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Act Now to Stop Baseless Searches of People on Bikes

May 25, 2023/by Jared Sanchez

The Stop Baseless Searches Bill (AB 93, Bryan) prevents police from asking for “consent” to search someone during a traffic stop when they have no probable cause to conduct a search.

These unwarranted searches are more likely to target Black and Latino Californians and more likely to target people on bikes, so this measure is critical to creating safe streets for all Californians.

“Consent” can’t be freely given in the context of the power imbalance and a history of police harassment of people of color. CHP has already adopted this guideline to make policing more equitable. AB 93 will expand the policy to local law enforcement.

AB 93, the Stop Baseless Searches Bill is in trouble.

AB 93 doesn’t have enough votes to pass the Assembly. It’s being held open right now while supporters try to gather more votes. Please email your assemblymember today and tell them to Vote YES on AB 93.

CalBike Response to May Revise

May 16, 2023/by Kevin Claxton

For Immediate Release: May 16, 2023

Contact: Jared Sanchez, Policy Director, (714) 262-0921, jared@calbike.org

Governor’s May 2023 Budget Revise Continues Cuts to Active Transportation

Sacramento, CA – Governor Gavin Newsom’s “May Revise” of the state’s July 2023-June 2024 budget fails to provide the funding needed to support biking, walking, and public transit. The governor claims to include $1.4 billion for active transportation projects. However, the budget maintains a major reduction to the Active Transportation Program and falls severely short of what’s needed to stem the emission-driven global climate crisis.

The governor’s May budget is a missed opportunity to allocate the funding California needs to build an equitable transportation system and achieve our state’s climate goals. California needs to move quickly to make biking easier — and Newsom’s proposed budget just isn’t enough to build the needed bike infrastructure to significantly reduce automobile vehicle miles traveled and the associated greenhouse gas emissions. Walkable, bikeable communities offer the biggest return on investment among transportation solutions to the climate crisis. The budget’s $9 billion agenda for zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) is a misguided effort to curb climate change that will ultimately fall short. We must think beyond increasing motor vehicle traffic and expanding the freeway system to support it, and instead build a low-carbon future based around walkable, bikeable communities.

What is missing in the budget?

E-Bike funding

The California Bicycle Coalition has been tracking interest in the new Electric Bicycle Incentive Project, administered by the California Air Resources Board. The governor’s budget doesn’t include funding to continue this popular and vital electric vehicle incentive.

CalBike has received interest from more than 17,000 Californians who want to participate in EBIP. Based on the $7.5 million currently available through the program after administration, education, and outreach costs, the pilot will offer between 3,000 and 7,000 vouchers. Because the program only has a fraction of the funding it needs to meet the demand, CalBike expects funds to be exhausted very quickly, leaving many low-income Californians without resources to get the transportation they need.

In a letter signed by a coalition of environmental groups, CalBike has requested $50 million for e-bike incentives in the next budget.

“The California Electric Bicycle Incentive Project offers a huge bang for the buck being spent to reduce the state’s climate pollution. Expanding this program will provide more equitable access to clean transportation and help the state meet our climate goals. It’s a win-win,” said Jared Sanchez, Policy Director, CalBike.

Complete Streets funding

California should invest much more in active transportation projects that build complete bikeway networks — no more bike lanes to nowhere or bikeways made unsafe by impassable intersections. This should include funding for a program that rewards cities whose leaders quickly install protected networks that create true active transportation grids. It’s particularly crucial that these bike networks connect bike infrastructure to local destinations, including offices, schools, and shopping areas.

Investments in disadvantaged communities

In our racialized economy, Black and brown Californians are disproportionately affected by inflation and need better, more affordable mobility options. In addition, many communities of color suffer from decades of disinvestment and should be prioritized for new active transportation investments. As inflation hits Californians hard, safe biking is a lifeline to millions of Californians who can’t afford to fill their gas tanks without sacrificing other priorities, like healthy food and secure housing.

What happens next?

The legislature will now revise the governor’s proposal and negotiate with him on a final budget for approval by June 15. There are many fantastic bills in the legislature this year that will make our streets safer. The budget needs to include enough active transportation funding to pay for these excellent pilot projects and meet the demand of ongoing programs across the state.

CalBike’s Invest/Divest campaign

At CalBike, we believe California should devote a minimum of 50% of its transportation budget to support active transportation: biking, walking, public transit, and Complete Streets infrastructure. The CalBike Invest/Divest campaign aims to shift California’s transportation spending from our current traffic-inducing, climate-killing system to sustainable mobility options, equitable treatment of all road users regardless of race, and a transportation future where it is easier and safer for more people to get around by biking, walking, or using public transportation.

E-Bike Work Group Report Back: April 26, 2023

May 12, 2023/by Laura McCamy

On April 26, 2023, CARB held another well-attended work group meeting to gather feedback on the details of its Electric Bicycle Incentive Project. One of the major takeaways is that the statewide program launch is pushed back yet again: Most Californians won’t be able to apply for a voucher until at least the third quarter of 2023.

Here’s what else we learned at the meeting. We’ve included the video and presentation below, in case you want to learn more.

New details about program implementation

As it has throughout the process, CARB has taken feedback from prior work groups and revised the program based on stakeholder input. For example, recipients can now use part of their incentives to purchase safety gear. The only gear listed was helmets, and CARB specifically excluded lights, reflective gear, and racks. The program requires eligible bikes to come with lights (most e-bikes have built-in lights), so that makes sense. However, based on feedback, we’re hopeful that cargo racks will also be an allowed expense. CalBike would like to see locks included, since a secure lock for an e-bike can be costly.

Participants will have 30 days to purchase a bike and redeem their vouchers and may ask for a one-time extension if they need more time. CalBike is advocating for extending that 30-day window, since researching and buying an e-bike is often a lengthy process.

Vouchers will be limited to one per person, but there is no household limit. Participants will be required to own the bike for at least one year.

Here are some of the other details we learned.

What do we know about the e-bike incentive application process?

We still don’t have all the details about the application process. CARB promises that a guide will be available online ahead of program launch so people interested in participating will have time to prepare.

CARB did share an outline of the application process as they envision it currently. Applicants would submit proof of income and residency, choose the bike they want to buy, take a 90-minute online bike safety and environmental class, then find out if they qualify for a voucher.

CalBike strongly objects to the process as currently outlined, and we have sent a letter to CARB detailing our recommendations. Our concerns include:

It will be hard to choose a bike without confirmation of the voucher amount because the person won’t know how much money they will need to come up with to complete the purchase.
While CalBike supports e-bike safety education and is excited for the resource being developed as part of this program, we feel that education should be a resource, and that any requirement of a lengthy class may serve as a barrier to many trying to access the incentives. We particularly object to requiring participants to sit through any content that isn’t directly related to safe operation and storage of an e-bike.
Requiring two extra steps before applications are vetted will further disadvantage applicants with the least time and/or access to a computer.
Because many Californians are more comfortable in a language other than English and those languages are diverse, an education component will inevitably exclude many potential participants. For comparison, the US Census is conducted in 12 languages in California.

We plan to meet with CARB to discuss these issues, and we’re hopeful that advocacy and lessons from the soft launch will lead to a better application process.

June soft launch

The first phase of the program will be a soft launch in June. With a budget of $300,000, the soft launch will provide 20-40 incentives to applicants in each of four communities that have been historically underserved by CARB programs:

Barrio Logan, San Diego
Fresno
Bayview Hunters Point, San Francisco
California Native Tribal Governments

The soft launch will allow CARB and the administrator to test systems and get feedback on what works and doesn’t work before opening the program statewide.

When will the statewide program launch?

We don’t know exactly when California’s incentives will become available. However, we have heard that the soft launch is expected to take at least two months. Expect a full launch sometime in the fall, after CARB and the administrator have worked out glitches in the application process.

We realize this program has taken an excruciatingly long time to come online. Another reality check: Demand may far exceed the number of incentives available. If you’d like help to purchase an e-bike, check out this list of local programs.

Is anyone already in line to receive an e-bike voucher?

Several people who spoke at the April meeting shared that they had submitted an application for an e-bike voucher last year and wanted to know if they were in line for an incentive. CARB clarified that no one is in line for a voucher yet. Everyone will need to apply once the window opens, later this year.

We don’t know if there will be another work group before the soft launch in June or before the statewide program launch. If you sign up for our email list, we’ll let you know about future meetings and any other information on the status of the program and the application process.

CARB Presentation

Inside the Black Box of Appropriations

May 10, 2023/by Jared Sanchez

It is now that time of the year where California’s appropriations committees wield their influence in the legislative process, as the state’s budget begins to come into focus. Appropriations committees have outsize power and can affect the passage of a bill in unexpected ways. Here’s a look behind the scenes.

Kill bill

If a California senator or assemblymember wants to kill a bill, one of the sneakier ways to do so is in the legislative appropriations committees. One member with the ear of the appropriations chair can get a bill put into the committee’s “Suspense File,” possibly never to return.

What’s behind this seemingly undemocratic quirk of California’s legislature, and what can we do about it?

What is the appropriations committee?

In both the California State Senate and Assembly, as legislation moves through the process, any bill that requires money or has any fiscal impact will advance to their respective appropriations committees. The committees must approve any additional costs before the bill goes to a full vote.

How a bill gets killed in appropriations — the Suspense File

Led by the Senate and Assembly appropriations committees, any legislation that meets a certain fiscal threshold will be placed in the Suspense File (cue ominous music). Generally, if the cost of a bill is determined to be $50,000 or more to the General Fund, or $150,000 or more to a special fund, that bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.

Many bills stay in the Suspense File until the fiscal deadline passes, then disappear from the legislative process entirely. The Suspense File was developed as a mechanism for slowing the process and giving legislators a way to consider all the bills that are going to put significant pressure on the budget.

What really is the Suspense File?

The Suspense File is among the most opaque and secretive practices at the Capitol, and it allows legislative leaders to not only shelve proposals that are too expensive, but also more quietly dispatch those that are controversial or politically inconvenient. It’s well known at the state Capitol that powerful legislators can use the Suspense File as a political tool to keep controversial bills from reaching the Assembly or Senate floor — typically with no explanation, and sometimes without a public vote.

Coming back from the dead: moving bills out of the Suspense File

A bill still has a fighting chance until the Suspense File hearing, when the appropriations committees consider all the bills in the file and decide all at one time which get to move on for debate. Lobbyists, legislators, and constituents play an active and important role in deciding which bills move forward.

How CalBike fights for bills we support, with your help

Like any other civic process, shedding light and making noise can influence the course of a bill in appropriations. When one of CalBike’s bills is in danger of going into the Suspense File, we work behind the scenes to convince key legislators to move it forward. We also ask our members to send emails and make calls to support the bill.

Sometimes that works, and sometimes a good bill dies in appropriations. Knowing how the process works helps us fight for measures that improve biking, equity, and joy. We couldn’t do it without your help.

Which bills can you help get off suspense this year?

Most of our priority bills this year are or will be placed on suspense. Three bills in particular are in jeopardy, given their controversial nature and history. AB 1525, SB 50, and AB 645 are some of the most sensitive bills. If we feel one of our bills is likely to die on suspense, we’ll ask you to take action by emailing or calling your representative or the appropriations chair. Keep an eye out for action alerts and, if you see we’re up against the Suspense File, now you know what that means, and how meaningful your action can be.

California Budget Process Demystified

May 10, 2023/by Kevin Claxton

The process of allocating spending for the next fiscal year in California is complex, opaque, often controversial — and critically important. CalBike has scored significant wins for better biking through the budget process, like securing $10 million for the statewide e-bike incentive pilot in 2021 and getting a one-time funding bump for the Active Transportation Program to $1 billion in 2022, more funding than the state has ever invested in biking and walking infrastructure.

We’re making some big budget asks in 2023:

$10 billion for biking (and walking and transit): The only way to avoid complete climate collapse is to make rapid and significant changes to reduce our carbon footprint. CalBike is calling for half of California’s transportation budget to support active transportation. We can bike, walk, and bus our way to a more stable climate, but we’ll never drive there (even in electric cars).
$50 million for e-bike incentives: The e-bike incentives pilot will launch soon, and interest far exceeds the original $10 million allocation. Similar programs around the state and country have experienced extremely high demand. To help Californians transition to sustainable mobility, we must expand the e-bike incentive program, giving the program a budget that will allow it to run annually and come closer to meeting demand.

To meet these ambitious goals will take action — emails and calls from supporters like you. But we realize that although the funding is exciting, the budget process is confusing and, frankly, wonky. Here are some FAQs to help explain California’s budget process and, we hope, get you excited about weighing in on your spending priorities.

California Budget FAQs

What is the California state budget?

Like every other US state, California must pass a budget each year. Unlike the federal government, states must balance their budgets, so California lawmakers set spending levels based on revenue projections.

California operates on a fiscal year that begins on July 1, so the deadline to pass a budget bill that both houses of the legislature and the governor agree on is June 15.

Why is the 2023 budget extra challenging in California?

California went from a budget surplus in 2022 to a projected deficit in 2023. To add to the challenge of figuring out where to cut, this year’s punishing winter storms led the Franchise Tax Board to follow the lead of the IRS and push the income tax filing deadline back for residents of all but seven California counties. Most of California’s taxpayers don’t have to pay or file until October 16, so lawmakers won’t know exactly how much they have to work with when they pass the final budget in June.

Can the budget change after the June deadline?

Yes. Line items can be added or deleted after the deadline. We may see more changes than usual in 2023 because of the late income tax filing deadline, as noted above. Additionally, budget “trailer bills” can greatly modify where spending goes.

What is the California budget process?

There are several major milestones for the California budget.

First, the governor issues a proposed budget by January 10.
Then, the budget committees in the Assembly and Senate hash out their budget priorities, culminating in a revised budget in mid-May.
Next, top-ranking lawmakers negotiate with the governor (in mostly secretive deliberations) to develop a spending plan all parties can agree upon.
By June 15, lawmakers must have a spending bill that will gain majority votes in the Assembly and Senate and that the governor will sign.

What is the May Revise?

The May Revise is the term for the governor’s updated version of the budget from January, issued in mid-May, after taking into account a better estimate of expected revenues alongside the administration’s policy priorities.

When does the budget have to be finally approved?

California’s budget approval deadline is June 15.

How big is California’s state budget?

The budget varies from year to year. For the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the governor’s budget was $297 billion in January.

How much does California spend on transportation?

Transportation expenditures are approximately $20 billion, or about 7% of the budget in the governor’s proposed version. But this is just 25% of all transportation funding in California.

That figure doesn’t tell the whole story, however, because California gets federal funding to supplement the $20 billion from its own coffers. Federal spending comprises another 25% of all California transportation funding. The federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will bump up transportation funding and alone will send at least an additional $41.9 billion to California over the next five years, most of which will be allocated to transportation projects.

Moreover, half of all transportation spending in California comes from the local level. These funds, often provided by voter-approved local sales tax measures, are overseen by city and regional officials.

What does the transportation budget pay for?

California’s transportation budget funds road repairs; building new roads and freeways; the CHP, DMV, Caltrans staffing, and other administrative costs; public transportation; and the Active Transportation Program (biking and walking infrastructure). Some funds from cap-and-trade go to climate-friendly transportation options such as high-speed rail and to sustainable housing.

Does California get federal transportation funding?

Yes. California receives approximately $20 billion every year, representing 25% of all California transportation funding.

What percentage of the California transportation budget goes to active transportation?

In recent years, the Active Transportation Program (ATP) has gotten around $222 million in annual funding. That’s about 1% of the state’s transportation funding.

In the current fiscal year, the ATP got a one-time bump up to about $1 billion from the General Fund, but the governor took back half of that money ($500 million) in his January budget. In an April statement of their budget priorities, Senate Democrats proposed returning the $500 million to the ATP.

What level of funding is CalBike requesting for active transportation?

CalBike is asking lawmakers to spend $10 billion, or 50% of the state’s transportation dollars, on active transportation in the 2023-2024 budget. In the face of a climate crisis that grows more extreme and expensive yearly, funding active transportation is the fiscally responsible choice. Shifting transportation spending priorities is essential if California is serious about addressing the climate crisis and creating livable neighborhoods where residents can thrive.

What difference would $10 billion for bikes make?

$10 billion would fully fund the Active Transportation Program (which leaves more excellent projects unfunded every cycle because of a chronically insufficient budget), Complete Streets, connected bike networks, and more. It could enable Caltrans to deliver on its promise to add Complete Streets features to state highways that serve as city streets. That level of funding could support an ongoing e-bike incentive program, help communities build safer biking and walking infrastructure, and shore up public transit budgets, ensuring those vital systems remain viable.

Send an email now:

California Needs $10 Billion for Bikes

Equity-First Transportation Funding: Reversing a History of Infrastructure Discrimination

May 9, 2023/by Jared Sanchez

The Equity-First Transportation Funding Act (AB 1525, Bonta) will require 60% of California’s transportation funds to benefit “priority populations.” The money must provide a direct, meaningful, and assured benefit to such populations and must address an important mobility need. State agencies will need to develop a definition of priority populations, but we will advocate for historically marginalized communities, many already identified by California’s Air Resources Board and UCLA through their development of the Transportation Disparity Mapping Tool.

Transportation planning and policies have historically discriminated against, segregated, and displaced immigrants, low-income people, and communities of color, bolstering racial and class inequalities. Current mobility planning processes and decisions often perpetuate these harms.

CalBike is committed to working to undo the structural racism and inequity built into California’s transportation infrastructure and policymaking.

Low-income communities of color often suffer most from inadequate and unsafe transportation infrastructure, whether it’s a larger concentration of dangerous high-speed streets, more concentrated air pollution coming from cars and trucks, or simply terrible road conditions, as reported by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in a report analyzing the correlation between poor road conditions and underserved communities. Remedying infrastructure inequality is long overdue and continues to be exacerbated by state policy.

Infrastructure as an instrument of inequity

Historically, policies on where and how to build roads and freeways have increased inequity, sometimes deliberately harming communities. For example, it’s no coincidence that roads and infrastructure up and down the state were built through Chinatowns (a freeway in Oakland, Union Station in Los Angeles, among others). Historically Black neighborhoods were isolated or decimated by freeway construction. A 2020 LA Times op-ed stated that “[The Los Angeles] freeway system is one of the most noxious monuments to racism and segregation in the country.”

Racist freeway projects aren’t an artifact of the distant past. In recent years, City Heights CDC fought the construction of a freeway designed to serve suburban communities through an area of San Diego already overburdened with pollution.

And transportation inequity at the neighborhood level is rampant. Across California, you’re likely to find poorly maintained or missing sidewalks, curb cuts, bus stops, traffic signals, bike lanes, and roads in disadvantaged areas.

A movement to fix our unequal roads

The Equity-First Transportation Funding Act will prioritize transportation funding for projects in disadvantaged neighborhoods, giving communities an incentive to begin to fix the inequities built into our public infrastructure. It’s part of a growing recognition of the connection between road building and racism and the beginnings of a movement to repair these harms.

The most recent federal transportation bill included $1 billion to take down freeways built through communities of color. The Congress for New Urbanism issues a Freeways Without Futures report every two years, highlighting freeways that can and should be removed to rebuild communities. The 2023 report included one in California (980 in Oakland).

A 2022 bill to ban freeway widening projects that negatively impact disadvantaged communities failed to pass the legislature, but AB 1525 is a fresh approach to providing equitable infrastructure for all Californians. CalBike strongly supports this bill, and we hope you will too.

E-Bike Purchase Incentives FAQs

May 4, 2023/by Laura McCamy

We’ve been getting a lot of questions about the e-bike purchase incentive project that CalBike helped pass and that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is implementing. It’s an exciting program, and information hasn’t always been easy to come by. So we’ve compiled some of the most common questions from people who want to get a voucher, bike retailers who want to participate in the program, and others.

Pedal Ahead, the administrator CARB chose for this program, has published its own FAQs, which contain some additional information. Please note: Some of the information in the Pedal Ahead FAQs doesn’t agree with the information we have about the program. We have been told by CARB that some of the elements referenced in their FAQs are still under discussion. We will update our FAQs as we get additional information.

The answers below are based on what we know now, as the e-bike program is still in its development phase. We plan to update them as more information becomes available.

Note: This post was originally written October 19, 2022, and last updated May 4, 2023.

TL;DR version:

No, you can’t apply for an e-bike incentive yet. The program is expected to launch statewide in the second half of 2023 and applications will open then. We will announce the launch date as far in advance as we can.
The pilot program is limited to Californians living at or below 300% of the federal poverty level.
The voucher amount will likely be $1,000, with an extra $750 for a cargo or adaptive bike, and $250 additional for people below 225% FPL or living in a disadvantaged census tract.
Incentives are limited to one per person. There is no limit per household.
There are many local e-bike incentive programs. Visit our e-bike page for a full list.

What is California’s Electric Bicycle Incentives Project?

The Electric Bicycle Incentives Project is a $10 million program to provide vouchers to California residents to help them afford an e-bike. CalBike advocated for the budget allocation, which passed in 2021 and funds the pilot project.

The project will distribute $7.5 million in incentives, with $5 million reserved for high-priority applicants (those at or below 225% of the poverty line or living in a disadvantaged or polluted community.)

CARB has an additional $3 million in funding that will go to fund additional vouchers.

Can I get an e-bike voucher from CalBike?

No.

CalBike is not administering the e-bike incentives program. Our role is one of advocacy. We advocated for the creation of this purchase incentive, and we will continue to push for an expanded budget to support the program. CalBike also shares critical information about the program via our e-bike newsletter, and we help our member’s voices be heard so that the program better serves the people who need it most. CalBike does not process or distribute incentives.

CARB will manage the incentive distribution process through its third-party administrator starting in 2023. We will share information about how to apply once it’s available, but CalBike won’t be involved in processing applications or awarding e-bike incentive vouchers.

Is California’s statewide program an expansion of the San Diego e-bike program?

No. Some press reports stated that California’s statewide purchase incentive was an expansion of a similar program in San Diego. This is incorrect.

CARB chose Pedal Ahead, an organization that runs an e-bike program in San Diego, to administer the statewide program. However, the CARB purchase incentives pilot will have rules and parameters determined by CARB in conjunction with input from advocates and the public. The statewide program is separate from and different from the San Diego program.

When can I apply for a California e-bike incentive?

Not yet.

As of this writing, the California statewide e-bike program is most likely to launch in August or September 2023, but the date is not fixed.

You can’t apply in advance. However, if you sign up for CalBike’s e-bike mailing list below, we’ll let you know when the application window will open as soon as we get the date.

I already applied for an e-bike incentive. Am I in line? When will I get it?

At the April work group for the statewide program, several people stated that they had already applied for it. However, applications haven’t opened up yet. Even if you believe you applied for this incentive in the past, you will have to apply again once the application portal launches. Unfortunately, you aren’t in line for the statewide incentive (no one is yet).

Note: Signing up for CalBike’s list is a great way to stay up-to-date on the latest e-bike incentive news, but it is not an application for an incentive. That is a completely separate process in which you will need to prove income eligibility.

Can I get a rebate on an e-bike I already purchased?

No.

The Electric Bicycle Incentives Project is not a rebate program. You need to apply and get approved before you purchase a bike in order to use the incentive.

If you recently bought an e-bike, you might qualify for a rebate from a local program such as 511ContraCosta. Check the list on our e-bike page and ask your local utility about rebates. In addition, if the E-BIKE Act passes congress, you might be eligible for a federal tax credit.

How do I apply for a voucher from California’s statewide e-bike incentives program?

The program administrator will set up an application process, and you will almost certainly be able to apply for the program online.

To apply, you’ll need documentation to prove that you meet the income qualifications. We’ll know more about the application process closer to the launch date.

What are the requirements to apply for an e-bike incentive?

You will have to prove income eligibility and California residency. We expect more information on specific documentation to be available soon.

Other requirements:

Purchase the bike within 30 days of incentive award (CalBike has asked CARB to extend this to 90 days)
Own the bike for one year
Take a 90-minute bike safety education class online (CalBike has asked CARB to make this optional rather than a requirement)

How can I get assistance to buy an e-bike in California?

The Electric Bicycle Incentives Project will be California’s first statewide e-bike voucher program. However, there are many regional and local programs where you might be able to get funding to help you buy an e-bike now.

SB 400, which CalBike helped pass in 2019, added an e-bike benefit to the Clean Cars for All program, which aims to take polluting cars off the road. If you have a qualifying car to turn in, incentives can be as high as $9,500, and you can use the funds to buy e-bikes and bike accessories for multiple family members. However, this program is administered by regional air quality management districts, and not all districts have added the e-bike benefit. We spoke to people who got this voucher in the Bay Area and Southern California to give you an idea of the process. Find out more details about the Bay Area program on this handy reference page.

In addition, there are numerous local programs through nonprofit organizations, utilities, and other entities. You can find many California programs on this list of global e-bike incentive programs.

How long does it take to get an e-bike incentive?

We don’t know how long the application process will take through the statewide program, but it will involve income verification and then finding an eligible bike vendor, so plan on at least a few weeks (and possibly longer) from when you apply.

For the Clean Cars program, the people we interviewed waited quite a few months to get through paperwork and approvals. For local programs, inquire directly about the timing.

Bottom line: If you need an e-bike ASAP, you might not want to wait to get a voucher.

Who will qualify for the California e-bike incentive program?

Eligibility for the pilot program will be limited to people whose income is less than 300% of the federal poverty level. That means the income caps (based on 2022 FPL guidelines; the 2023 numbers will be posted by 1/20/23) would be:

Individual: $40,770
Family of 2: $54,930
Family of 3: $69,090
Family of 4: $83,250
Family of 5: $97,410

CARB originally proposed income limits of 400% FPL but lowered the limits to align with eligibility requirements for other clean vehicle programs.

How much will the California e-bike incentives be?

The basic incentive will be $1,000. The program will offer an additional $750 for people buying a cargo or adaptive bike and another $250 for people living below 225% of the federal poverty level or living in a disadvantaged community.

What kinds of bikes qualify for incentives?

You can use the incentive to buy any type of e-bike, including a folding bike, cargo bike, or adaptive bike. All three classes of e-bikes will be eligible for the program. However, you will need to purchase from a list of approved e-bike models.

E-bikes are grouped into three classes:

Class 1: pedal assist only, 20 mph speed limited — will qualify for the program
Class 2: pedal assist or throttle, 20 mph speed limited — will qualify for the program
Class 3: pedal assist only, 28 mph speed limited, helmets required, must be 16 or older to operate — likely to qualify for the program

Note: Only bicycles that include pedals, fall into one of these three classifications, and are offered by an approved retailer qualify for the incentive program. Other forms of electric mobility, such as scooters and mopeds, are not included.

What qualifies as an adaptive bike?

CARB wants to keep the definition of adaptive bike as inclusive as possible. The category will most likely include tricycles and bikes modified for people with disabilities.

Can I use an e-bike incentive to buy a conversion kit?

There are numerous conversion kits on the market that allow you to add aftermarket electric power to a standard bike frame. At the moment, conversion kits are not part of the proposed eligible purchases. The EV program for cars doesn’t cover conversions, and CARB has let CalBike know that, to stay consistent, conversion kits probably won’t be eligible for vouchers through the e-bike incentives program.

Can I buy bike accessories to go with my bike?

Yes. If you are awarded an incentive through the California program and your bike purchase, including sales tax, is less than the amount of your voucher, you can buy gear for your ride with the remaining balance. At the moment, the only allowed purchases are helmets and other unspecified “safety gear.” CARB has stated that it specifically won’t fund the purchase of reflective clothing or bike cargo racks, but we hope that policy shifts, based on public comment. We also hope that locks will be included in the allowed purchase items.

Why can’t I get an incentive to buy a non-electric bike?

Excellent question. The current program covers only electric bike purchases, not standard or classic bikes. Electric bikes tend to be significantly more expensive than classic bikes, so a purchase incentive may be the only way for many people to afford one. In addition, many people who don’t feel comfortable riding a standard bike because of age, health issues, the need to carry passengers or cargo, etc., may replace car trips with bike trips on an electric bike.

However, the classic bicycle is incredibly energy-efficient and elegant transportation, and some places do offer incentives to help residents buy non-motorized bicycles. For example, the French government is offering 400 Euros to citizens who trade their cars for a bike or e-bike. CalBike would love to see a program like this in California and we will continue to explore ways to encourage more people to choose the joy of riding a bike.

Where can I buy an e-bike with a CARB incentive?

The program administrator will provide a list of qualifying bike retailers. You can buy from a bike shop or order an e-bike online.

How do I purchase a bike with an incentive?

The statewide incentive will be a point-of-sale benefit. Once you pick out a bike from a qualifying retailer, the incentive amount will be applied when you make the purchase. You don’t have to put out that money up front and get reimbursed.

I’m an e-bike retailer. How can I participate in the program?

The administrator will set up a process for e-bike retailers who want to accept e-bike incentive vouchers to apply to participate. Qualifying retailers need to have some kind of physical presence in California (a shop, office, or manufacturing facility), even if you sell your bikes exclusively online. You may need to supply parts to local retailers so participants can have access to repairs and service.

The process for retailers to join the program has not been set yet. Sign up for our e-bike interest list below, and we’ll share information about retailer participation when it becomes available.

How can I help shape California’s statewide incentives program?

CARB has been holding work group meetings to take input on the program. Sign up for CARB’s e-bike email list to get notified of the next work group meeting later this fall. We also send advance notice of work group meetings through the CalBike list.

To send comments on the program directly, email CleanTransportationIncentives@arb.ca.gov.

How do I get more information about the e-bike incentive program?

Have we mentioned that CalBike has an e-bike incentives interest list? Use the form below to add your name, and we’ll send periodic updates as we get more information, including letting you know when you can apply.

You can also sign up for CARB’s e-bike email list to get information directly from CARB.

Coalition Requests $50M E-Bike Funding

April 27, 2023/by Laura McCamy

For Immediate Release: 4/27/23

Contact: Laura McCamy, CalBike | 510-214-6156, laura@calbike.org

Clean Air and Active Transportation Groups Seek $50M for CA E-Bike Program

Sacramento, CA – Today, a coalition of environmental, public health, and active transportation organizations have sent a letter to California state budget leadership requesting an additional $50M for the California Air Resources Board’s Electric Bicycle Incentive Project. The coalition argues this funding will “…help the state transition to clean transportation in order to meet its ambitious climate goals.”

The coalition submitting this request includes: Active San Gabriel Valley, California Bicycle Coalition, Coalition for Clean Air, Environment California, Safe Routes Partnership, and the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR).

E-Bikes: A Great Climate Investment for California

Callifornians are eager to begin replacing car trips with e-bike trips. The conversion of Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) from auto to active transportation can dramatically improve air quality for children and the elderly in our polluted cities. It’s also a climate-transportation win-win.

“The Coalition for Clean Air is proud to be a part of a coalition advocating to increase funding for the Electric Bicycle Incentive Project. We believe this program will reduce greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions, lower VMT, promote equity, and improve quality of life for Californians if properly administered and funded,” said Sofia Rafikova, Policy Advocate at the Coalition for Clean Air.

The Electric Bicycle Incentive Project, run by CARB, the letter explains, “…is modeled after similar programs across the country, this program will award at-point-of-purchase vouchers to low-income Californians to reduce the costs of purchasing an electric bicycle.…This program ensures that these benefits only apply to those who need them the most and that the vouchers successfully incentivize the switch from driving to using electric bicycles, thus, reducing the amount of greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions coming from the transportation sector.”

More Funding Needed

The California Bicycle Coalition has been curating an e-bike incentive interest list that currently has over 16,000 members. Based on the $7.5M currently available through the EBIP program after administration, education, and outreach costs, the pilot program to be between 3,000 and 7,000 vouchers. Because the program only has a fraction of the funding it needs to meet the demand, the coalition letter warns, “…the funding for the program could run out just a few days after its launch.”

“The California Electric Bicycle Incentive Project offers a huge bang-for-the-buck being spent to reduce the state’s climate pollution. Expanding this program will provide more equitable access to clean transportation and help the state meet our climate goals. It’s a double win,” said Jared Sanchez, Policy Director, CalBike.

“The Electric Bike Incentive Program (EBIP) will enable low-income Californians to travel more conveniently and sustainably, in addition to drastically reducing emissions from gas-powered cars. The state should expand this program and make it recurring to meet the overwhelming demand for electric bike incentives,” said Jack Barber, Campaign Associate, Environment California

More Info:
Why E-Bikes Could Change Everything: Cities take on transportation’s whopping carbon footprint – Sierra Magazine, October 2022
E-Bike Purchase Incentives FAQs – CalBike, April 2023

Bike, Yield, Go: Trying to Pass the Safety Stop (Again)

April 24, 2023/by Jared Sanchez

Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath has introduced a bill (AB 73) to legalize the bicycle safety stop. Currently, you could get ticketed for rolling through a stop sign on your bike instead of coming to a complete stop. AB 73 would make it legal for bike riders over the age of 18 to treat stop signs as yields, proceeding without fully stopping if they have the right of way and it’s safe to ride through.

As you’ll remember, if you’ve been following CalBike’s efforts to pass bike-friendly legislation, this isn’t the safety stop’s first trip through the California legislature. It passed the Assembly and Senate in 2021, but the governor vetoed it. In 2022, it was poised to reach the governor’s desk yet again, but Boerner Horvath pulled it at the last minute ahead of a promised second veto.

So why are we hopeful that the governor will sign this bill into law in 2023? Because we’ve seen this pattern before.

Slow adoption of active transportation safety

In 2021, Newsom vetoed two bills that would have decriminalized common, safe biking and walking behaviors. Both bills came back in 2022, and he signed a modified version of the Freedom to Walk Act, which directed police to no longer stop people from “jaywalking” except in cases of clear danger. It may have helped that, in the extra year, the national discussion about biased enforcement of laws like jaywalking gained steam and more jurisdictions changed their laws without negative consequences.

Let’s pause for a moment and note that, contrary to some dire predictions, people trying to cross the street haven’t thrown themselves in front of traffic now that the Freedom to Walk Act is the law. We all continue what we were doing before: making considered decisions about when and where it’s safe to cross the street. The only difference is that reasonable behavior is no longer grounds for ticketing and harassing BIPOC Californians.

In his veto statement in 2021, the governor cited his concern that allowing people on bikes to treat stop signs as yields would be unsafe, despite studies from other states showing the opposite. It was another example of the infuriatingly slow pace of change in lawmakers’ understanding of transportation data and best practices.

In 2022, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a fact sheet endorsing stop-as-yield, citing that the law actually increases safety, making bike riding more appealing. Later that year, Streetsblog reported that a top transportation administrator supported the law.

Will federal support and the growing number of states that have passed similar laws be enough to sway the governor this year? Here’s why we’re hopeful.

3 reasons we think the bicycle safety stop could win in 2023

The provisions of AB 73 aren’t substantially different from the bill that failed last year, but we’re hopeful it can gain the governor’s signature in 2023. Yes, that’s partly because we’re optimists (we’re bike advocates — we have to be). But we also see good reasons to believe it could pass.

It doesn’t cost the state money. In a year of belt-tightening, lawmakers, including Governor Newsom, will look for policy wins without fiscal implications, and the Bicycle Safety Stop fills that need.
A surge in bike-friendly policy in Sacramento. In 2022, the demise of the safety stop was the exception rather than the rule. Most of the bills in a historic slate of active transportation measures became law. With climate change making itself felt more ferociously every year in our state, active transportation measures are gaining traction.
The support of CalBike members like you. We’ll let bike advocates like you know about opportunities to reach out to your representatives and the governor. And this year, we’ll be pulling out all the stops. That means emailing, posting on social media, and even picking up the phone and making a call (yes, we hate making phone calls too, but it has a more significant impact than sending emails or posting). Let’s tell the governor that California wants the bicycle safety stop!

Support AB 825 for Safe Passage for People on Bikes

March 17, 2023/by Jared Sanchez

Update: AB 825 will come up for a floor vote in the Assembly soon. Please take the action at the bottom of this email to tell your assemblymember to Vote YES on AB 825.

Assembly Bill 825 (Bryan) comes up for a vote in the Assembly Committee on Transportation on Monday, March 20, and it needs your support. The bill will legalize bike riding on sidewalks on streets and highways that don’t include a Class I, Class II, or Class IV bikeway, giving people on bikes a safe, legal option to ride.

AB 825 includes provisions for sidewalk safety. It sets a bicycle speed limit of 10 mph on the sidewalk and requires people on bikes to yield to pedestrians.

Better bikeways are our first choice

Is sidewalk riding ideal? No. In CalBike’s perfect world, we’d have safe, connected, protected bikeways creating convenient transportation networks throughout our communities. Most streets would be Complete Streets, with safe facilities for all modes of transportation.

But that’s not the reality today and, even if lawmakers take our Invest/Divest Campaign to heart and fully fund our active transportation needs immediately, it will take years to transform every dangerous roadway in California into a safe route for biking. In the meantime, people on bikes must, at times, travel on streets with fast traffic and no bike lanes. AB 825 allows bike riders to share space with pedestrians rather than 2-ton, speeding vehicles.

AB 825 is a step toward ending harassment of people on bikes

As an excellent LA Times investigation showed, police disproportionately target people on bikes, particularly Black and Latino men, stopping them for small infractions and then subjecting them to invasive searches. Disadvantaged neighborhoods are more likely to lack safe bikeways, forcing people to ride on sidewalks. Decriminalizing sidewalk riding protects vulnerable populations from police encounters that can sometimes be deadly, in addition to shielding them from traffic violence.

AB 825 puts bike rider safety first. CalBike strongly supports this bill, and we hope you will, too.