April 2, 2025 – According to the California Construction and Industrial Materials Association (CalCIMA), Transportation California has released a new study on potentially viable funding tools to replace declining transportation funding from fuel excise taxes as Californians increasingly adopt more fuel efficient and zero-emission vehicles. The state and local communities face a $31.1 billion transportation funding shortfall over the next 10 years, according to the California Transportation Commission. The study identifies three options: 1) Expanded fuel taxes; 2) Replacing fuel taxes with road user charges; and 3) A little of both. CalCIMA also reported that a coalition of legislators introduced a package of 20 bills to expedite housing construction in California. “The Fast Track Housing package is about making our systems work better: clearer rules, faster timelines, and fewer bureaucratic hoops. It’s not about cutting corners — it’s about being honest that what we’re doing isn’t working,” said Assembly member Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), a leader of the coalition. The package targets the five key bottlenecks that delay housing development: application, CEQA compliance, entitlement, post-entitlement, and enforcement. A central component is significant reform to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), aiming to exempt environmentally friendly housing projects from lengthy reviews.
California Studies Road Funding, Housing
