Overview
- AB 1421 passed the Assembly 43–18 and now goes to the Senate for hearings and a full vote.
- The bill directs the California Transportation Commission and Transportation Agency to consolidate findings and deliver a report by Jan. 1, 2027, with study costs estimated in the hundreds of thousands to low millions of dollars.
- Assemblymember Lori Wilson says the analysis will examine affordability, privacy and ways to avoid double taxation, with town halls planned before any policy decisions.
- Opposition has intensified with activists collecting signatures at Cal Expo and Republicans warning about costs and surveillance, including Rep. Darrell Issa’s privacy concerns and Steve Hilton’s pledge to veto any future per‑mile charge.
- Study concepts discussed in coverage range from two to nine cents per mile—roughly $228 to $1,026 annually at average mileage—while other states offer precedents through pilots or programs in Oregon, Utah, Hawaii, Washington and Colorado.