ns0:Preamble>
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<ns0:Num>SECTION 1.</ns0:Num>
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(a)
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The Legislature hereby finds and declares all of the following:
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(1)
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Weight fees are collected on commercial vehicles by the State of California, deposited into the State Highway Account, and used for the purposes specified in Section 9400.4 of the Vehicle Code. Weight fees for vehicles operated under 10,001 pounds gross vehicle weight (GVW) and for pickups are determined by the number of axles and unladen weight. Weight fees for vehicles operated over 10,001 pounds GVW are determined by the declared GVW or combined GVW.
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(2)
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In June 1990, the California electorate adopted Proposition 111, which increased weight fees on commercial vehicles by 40
percent on August 1, 1990, and by an additional 10 percent on January 1, 1995. Section 9400.8 of the Vehicle Code, which is amended by this act, provides that if the voters approved Senate Constitutional Amendment 1, then no local agency may impose a tax, permit fee, or other charge for the privilege of using its streets or highways other than a permit fee for extra legal loads.
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<html:p>
(3)
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Local governments have broad authority to provide public services and operate public works, such as water, power, heat, transportation, means of communication, and refuse collection, and to impose and collect rates, fees, and other charges that defray the cost of providing those services and works, under existing laws, including, without limitation, Sections 7 and 9 of Article XI of the California Constitution.
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<html:p>
(b)
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(1)
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It is the intent of the Legislature to respect the existing
authority of local governments to impose rates, fees, and other charges for public services and public works pursuant to the aforementioned laws, which includes recovery of street repair and other costs associated with the use of public roads to provide those services and works.
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(2)
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It is the further intent of the Legislature to state clearly that a local government’s charge imposed to recover the cost of street maintenance and repair or other costs associated with the use of public roads to provide public services or public works is not a charge for the privilege of using its streets within the meaning of Section 9400.8 of the Vehicle Code and to reject the interpretation given to the law in Rogers v. City of Redlands (2025) 112 Cal.App.5th 667.
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<ns0:Num>SEC. 2.</ns0:Num>
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Section 9400.8 of the
<ns0:DocName>Vehicle Code</ns0:DocName>
is amended to read:
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<ns0:Num>9400.8.</ns0:Num>
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(a)
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Notwithstanding any other law, a local agency
shall not impose a tax, permit fee, or other charge based on weight for the privilege of using its streets or highways, other than a permit fee for extralegal loads unless the local agency had imposed the fee prior to June 1, 1989.
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<html:p>
(b)
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(1)
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A fee, charge, or surcharge imposed by or for a local agency to recover the cost of street maintenance and repair and other costs associated with the use of its streets, roads, or highways to provide public services or public
works is not a tax, permit fee, or other charge for the privilege of using streets or highways that is prohibited under subdivision (a).
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<html:p>
(2)
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Nothing in this code prohibits a local agency from imposing or collecting a fee, charge, or surcharge described in paragraph (1).
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