CTC reviews draft SB1 program guidelines emphasizing workforce, equity and climate alignment

The California Transportation Commission (CTC) on the first day of its June 2026 meeting reviewed draft updates to the fifth cycle of Senate Bill 1 (SB1) competitive program guidelines aimed at tightening workforce and equity outcomes and aligning investments with the state’s climate priorities. Deputy Director Matthew Yoscott said staff has led a seven‑month public process of workshops and office hours and that "guidelines updates have been under development for over seven months now, and they will continue to be under development until commissioners adopt them at the upcoming August commission meeting." (Matthew Yoscott)

Why this matters: SB1 programs allocate hundreds of millions of dollars to multimodal projects across California. Commissioners and community advocates said they want clearer expectations so that grants create living‑wage jobs, deliver promised benefits to disadvantaged neighborhoods and help reduce vehicle miles traveled where feasible.

What changed in the draft: Staff described three cross‑cutting changes that will appear across competitive SB1 programs. First, workforce standards were restructured into a two‑part framework requiring applicants to describe construction‑phase outreach and post‑construction job outcomes and community impacts; staff emphasized the approach is "a more structured but still flexible approach that we believe better reflects the economic opportunity that SB1 investments have already created." (Naveen Habib) Second, the transportation equity supplement and community‑engagement evaluation criteria were expanded to require inclusive outreach, accessibility accommodations, follow‑up and greater attention to potential displacement. Third, the guidelines incorporate CAPI 2.0 recommendations (including a vehicle‑miles‑traveled neutral investment emphasis and added environmental‑justice questions) so projects can be evaluated consistently against climate and equity goals.

How applicants will be judged: Program managers said projects that document meaningful community shaping of the scope, demonstrate workforce partnerships with local boards or apprenticeship programs, and present credible readiness and performance measures will score higher. For zero‑emission infrastructure, trade corridor guidance now includes technical specification questions and a ZEV resources appendix to help applicants translate charging or fueling projects into competitive proposals.

Next steps: Staff will hold two July 15 public workshops on alternative delivery methods and on efficient land use and housing guidance; the Commission expects to consider guideline adoption in August and launch calls for projects shortly after. Staff cautioned the language is still a draft and will be refined after the July workshops and final review.

Who said what: Yoscott framed the timeline and themes; program managers including Naveen Habib and Beverly Newman Birkhart detailed workforce and ZEV guidance changes. Advocates at the hearing urged stronger accountability — for example, routine post‑construction performance reporting and clearer ties to regional greenhouse‑gas targets — items staff said they will continue to consider in refining the draft.

The Commission concluded the discussion by encouraging stakeholders to use office hours and the July workshops to submit detailed comments so staff can finalize the guidelines for the August meeting.