The Overview

If you use Forest Lawn Drive in Los Angeles, a provision added to SB 194 on August 28 bars the city from cutting lanes on that road without City Council approval, the mayor's sign-off and a public hearing, even though LADOT data show 95 collisions there from 2013 to 2023. ​

California's SB 194, a transportation and budget bill, became law when Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed it Sept. 18. Los Angeles Department of Transportation data showed 95 collisions on Forest Lawn Drive from 2013 to 2023, including crashes that seriously injured or killed three people, according to NBC Los Angeles. The law took effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the state budget.

What the Law Does

The law bars any California city with a population of 2 million or more from reducing vehicle travel lanes on a street that provides the only access to two or more adjacent cemeteries without first getting City Council approval, the mayor's concurrence, and a duly noticed public hearing with written findings. That requirement could affect a long-planned safety project on Forest Lawn Drive, which serves as the sole access road to two adjacent cemeteries, LAist reported. The law also makes a technical correction to an existing zero-emission vehicle incentive program, expands California Highway Patrol security protections to immediate family members of current and former constitutional officers and legislators, and increases a Highway Patrol appropriation in the 2026 state budget.

Legislative Status

The Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review sponsored the bill. The Senate passed it 28–10 on March 20, 2025. The cemetery-access amendment was added Aug. 28, 2026, roughly 17 months later. The Assembly pulled the amended bill from committee without a hearing and passed it three days later, 59–18. The Senate concurred in the Assembly amendments 29–9 on Aug. 31.

Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur, who represents the project area, confirmed to LAist that a lobbying firm retained by a cemetery had contacted his office about "the harmful impact of the proposed projects on access to the cemeteries and the surrounding area." Streets For All, an advocacy organization, condemned SB 194 in a statement, saying it threatened planned safety improvements on Forest Lawn Drive. Streetsblog Los Angeles called the cemetery-access language a "poison pill" inserted at the last minute.

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