By Andy Evangelista

While SB 375 is well meaning and ambitious, it is also complex. Last fall, the Center for a Sustainable California at UC Berkeley published a policy brief, "Make It Work: Implementing Senate Bill 375," which examined the legislation's promises and pitfalls. "Without stronger support from state government, the SB 375 process may prove incapable of achieving its goals of changing land use patterns and greenhouse gas emissions," said Gary Binger, who co-authored the report with Robert Cervero, co-director of the UC Berkeley center and noted expert in sustainable transportation policy.

The report holds high hopes for SB 375 and praises the innovation of regional "blueprint" planning by metropolitan planning organizations during the past decade. At the same time, it warned that regional agencies have no authority over local land use decisions. It noted, that while current policies do promote SB 375's objectives, others — for example, recent budget decisions that favor roadways over transit — contradict its goals.

To support priorities of the legislation — including efficient use of transportation and land, housing affordability and protection of natural resource areas — the report made several recommendations. They include:

• Direct state and regional transportation funds to communities that achieve "smart mobility" goals.
• Encourage innovative parking strategies — for example, using revenue from downtown parking meters to pay for free bus passes for workers in the area or imposing maximum parking requirements based on distance from light-rail stations.
• Modifying state property tax laws so that local governments aren't constantly under pressure to favor commercial developments that generate tax revenue over, for example, affordable housing.