The Overview

If you live near a railroad site on the Public Utilities Commission's list of local safety hazards, the commission must review that list by July 1, 2029, and decide whether changed conditions warrant removing, modifying, or adding any site. California's railroad safety bill, SB 667, became law when Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed it Sept. 18. Deaths at Los Angeles County railroad crossings had risen since 2020 and railroad-related accidents statewide were also up, NBC Los Angeles reported in 2023, citing federal data. The law requires the state's Public Utilities Commission to complete its review of hazardous railroad sites by July 1, 2029. ​

What the Law Does

Under existing law, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) must report annually to the Legislature on railroad sites it finds hazardous, including a list of sites that pose a local safety hazard, and may carry over the prior year's list with amendments as needed. The law now requires the California Public Utilities Commission to review the list of hazardous railroad sites by July 1, 2029, and to include in its annual report an evaluation of each site on whether changes in conditions, operations, or safety data warrant removing, modifying, or adding it.

Legislative Status

Sen. Bob Archuleta (D-CA-30) sponsored the bill as its sole listed lead sponsor. The upper chamber voted 12-4 on April 21, 2025, to pass it, with a motion to first send it to a transportation committee. The Senate voted 11-3 on Jan. 13, 2026, to pass it, with a motion to first send it back to the Appropriations Committee. A Senate panel passed it 4-2 on Jan. 22, and the full Senate passed it 26-11 on Jan. 27. The Assembly passed SB 667 78-0 on Aug. 24, and the Senate concurred in Assembly amendments 39-0 on Aug. 27.

The California School Employees Association registered support. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority had adopted a position of "oppose unless amended" in February 2026. Archuleta's office described the law as requiring the CPUC to evaluate its hazardous-sites list by July 1, 2029, according to a September newsletter from the Office of Sen. Bob Archuleta.

The state's high-speed rail program has drawn repeated legislative oversight, and bills addressing the High-Speed Rail Authority's contracts, board membership, reports and inspector general have been introduced since at least 1999.

  • Assembly Bill 615 appropriated $4 million from the High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Fund for the Los Angeles to San Diego segment and was chaptered in 2011 as Chapter 530, Statutes of 2011.
  • Assembly Bill 952 would have restricted gifts to the authority's members, employees and consultants and barred them from appearing before the authority for three years after leaving, but the Governor vetoed it in 2011.
  • Senate Bill 1260, which would have provided independent review through the authority's inspector general, failed in committee on a 5-8 vote in the 2023-2024 session.
  • Assembly Bill 2879, which concerned the authority's contracting, was chaptered in 2024 as Chapter 248, Statutes of 2024.
  • Assembly Bill 1290, which addressed Senate confirmation of the authority's members, failed in the 2025-2026 session.

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