Division of Rail - Committee By Laws

Committee By Laws

By-Laws of

The San Joaquin Valley Rail Committee

I.    NAME
The name of this Committee shall be "The San Joaquin Valley Rail Committee".

II.    PURPOSE
As set forth in the motion that was accepted and declared passed at a meeting of the San Joaquin Task Force on February 11, 1987, the Committee shall meet regularly to discuss and formulate plans, suggestions, and ideas for changes and improvements to passenger train service in the San Joaquin Rail Corridor and then pass on to Caltrans, BT&H, and Amtrak West generally agreed upon proposals for their support and implementation. The San Joaquin Rail Corridor is defined by tradition as beginning and ending at Los Angeles Union Station, in the south, passing through the San Joaquin Valley to the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento at its northern end.

III. COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP
The Committee shall include Regular Members, Associate Members, and Agency Associate Members.

    A. Regular Members. Counties shall appoint two members to represent their interests in the San Joaquin rail corridor. At least one of their members must be an elected official from their county. There shall be a total of twenty-four (24) members from counties. As defined by the corridor, each of the following Counties shall have two regular members:

Alameda
Contra Costa
Fresno
Kern
Kings
Los Angeles
Madera
Merced
Sacramento
San Joaquin
Stanislaus
Tulare

B. Associate Members. Application for Associate Membership must be made by one or more of the twelve (12) represented counties and must be for a representative of a public entity, such as a Board of Supervisors, a COG or regional group. Applications shall be made to the Committee by a member county at least 60 days in advance of a vote and approved by a majority of the regular members of the Committee present at a regular scheduled meeting.

1. Former Members of the Committee may continue as Associate Members by notifying the Secretary of their desires.

C. Agency Associate Members. Each of the following entities may appoint one representative:

California Department of Transportation (Rail Division)
National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak)
Public Utilities Commission (Rail Safety Division)
Union Pacific Railroad
BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe) Railroad
Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC)
Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG)

    D. Alternate Members. Members appointed by the counties are encouraged to attend Committee meetings in person and not substitute an alternate. Any county Board of Supervisors that has members on this Committee may, however, appoint any person to be an Alternate Member by notifying the Secretary in writing.

IV. VOTING
Voting shall be limited to Regular Members and their Alternates. Associate Members are encouraged to participate in discussion of matters before the Committee. However, they shall not make or second motions or participate in the voting.

V. TERM OF OFFICE
Regular Members, Associate Members, and their respective alternates, shall be appointed by their several governing boards, in compliance with Section ffl, and shall serve terms as set forth by these boards.

VI. QUORUM
A quorum for the transaction of business shall not he less than eleven (11) regular members.

VII. OFFICES
A. Officers of the Committee shall be a chairperson and vice-chairperson. The chairperson must be an elected official and a Regular Member. Officers shall be elected annually by the regular members of the Committee at the regular annual meeting in the month of March. The chairperson shall preside over all meetings of the Committee, except as provided below. The vice-chairperson shall preside over meetings in the absence of the chairperson. The chairperson shall personally appear before administrative or legislative bodies to present the Committee's plans, suggestions, recommendations, and ideas. If the chairperson is unable to personally appear helshe may designate another member to appear on hisher behalf.
B. In absence of both the chairperson and the vice-chairperson, the Committee
members shall elect a regular member as temporary chairperson who shall preside during that 'l meeting.
C. Staff from Caltrans shall serve as Secretary of the Committee. The secretary is formally authorized to transmit Committee approved recommendations, plans, suggestions, and ideas for changes and improvements in the San Joaquin trains to Caltrans and to such other agencies as the Committee shall direct.
D. In order to facilitate the work of the Committee, the chairperson, or other voting member presiding during Committee meetings, shall have the same power to make and second motions the same as regular members.

VIII. MEETINGS
A. All Committee meetings shall be open to the public.
B. Agendas, along with pertinent information, shall be mailed by the Secretary to all Committee Members, members of the public and press who have requested notice of meetings, at least ten (10) days before the scheduled meeting date.
C. The Committee shall meet bi-monthly but not less than quarterly at the time and place designated by minute order of the Committee.
D. Due consideration shall be used in selecting meeting times and geographic location of meetings. Locations should be convenient to rail passenger service and scheduling on the San Joaquin Rail Corridor.
E. Annual Meeting shall be held in March in the city of Fresno.
F. Special meetings may be called by the chairperson. or upon the request of any six (6) voting members. The purpose of the special meeting shall be stated in writing in the notice of the meeting. The Secretary shall make arrangements and notify Committee Members, Associate Members, and members of the public and the press who-have requested notice, no less than twenty-four (24) hours prior to the special meeting time.
G. Voting. A simple majority vote of a quorum is required for normal committee action.

IX. MEETING ATTENDANCE
A. Regular members appointed by the counties must attend Committee meetings in person and may not substitute an alternate without approval of their governing board. Any county Board of Supervisors may designate an alternate as specified in Section in D.
B. The Chairperson, through the Secretary, shall notify the appointing board whenever any representative misses three consecutive meetings.

X. PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order shall govern the Committee in all cases in which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these by-laws and any special rules of order the Committee may adopt.

XI. AMENDMENT OF BY-LAWS
These by-laws may be amended or repealed at any regular meeting of the Committee by a simple majority vote of all regular members (13). However, the amendment or repeal shall not be effective unless the identical amendment or repeal is again voted on and passed by a simple majority vote at the next regular bi-monthly meeting.
BY-LAWS, superseding previous By-laws adopted September 10, 1998, were passed and adopted this 13~~
day of September, 2002, at Sacramento, California, by the San Joaquin Valley Rail Committee, by the following vote:

AYES Members
            George Gaekle     Stanislaus
            Vem Moss             Madera
            Richard Hauck     Kings
            Alene Taylor         Kings
            Rick Norris            Los Angeles
            Cameron Beach    Sacramento
            Harvey Hall             Kem
            Daryll Chenoweth     Los Angeles
            Michael Snyder     Alameda
            Ty Holscher     Tulare
            Howard Abelson     Contra Costa
            Larry Miller     Fresno
            Arthur Lloyd     Facilitator
NAYS Members -

VERN MOSS Chair

BILL NUMBER: SB 1118 CHAPTERED 08/04/97

CHAPTER 202 FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE AUGUST 4, 1997 APPROVED BY GOVERNOR AUGUST 2. 1997 PASSED THE ASSEMBLY JULY 21, 1997 PASSED THE SENATE MAY 29, 1997 AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 1. 1997 AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 8, 1997
INTRODUCED BY Senators Monteith and Costa
(Coauthors: Assembly Members House and Prenter)

FEBRUARY 28, 1997

An act to add Section 14074.8 to the Government Code, relating to
transportation.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 1118, Monteith. Transportation: intercity passenger rail

service: San Joaquin Corridor.

Existing law authorizes specified local agencies to form a joint

exercise of powers board for the purpose of assuming responsibility

for intercity passenger rail service in the San Joaquin Corridor, as

defined.

This bill would authorize the Steering Committee of the Caltrans

Rail Task Force to confer with the Secretary of the Business,

Transportation and Housing Agency to coordinate intercity passenger

rail service for the San Joaquin Corridor, including assisting in the

development of an appropriate management structure å£o the San

Joaquin Corridor as an element of a coordinated statewide intercity

rail system.

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

SECTION 1. Section 14074.8 is added to the Government Code. to

read:

14074.8. The Steering Committee of the Caltrans Rail Task Force

may confer with the secretary to coordinate intercity passenger rail

service for the San Joaquin Corridor, including assisting in the

development of an appropriate management structure for the San

Joaquin Corridor as an element of a coordinated statewide intercity

rail system.