SAN DIEGO — According to a report by Olivia Harden of SFGate, police in San Diego have “written thousands of tickets” and fined drivers “over $100” for violating a controversial state law that many other California cities have deemed too difficult to enforce. Harden reported that thousands of drivers have already been cited in the past two months alone.
As SFGate detailed, the San Diego Police Department’s Parking Enforcement Team has issued 4,200 tickets for violations of California’s new “daylighting law” (SB 413), according to an email from the department’s supervisor. The daylighting law, which took effect on March 1, prohibits drivers from parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk—including unmarked crosswalks without painted lines.
Confusion has arisen, Harden noted, because many curbs are not painted red to the full 20 feet, leaving drivers unaware they are in violation.
San Diego Parking Enforcement supervisor Logen told KUSI-TV that the majority of tickets were issued in high-traffic neighborhoods like La Jolla, Normal Heights, North Park, Hillcrest, University Heights, Ocean Beach, and Pacific Beach. Prior to enforcement, police reportedly issued 1,500 warning tickets to educate the public.
City of San Diego spokesperson Anthony Santacroce defended the enforcement, noting that 43 states already have similar daylighting laws, most of which “prohibit parking within 20 feet of an intersection.” He pointed out that the average U.S. car is about 14 feet long, so 20 feet is roughly equivalent to one and a half car lengths, SFGate reported.
However, in other parts of California, such as San Francisco, local agencies have taken a different approach. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency has clarified that it “would not fine drivers for violating the law due to the lack of painted red curbs,” according to SFGate.
Despite growing criticism, Santacroce said San Diego is working on expanding red curb markings but acknowledged the city “has yet to add any in La Jolla,” the area with the highest number of citations. He added that the city has evaluated more than 1,000 of the busiest intersections in San Diego’s densest areas, reviewed curb conditions at over 200 locations, and removed 97 parking meters that fell within the 20-foot restricted zones.
Adding to the controversy, SFGate reported that the City of San Diego has raised the fine for daylighting violations from $40 to $117—an increase that could generate up to $3 million in revenue by the end of the year.
