Assemblyman Jeff Gonzalez and Assemblymember Greg Wallis announced the introduction of AB 1145 , also known as Tristin’s Bill, a critical piece of legislation that will initiate a comprehensive safety study of Highway 74 and similar roads throughout California. Highway 74 a narrow mountain highway that has become increasingly dangerous due to heavy semi-truck traffic and worsening road conditions. The legislation is named in memory of Tristin Bourgeois, a beloved father, son, husband and native of Anza who tragically lost his life on HWY 74 at the age of 27. AB 1145 will direct CalTrans to conduct a detailed study and submit an annual report to the Legislature with findings and safety recommendations. Specifically, the study will analyze: The number of fatal and non-fatal accidents over the past 10 years, all 911 calls related to tire blowouts and road conditions, incidents involving semi-trucks and large commercial vehicles, the number and type of citations issued for vehicle code violations on HWY 74 and similar roads throughout the state of California, the number of injuries and fatalities occurring, data on brake failure or mechanical issues as contributing factors in accidents, all of the following relating to enforcement facilities, the identification of transportation corridors used to bypass enforcement facilities, the resulting dangers, hazards, poor conditions, and other consequences of the transportation corridors, the identification of hot spots on the corridors. This legislation seeks to address long-standing concerns over large commercial trucks using HWY 74 —a narrow, winding road that was never engineered for high-volume or heavy-load traffic. Residents report frequent potholes, road degradation and a rising number of traffic incidents.
Greg Wallis represents California’s 47th Assembly District.
