Vehicles: public transit buses: illuminated signs.

Existing law authorizes a bus operated by a publicly owned transit system on regularly scheduled service to be equipped with illuminated signs that display information directly related to public service and include, among other things, destination signs, route-number signs, run-number signs, public service announcement signs, or a combination of those signs, visible from any direction of the vehicle, that emit any light color, other than the color red emitted from forward-facing signs, pursuant to specified conditions. Existing law authorizes, until January 1, 2017, a pilot program that allows up to 25 buses operated by the City of Santa Monica's publicly owned transit system for the first 2 years of the pilot program, and up to 30 buses thereafter, to be equipped with illuminated signs that display advertising subject to certain conditions, including a display area of not greater than 4,464 square inches. Existing law also authorizes, until January 1, 2019, the University of California, Irvine (university) , to implement a similar pilot program if the university determines, on or before March 1, 2014, that the City of Santa Monica has less than 12 transit buses equipped with illuminated signs that are operational pursuant to the city's pilot program. This bill would authorize, until July 1, 2020, the Antelope Valley Transit Authority to implement a similar pilot program if the authority determines, on or before March 1, 2015, that the university has less than 12 transit buses equipped with illuminated signs that are operational pursuant to the university's pilot program. The bill would require the authority, if the pilot program is implemented, to submit a specified report to the Legislature and the Department of the California Highway Patrol by January 1, 2020, on the incidence of adverse impacts, if any. The bill would make legislative findings and declarations concerning the need for special legislation.