City Staff to Draft Tough Ride-Sharing Rules : Traffic: The city would assume authority that usually belongs to the AQMD. Businesses worry that the ordinance would mean more red tape.

In an unusual move that would give Santa Monica authority usually assumed by the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the city is preparing an ordinance under which local businesses that do not require employees to car-pool would be fined.

Although the AQMD allows cities to develop their own regulations, Santa Monica’s city staff said only Irvine and Santa Monica have considered such measures.

The City Council said the proposed regulations, dubbed a “Transporation Management Plan,” are needed to mitigate local traffic and pollution. “The city, by this ordinance, not only is doing its share, but is going further,” said Councilman Dennis Zane.

The City Council voted unanimously this week to have the city staff draft the ordinance, under which businesses with more than 100 employees would have to ensure by next year that an average of at least 1.5 employees would be riding in each car to and from work during peak traffic hours.

Firms with 50 or more employees would come under the rules in two years, and firms with 10 through 49 employees in three years. Fines for not complying with the 1.5-rider standard would be $6 per employee per year for businesses with 50 employees or more, and $8 per employee for businesses with 10 to 49 employees.

Employers, however, would be able to reduce their fees if they joined a transportation management association--a pool of companies in which employees could be matched for ride-sharing.

But the city staff is considering changing the proposed fee structure and requirements in response to the council’s concerns that the fees should be tailored annually to meet the need for city ride-sharing programs, public transportation and traffic improvements. The fees would also support transportation management associations.

The AQMD allows cities to implement their own rules as long as they are at least as stringent as the district’s. Under Santa Monica’s plan, businesses would report to the city rather than to the district on compliance with transportation rules.

City staff, however, is considering allowing businesses with branches throughout Southern California to adhere to the district’s regionwide rules rather than having to face different local rules.

Santa Monica business leaders were opposed to parts of the plan. A spokeswoman for the Southern California Gas Co. said it would create more bureaucracy, “a logistical nightmare.”

She said the Santa Monica plan would open the door for other cities to create their own transportation plans, burdening companies that have many regional offices. The council asked city staff to ensure that the ordinance have a minimum of red tape.