Section 99285.

(a) The county transportation commissions created pursuant to Division 12 (commencing with Section 130000), including those agencies in Los Angeles County created by statute that assume the same statutory obligations as county transportation commissions, shall submit to the transportation planning agency those claims to be funded, and the transportation planning agency shall approve only those claims submitted.

(b) Each commission shall adopt appropriate criteria by which claims shall be analyzed and evaluated, and shall approve only those claims which will provide for a coordinated public transportation system consistent with the adopted transportation improvement program and adopted regional transportation plan and which will not result in undesirable duplication of public transportation services.

(c) In considering proposals, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority shall consider, among other things, the fare revenue to operating cost ratio and the public transit service mileage of each operator in the authority operating area, but under no circumstances shall the included municipal operators in existence and receiving formula allocation program funding on July 1, 1996, receive less than the percentage of state, federal, and local funds allocated in the 1995–96 fiscal year for bus services. An operator designated as an included municipal operator effective July 1, 1996, shall, under no circumstances, receive less than its percentage of state, federal, and local funds for eligible services pursuant to the formula specified in subdivision (d).

Under no circumstances shall included or eligible municipal operators, as defined in Sections 99207 and 99207.5, respectively, in existence on July 1, 1996, and receiving formula-equivalent funding from sources other than federal operating funds pursuant to Section 5307 of Title 49 of the United State Code, and funds claimed under Article 4 (commencing with Section 99260) and Article 6.5 (commencing with Section 99310) of this chapter receive less than the proportional share allocated during the 1995–96 fiscal year from the Proposition A 40 percent fund and other available funding sources.

(d) Commencing with the 1996–97 fiscal year, eligible and included municipal operators and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority shall continue to be allocated not less than the amount that would be allocated to them under the formula allocation procedure in effect July 1, 1995, and under subdivision (i). Based upon audited transit performance data submitted for bus transit operations covering the most recent year for which audited data is available, each of those operator's share of the funds available for allocation shall be calculated as follows: 50 percent of the operator's vehicle service miles, and 50 percent of the operator's passenger revenues divided by its base cash fare.

(e) A three-fourths vote of the principal members of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority shall be required to modify the formulas for allocating of funds available for bus service under this section to the authority operator and included and eligible municipal operators, as defined or described in Sections 99207, 99207.5, and 130050.2.

(f) (1) A two-thirds vote of the members shall be required in order to establish or change the criteria for admitting new included municipal operators for eligibility for funds allocated under Article 4 (commencing with Section 99260).

(2) A two-thirds vote of the members shall be required, based on the criteria in effect under paragraph (1), to allocate funds under Article 4 (commencing with Section 99260) to any "included municipal operator," as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 99207, which has not previously received funds under this article.

(g) The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority shall give equal consideration to the capital projects of all operators in the county, and shall allocate regional federal bus transit capital funds based on the authority's capital allocation procedure existing on July 1, 1995, exclusive of funds specifically earmarked by federal law for other purposes.

(h) It is the intent of the Legislature that neither this section nor the creation of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and its operating organizational unit shall impact the allocation of funds pursuant to Article 8 (commencing with Section 99400) by local agencies currently eligible to receive these funds.

(i) As part of the formula allocation procedure used to distribute from a state transit assistance fund, the Mills-Deddeh Transportation Development Act (Division 11 (commencing with Section 120000) of the Public Utilities Code), Section 5307 of Title 49 of the United States Code, and Proposition A 40 percent funds pursuant to this chapter, and federal operating funds to Los Angeles County operators, eligible and included municipal operators designated on September 25, 1991, or July 1, 1992, who, since that time, have received annual allocations of local sales tax funding in lieu of specified formula funds, shall continue to receive those same formula-equivalent levels of funding from local discretionary sources. Included municipal operators who receive annual allocations of local sales tax funding for specified services or service levels shall continue to receive equivalent levels of funding allocated from local sources for these services in the 1995–96 fiscal year.

(j) Ninety percent of the Proposition C 5 percent security funds shall be allocated to the included and eligible municipal operators and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority according to their proportionate number of transit passengers served. The funds shall be allocated only to those operators which have filed with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority a cost-effective program to provide transit security services. Any unallocated funds shall revert to the remaining balance of security funds which shall be disbursed at the discretion of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

(k) This section shall not impact or restrict the use of those portions of Mills-Deddeh Transportation Development Act, Proposition A, or Proposition C local return or other transportation funds allocated to cities or counties by population nor shall this section restrict the level or source of funding programmed by local jurisdiction to operators.

(Amended by Stats. 1996, Ch. 554, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 1997.)