- Brody Fernandez
- (916) 276-3390
- brody.fernandez@asm.ca.gov
SACRAMENTO, CA – Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria (D-Merced) is announcing her bill AB 1111 today, which seeks to address challenges that local educational agencies (LEAs) face in adopting zero-emission school buses by 2035. AB 1111 extends the deadline to 2045, makes changes to existing exemptions to consider infrastructure and fire safety concerns, and provides flexibility to an existing school bus scrapping program to provide buses for challenged districts.
“Our school districts across the state are already facing several new challenges in 2025, including figuring out how to adopt zero-emission school bus fleets by 2035,” Soria said. “As someone who represents rural school districts throughout the Central Valley, these timelines are simply, not practical. These rural districts don’t have the resources, capacity, or infrastructure to meet these state-mandated requirements. AB 1111 extends these mandates by 10 years to 2045, providing LEAs with more flexibility, and time to make the switch to zero-emission school bus fleets.”
Despite attempts to accommodate challenges to the adoption of zero-emission school bus fleets, many hurdles have remained unaddressed. A recent survey of superintendents found that many faced challenges including cost, increased maintenance, and lack of charging infrastructure, along with existing electrical infrastructure supporting new charging stations.
“Assemblywoman Soria has authored AB 1111 to address the shortcomings in existing legislation that set an impractical timeline for electric vehicle adoption,” said California School Boards Association (CSBA) President Bettye Lusk. “While a number of school districts and county offices of education are embracing the transition to zero-emission school busses, many others face significant barriers to their adoption. Performance across a range of topography and climate conditions, infrastructure and utility challenges, safety concerns, and cost, are all issues that need to be addressed. AB 1111 acknowledges the reality of electric vehicles and establishes a 10-year grace period from the 2035 zero-emission vehicle purchasing mandate, creating an opportunity for the technology to catch up to the demands of this large and diverse state.”
AB 1111 will be heard by the Assembly Education Committee on Wednesday, April 9. Stay tuned on our website and social handles for the most updated information.
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Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria represents the 27th Assembly District which includes communities in Fresno, Madera, and Merced counties.