The Department of General Services is authorized to acquire, pursuant to the Property Acquisition Law (Part 11, commencing with Section 15850, Division 3, Title 2, Government Code) or by lease or other means, real property and to construct, operate, and maintain motor vehicle parking facilities thereon for state officers and employees, or other persons, provided that no such acquisition shall be commenced pursuant to the Property Acquisition Law unless and until an appropriation of funds therefor has been made by the Legislature. The department may enter into arrangements with other public and state agencies for joint use of motor vehicle parking facilities, provided the benefit to be derived by the state is commensurate with its participation. The department may prescribe the terms and conditions of this parking, including the payment of parking fees in any amounts and under any circumstances as may be determined by the department. Varying rates of parking fees may be established for different localities or for different parking facilities. The department may charge different rates of parking fees based on the number of riders in each vehicle. In determining rates of parking fees the department shall consider the rates charged in the same locality by other public agencies and by private employers for employee parking. The use of electricity by state government and other government entities, state officers and employees, or other persons for the charging of an electric vehicle in a department maintained or joint use motor vehicle parking facility is not a gift of public funds by the department that is prohibited by Section 6 of Article XVI of the California Constitution.

Revenues received by the department from (a) any of the hereinabove motor vehicle parking facilities as may be designated by the director, and (b) motor vehicle parking facilities under the jurisdiction of any other state agency which has entered into an agreement with the department for the payment of revenues therefrom to the department, shall be deposited in the General Fund and are hereby appropriated, without regard to fiscal years, to the Department of General Services for the construction, operation, and maintenance of motor vehicle parking facilities on real property acquired hereunder or on real property under the jurisdiction of any other state agency which has agreed to the payment of revenues as aforesaid from its motor vehicle parking facilities to the department, for reimbursement to state agencies for all or part of the costs incurred by these agencies in selling public transit passes at a discount to defray state agency employees’ commuting costs, and for other approved transportation subsidy programs. The department shall certify to the Department of Finance the amount of funds available for reimbursement of transportation subsidies. The Department of Finance shall determine the amount that may be withdrawn by state agencies for payment of these subsidies. Requests from state agencies for reimbursement shall include appropriate verification of the state agency’s costs. Any unneeded balance in this appropriation shall be transferred by the Controller on order of the Director of General Services to the unappropriated balance of the General Fund.

The Legislature by this section does not intend to authorize the institution of a private parking program unrelated to state purposes in competition with private industry.

(Amended by Stats. 2014, Ch. 215, Sec. 1. (AB 2414) Effective January 1, 2015.)