(

a) The State Transit Assistance Program, also known as the STA program, which provides for allocations of funds made available from the Public Transportation Account pursuant to Sections and 99314, and which is governed by Sections to 99314.9, inclusive, is hereby continued in existence. The purpose of the STA program is to provide a source of state funding to eligible public transportation operators and other transportation agencies in order to support their local and regional transit operating and capital needs. (

b) For purposes of the STA program, the following terms shall have the following meanings: (1) “Public transportation operator” has the same meaning as “operator,” as defined in

Section 99210, as long as that operator operates a “public transportation system,” as defined in

Section 99211. (2) “STA-eligible operator” means a public transportation operator eligible to claim local transportation funds under either

Article 4 (commencing with

Section 99260) or

Article 8 (commencing with

Section 99400), or under both articles. (

c) The only entities eligible to receive direct allocations from the Controller under Sections and shall be transportation planning agencies, county transportation commissions, and the San Diego Metropolitan Transit Development Board. The Controller shall distribute funds attributable to transportation planning agencies, county transportation commissions, and the San Diego Metropolitan Transit Development Board to the applicable county treasurer’s office.

Upon the request of a transportation planning agency, county transportation commission, or the San Diego Metropolitan Transit Development Board, the Controller shall instead distribute the applicable funds directly to the requesting agency. (

d) Only STA-eligible operators shall be eligible to receive STA program funds allocated by transportation planning agencies, county transportation commissions, and the San Diego Metropolitan Transit Development Board pursuant to

Section 99314. An STA-eligible operator, at its discretion, may further suballocate funds it receives pursuant to

Section to an entity operating local community transit services that is eligible to claim local transportation funds pursuant to

Article 4.5 (commencing with

Section 99275) but that is otherwise ineligible to directly receive funds allocated pursuant to

Section 99314. (

e) An entity operating community transit services pursuant to

Article 4.5 (commencing with

Section 99275) may be allocated funds pursuant to

Section as a subrecipient at the discretion of the transportation planning agency, the county transportation commission, or the San Diego Metropolitan Transit Development Board. (

f) The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which is both a county transportation commission for purposes of Sections and 99314, and an STA-eligible operator for purposes of

Section 99314, may incorporate into its report pursuant to

Section any operating costs for local community transit service under contract with the authority, including service provided by a consolidated transportation service agency pursuant to

Section 99204.5 or by operators eligible to expend local transportation funds only under

Article 4.5 (commencing with

Section 99275).