Meeting_Body
REVISED
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
MARCH 19, 2026
Subject
SUBJECT: SENATE BILL 667
Action
ACTION: OPPOSE UNLESS AMENDED SEEK AMENDMENTS
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
ADOPT the following staff recommended position:
SB 667 (Archuleta) - Railroads: Safety. Wayside Detectors. As amended January 22, 2026. - OPPOSE UNLESS AMENDED SEEK AMENDMENTS
Issue
ISSUE
Staff recommends that the Board of Directors adopt an OPPOSE UNLESS AMENDED position on Senate Bill 667, as amended on January 22, 2026.
Background
BACKGROUND
SB 667 would require railroad corporations to install wayside detectors at specified intervals along California rail tracks serving freight trains. The bill also establishes penalties for violations of the bill's provisions and requires the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to enforce those penalties. Specifically, the bill would:
* Define a wayside detection system as an electronic device or series of connected devices that scans passing freight trains and their component equipment and parts for defects.
* Require a railroad corporation to install these wayside detectors adjacent to tracks used by freight rail at the following intervals: class I railroads: every 10 miles; class II railroads: every 25 miles; and class III railroads: every 35 miles.
* Prohibit freight trains from travelling faster than 10 miles per hour on tracks that do not have compliant wayside detectors.
* Require the CPUC to adopt rules to implement this bill.
This bill is co-sponsored by three different union groups and was brought forward in response to the 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
SB 667 is a two-year bill first introduced in the Legislature on February 20, 2025. The bill's first committee hearing in April was canceled at the request of the author, with Senator Archuleta choosing to bring back the legislation in January of 2026, passing out of the Senate befor...
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