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. (a) The authority has all of the powers necessary for
planning, acquiring, leasing, developing, jointly developing, owning,
controlling, using, jointly using, disposing of, designing,
procuring, and building the project, including, but not limited to,
all of the following:
(1) Acceptance of grants, fees, allocations, and transfers of
funds from federal, state, and local agencies, as well as private
entities.
(2) Acquiring, through purchase or through eminent domain
proceedings, any property necessary for, incidental to, or convenient
for, the exercise of the powers of the authority.
(3) Incurring indebtedness, secured by pledges of revenue
available for project completion.
(4) Contracting with public and private entities for the planning,
design, and construction of the project. These contracts may be
assigned separately or may be combined to include any or all tasks
necessary for completion of the project.
(5) Entering into cooperative or joint development agreements with
local governments or private entities. These agreements may be
entered into for the purpose of sharing costs, selling or leasing
land, air, or development rights, providing for the transferring of
passengers, making pooling arrangements, or for any other purpose
that is necessary for, incidental to, or convenient for the full
exercise of the powers granted the authority. For purposes of this
paragraph, "joint development" includes, but is not limited to, an
agreement with any person, firm, corporation, association, or
organization for the operation of facilities or development of
projects adjacent to, or physically or functionally related to, the
project.
(6) Relocation of utilities, as necessary for completion of the
project.
(b) The duties of the authority include, but are not limited to,
all of the following:
(1) Conducting the financial studies and the planning and
engineering necessary for completion of the project.
(2) (A) Adoption of an administrative code, not later than 60 days
after establishment of the authority, for administration of the
authority in accordance with any applicable laws, including, but not
limited to, the Ralph M. Brown Act (Chapter 9 (commencing with
Section 54950) of Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 5 of the Government
Code), the provisions of this chapter, laws generally applicable to
local agency procurements and contracts, laws relating to contracting
goals for minority and women business participation, and the
Political Reform Act of 1974 (Title 9 (commencing with Section 81000)
of the Government Code).
(B) (i) The administrative code adopted under subparagraph (A)
shall include a code of conduct for employees and board members that
is consistent with Sections 84308 and 87103 of the Government Code
and prohibits board members and staff from accepting gifts valued at
ten dollars ($10) or more from contractors, potential contractors, or
their subcontractors.
(ii) The code shall require the disclosure, on the record, of the
proceedings by the officer of the agency who receives a contribution
within the preceding 24 months in an amount of more than two hundred
fifty dollars ($250) from a party or participant to a proceeding, and
the disclosure by the party or participant.
(iii) The code shall provide that no officer of the agency shall
make, participate in making, or in any way attempt to use his or her
official position to influence the decision in a proceeding, as
described in Section 84308 of the Government Code, if the officer has
willfully or knowingly received a contribution in the amount of more
than two hundred fifty dollars ($250) within the preceding 24 months
from a party or his or her agent, or from any participant or his or
her agent if the participant has a financial interest in the
decision.
(iv) Any officer deemed ineligible to participate in a proceeding
due to the provisions of this code of conduct may be replaced for the
purposes of that proceeding by an appointee chosen by the
appropriate appointing authority.
(v) Under the code of conduct, board members shall be deemed to
have a financial interest in a decision within the meaning of Section
87100 of the Government Code if the decision involves the donor of,
or intermediary or agent for a donor of, a gift or gifts aggregating
ten dollars ($10) or more in value within the 12 months prior to the
time the decision was made.
(vi) Board members and alternate members shall not be considered
financially interested, under or for the purposes of Section 1090 of
the Government Code, solely by virtue of their holding office with
the authority and, concurrently, holding office with an entity set
forth in subdivision (a) of Section 132415, an extension city, or
both such an entity and such a city, and they may participate in
decisions and agreements regarding the authority, any of the entities
set forth in subdivision (a) of Section 132415, and any of the
extension cities. The participation described in this clause shall
not constitute a conflict of interest under or for the purposes of
Section 1090 of the Government Code, or an incompatible employment,
activity, or enterprise under or for the purposes of Section 1126 of
the Government Code.
(c) The authority shall make reasonable progress, as determined by
the commission, in the design and construction of the project within
the timetable imposed under the 1998 State Transportation
Improvement Program.