Should be named the Freight Rail Extinguishment Act. Should be good for business in Jean and Sparks NV, Medford and KF OR, and places along the AZ border, which will be the new target (instead of the Inland Empire) for truck drays from the ports. Hmmm ... was this written by Brian Peoples to get rid of freight on the Santa Cruz Branch (and for that matter NWP)? Assuming of course that the short trains those lines operate are run by one person with a belt pack for switching.

And it's OK to have one-person (in the cab) crews on Amtrak (standard on most CA runs), and only a driver on rail transit (does the computer count as a crew member on BART?)? Guess the transit unions forgot to jump on this one (bring back streetcar conductors!).

How many significant FREIGHT (since that's what was targeted) wrecks have there been in CA in the last 5 or 10 years that were even arguably caused by having one person running the train?

Finally, doesn't the Federal Govt have a say in this? Could the RRs and Short Lines (through their association(s)) go to FRA and get the state laws overruled? If not there, then the current anti-union Congress (Senate might take a bit more work, until next year) would almost certainly pass a preemption bill.