Attorney General Bonta Issues Enforcement Advisory on Truck Route Requirements Set by AB 98 to Avoid Harm to Communities

Advises affected jurisdictions to comply with the law and route trucks to minimize exposure to residences, schools, day cares, parks, playgrounds, and more

OAKLAND - California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued an enforcement advisory letter to eight jurisdictions in California's warehouse concentration region that have not complied with their requirements under Assembly Bill (AB) 98 (Carrillo, Reyes, 2024) to amend their general plans to include truck routes that avoid residential areas and "sensitive receptors," such as schools, day cares, parks, playgrounds, nursing homes, and hospitals. As defined under the law, California's warehouse concentration region consists of two Inland Empire counties, San Bernardino and Riverside County, and 12 cities within those counties. As part of the law's requirements, these jurisdictions must also provide opportunities for heightened community engagement on truck route planning that reach all economic segments of the community. By identifying specific routes for trucks that avoid residential areas and sensitive receptors, jurisdictions can reduce burdens on communities that result from the pollution, noise, road deterioration, accidents, and other road hazards created by truck traffic. The enforcement advisory is directed to the eight jurisdictions that have not amended their general plans despite the law's January 1, 2026, deadline: Chino, Moreno Valley, Perris, Rancho Cucamonga, Rialto, Riverside, Ontario, and Riverside County.

"California is fighting for vulnerable communities and finding real solutions that help everyday people, like preventing pollution, noise, traffic, and potholes from trucks cutting through quiet neighborhoods where parents and children live, sleep, and go to school," said Attorney General Bonta. "That's why California law requires cities and counties to establish specific truck routes that minimize impacts in areas where communities would feel it the most. Everyone must do their part to make our communities better. With this advisory, we're making sure California's planning laws are followed, and helping ensure every community can enjoy the same prosperous quality of life that makes California the golden state to work and live in."

"AB 98 was about making sure our communities are not forced to bear the health and safety burdens that come with heavy truck traffic. When trucks are routed through neighborhoods, past schools and day cares, and near other sensitive locations, families pay the price through increased pollution, noise, traffic hazards, and deteriorating roads," said Assemblymember Juan Carrillo (D-Palmdale). "The law gave local jurisdictions clear requirements and a clear deadline. Today's enforcement action reinforces that these protections are not optional. I appreciate Attorney General Bonta for holding jurisdictions accountable and ensuring that the communities most impacted by warehouse and truck traffic have a meaningful voice in how truck routes are planned. We worked hard to pass AB 98 because every family deserves to live, work, and raise their children in a community where public health and safety are taken seriously. I will continue working to make sure the law is implemented as intended and that residents have a seat at the table."

"For decades, Inland Empire communities have carried an outsized share of the pollution and public health impacts that come with moving goods throughout California," said Senator Eloise Gómez Reyes (D-Colton). "Families should not have to accept heavy truck traffic in front of their homes, and children should not have to breathe diesel exhaust on their way to school. We fought for stronger protections because the health and quality of life of our residents cannot continue to be treated as the cost of doing business. I am grateful to Attorney General Bonta for making clear that these protections are not optional. The law must be followed, and our communities deserve to feel the difference."

Warehouse Concentration Region

California's warehouse concentration region consists of two counties - Riverside and San Bernardino - and 12 cities within those counties - Chino, Colton, Fontana, Jurupa Valley, Moreno Valley, Perris, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands, Rialto, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ontario. The concentration region constitutes the area of the state with the highest concentration of warehouses, and, as a result, communities in the region experience some of the greatest exposures to truck pollution and other safety and quality of life issues that come with the significant truck traffic in the area. Trucks travelling to and from warehouses emit nitrogen oxide and diesel particulate matter, which contribute to smog formation and the development of health problems like asthma, cancer, and heart disease. Trucks can also create noise pollution and create safety issues like traffic jams, deterioration of road surfaces, and traffic accidents.

The eight jurisdictions in the warehouse concentration region that have not amended their general plans - Chino, Moreno Valley, Perris, Rancho Cucamonga, Rialto, Riverside, Ontario, and Riverside County - have made varying degrees of progress toward compliance. The deadline to complete the amendments was January 1, 2026, and the statute provides for enforcement by the Attorney General, including a possible civil penalty of up to $50,000 every six months, attorneys' fees and costs, and equitable and injunctive relief. While expeditious compliance with the law is important, it is also critically important that these noncompliant jurisdictions take the necessary steps to engage impacted communities and ensure the truck routes they ultimately adopt adequately protect sensitive receptors.

Assembly Bill 98

AB 98, as amended by Senate Bill 415 (Reyes, 2025), requires that jurisdictions in the warehouse concentration region amend the circulation element of their general plans to include truck routes that minimize negative effects on sensitive receptors, including residences, schools, day cares, parks, playgrounds, nursing homes, and hospitals. To reduce the negative impacts of truck routes on communities, jurisdictions must establish truck routes that safely accommodate additional truck traffic; avoid residential areas and sensitive receptors; and maximize use of interstate highways, arterial roads, major thoroughfares, and roads that are predominantly commercial, agricultural, or industrial.

AB 98 also requires a heightened standard of community outreach, mandating that jurisdictions create engagement opportunities on the truck routes for all segments of the community. The proper implementation of AB 98, with thoughtfully planned truck routes and robust community engagement, will reduce impacts on environmental justice communities that bear the health and safety burdens of living near truck routes.

Truck Routing Requirements Outside of the Warehouse Concentration Region

AB 98's requirement to create truck routes that avoid residential areas and sensitive receptors and conduct heightened community engagement applies to all California cities and counties. However, jurisdictions outside of the warehouse concentration region must adopt an ordinance, rather than a general plan amendment, to comply with AB 98. The deadline for jurisdictions outside the warehouse concentration region to adopt a truck route ordinance is either January 1, 2028, or January 1, 2030, depending on the jurisdiction's population. While not the focus of this enforcement advisory, the advisory can be a useful reference for jurisdictions with future deadlines to adopt a truck route ordinance.