CITY OF
STAFF REPORT
DATE: April 27, 2026
Item No.
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Counci*
FROM: Dr. Sean Moore, City Manager
SUBJECT: Oppose Assembly Bill 1678 (Harabedian) — Claremontclair Authority RECOMMENDATION:
That the City Council:
1. Authorize the Mayor to submit a letter of opposition on Assembly Bill 1678; or
2. Provide further direction to staff.
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION:
The San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA) Board of Directors voted unanimously on April 1, 2026, to oppose Assembly Bill (AB) 1678 (Harabedian) and has requested that cities within the county do the same.
AB 1678 would create the Claremontclair Authority (CMA), a new joint powers authority responsible for constructing the final light rail segment of the Metro A Line (formerly the Gold Line). This extension would run from Claremont in Los Angeles County to Montclair in San Bernardino County.
This bill would bypass the SBCTA Board's September 2025 decision to withdraw local funding from the project.
The Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority has been building the Metro A Line light rail extension eastward from Pasadena since the late 1990s. The most recent segment opened in September 2025, extending the A Line to 57.6 miles from Glendora to Pomona. The next planned phase would extend the line an additional 3.3 miles from Pomona to Claremont, and then, finally, the line would extend to Montclair.
Construction of the segment from Pomona to Claremont is in the works, supported by $798 million in state funding through the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2027 and be completed in 2031. The final segment from Claremont to Montclair is the segment at issue.
SBCTA's Decision to Withdraw Funding
In September 2025, after nearly a decade of deliberation, the SBCTA Board of Directors voted to withdraw $37 million in local funding it had held for the segment from Claremont to Montclair. The Board directed staff to study alternative transit strategies for the corridor. SBCTA's stated rationale centered on three core concerns:
1) Governance imbalance: The existing construction authority's governance structure required SBCTA to contribute county taxpayer dollars while denying the Board a meaningful vote in project oversight or long-term operating fund commitments — a structure SBCTA characterized as "taxation without representation."
2) Cost escalation: Estimates for the approximately 0.65-mile segment within San Bernardino County had escalated from $80 million in 2018 to many multiples of that figure, with no clear ceiling. The initial contractor bid was canceled in March 2025 after it came in hundreds of millions of dollars above expert estimates.
3) Availability of alternatives: SBCTA redirected the $37 million to study enhanced Metrolink service frequency between Pomona North and Rancho Cucamonga stations as a fiscally responsible alternative that could deliver comparable mobility benefits to county residents.
Prior Legislative Attempts
AB 1678 is not the first attempt to use state legislation to override SBCTA's authority over this project.
In 2020, Assemblymember Chris Holden and State Senator Anthony Portantino introduced similar bills, including SB 1390. SB 1390 would have transferred taxpayer funds and SBCTA-owned land to a joint powers authority.
The SBCTA Board voted to oppose those bills and reaffirmed its role as the sole authority to plan, design, and build new transit projects in San Bernardino County. Neither bill passed the Legislature.
AB 1678 revives the same legislative framework and raises the same fundamental concerns.
Why This Bill Matters to Yucaipa
Although the City of Yucaipa is not located along the proposed A Line corridor, the City has a significant stake in the outcome of AB 1678.
SBCTA represents Yucaipa's regional transportation interests. The City of Yucaipa is a member agency within SBCTA's service area. SBCTA administers Measure I, the half -cent transportation sales tax paid by Yucaipa residents, and makes funding decisions that directly affect City transportation projects and Metrolink services used by Yucaipa commuters. Any legislation that diminishes SBCTA's authority or exposes it to financial liability affects the City and its residents.
Erosion of Local Control. The City has advocated for local control for land use, and that right to self- determination also applies to transportation. If the Legislature enacts AB 1678, it sends a signal that the state can mandate that local agencies build, fund, and operate specific transit projects regardless of
locally adopted priorities or financial capacity. This precedent could be applied to any future SBCTA decision, including decisions affecting projects in and around Yucaipa.
Threat to Metrolink service improvements. SBCTA's preferred alternative to enhance Metrolink frequency between Pomona North and Rancho Cucamonga would benefit riders throughout the county, including those connecting to service that serves the Yucaipa corridor. AB 1678 would effectively preempt this locally developed approach in favor of a state -imposed project.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The recommendations do not result in a fiscal impact.
Attachment(s):
1. Letter of Opposition
ATTACHMENT 1
CITY OF
April 27, 2026
The Honorable Lori D. Wilson
Chair, Assembly Committee on Transportation
California State Assembly
10210 Street, Suite 112
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: Assembly Bill 1678 (Harabedian) — OPPOSE
Dear Chair Wilson,
On behalf of the City of Yucaipa, I am writing to oppose Assembly Bill (AB) 1678 (Harabedian).
AB 1678 proposes to remove the existing Metro Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority's responsibility for extending the A Line (formerly the Gold Line) from Claremont to Montclair and to create the Claremontclair Authority (CMA) to deliver the extension.
While the City of Yucaipa supports expanding high -quality transit service in our region, this bill raises significant legal, financial, and governance concerns and sets a troubling precedent for the State to mandate that local agencies build, fund, and operate specific projects regardless of locally adopted priorities or funding capacity.
Most concerning, AB 1678 exposes local agencies to substantial risk while limiting their authority.
The bill would require the transfer of assets at the discretion of the CMA without adequate protections for local agency interests, including right-of-way protections and risk mitigation. It also grants the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) the authority to review significant project changes, effectively excluding local jurisdictions from meaningful oversight of a project within their own communities.
This bill creates significant and ongoing financial exposure. Local agencies could be precluded from negotiating operations and maintenance agreements until after construction begins, pre - committing them to fund operations without defined terms. This structure risks obligating local jurisdictions to cover ongoing operating costs without meaningful oversight or cost control.
City of Yucaipa
34272 Yucaipa Blvd, Yucaipa, CA 92399
909-797-2489
These concerns are significant given the history of the project, which has experienced ongoing cost escalation, repeated delays, and uncertainty regarding delivery. In response, local and regional agencies have begun advancing alternative transit strategies that better reflect current conditions, prioritize fiscal responsibility, and deliver more reliable mobility outcomes.
AB 1678 would override these local policy directions, undermining the authority of local elected officials to determine which transportation priorities in their communities. It raises broader concerns regarding accountability and the responsible stewardship of limited transportation resources.
For these reasons, The City of Yucaipa opposes AB 1678. We remain committed to working collaboratively on transportation solutions that are fiscally responsible, locally supported, and deliver meaningful mobility improvements for the communities we serve.
Sincerely,
Chris Venable
Mayor
cc. Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh
Assemblyman Greg Wallis
Laura Varela, Cal Cities, Regional Public Affairs Manager League of California Cities, citylettersgcacities.org
San Bernardino County Legislative Delegation
Assembly Transportation Committee
City of Yucaipa
34272 Yucaipa Blvd, Yucaipa, CA 92399
909-797-2489