SB 1279: Speed safety systems.

Existing law authorizes, until January 1, 2032, the City of Long Beach (city), among others, Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, Glendale, or Long Beach, or the City and County of San Francisco to establish a program for speed enforcement that utilizes a speed safety system if the system meets specified requirements, including limits on the number of speed safety systems operated by the city at any time based on population. Existing law requires the speed safety system, to the extent feasible, to be angled and focused so as to only capture photographs of speeding violations and prohibits the speed safety system from capturing identifying images of other drivers, vehicles, or pedestrians. Existing law prohibits a speed safety system in the city systems in participating cities from being operated on any California state route, including all freeways and expressways, United States highways, interstate highways, or any public road in unincorporated areas of any county where the Commissioner of the California Highway Patrol has full responsibility and primary jurisdiction for the administration and enforcement of the laws, and for the investigation of traffic accidents.

This bill would require speed safety systems to blur any images that are unavoidably captured of other drivers, vehicles, or pedestrians who are not the subject of a notice of violation, and would require speed safety systems to blur these images, only to the extent feasible, for cameras that were installed before January 1, 2027. The bill would authorize, until January 1, 2032, the City of Long Beach to have 2 additional speed safety systems on the Pacific Coast Highway.

This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the City of Long Beach.