Thanks to the support of many advocates, on July 14 and July 16, Senate Bill 720 (SB 720) cleared two major hurdles, passing the Assembly Transportation Committee with a unanimous 15–0 vote, and the Committee on Privacy and Consumer Protection with strong bipartisan support and a 13–2 vote!

SB 720 is designed to bring California’s outdated, failed red light camera law into the modern era, with the goal of saving lives, protecting privacy, increasing transparency, ensuring an equity component, and, most importantly, using the systems only to make intersections safer.

The bill removes the requirement to capture a driver’s face to issue a citation, ensures citations won’t impact your driving record or insurance, and replaces the current steep penalties with a tiered fine structure: starting at $100 and increasing by $100-$150 for repeat violations, up to $500. There is also a mechanism in place for low-income drivers to receive automatic fine reductions.

The bill also ensures that the profit generated from these systems can only be used for safer streets initiatives. 

It was less than two years ago when four Pepperdine University students—20-year-old Niamh Rolston, 21-year-old Peyton Stewart, 21-year-old Asha Weir, and 21-year-old Deslyn Williams—were struck and killed by Fraser Michael Bohm while walking to a mixer at a home along Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) in Malibu, in an area known by locals as “Dead Man’s Curve.” 

Bohm was driving at 104 MPH when he lost control of his vehicle, hitting multiple parked cars before striking and killing all four women and injuring two others.

Since 2010, 61 lives have been lost along PCH—a road with a posted speed limit of 45 MPH through residential areas. This speed limit has enabled drivers to frequently exceed 50 or even 60 MPH, creating a deadly environment for pedestrians, cyclists, and other motorists. (Source: LA County Sheriff’s Department and TIMS)

Statewide, speeding remains the leading cause of severe traffic injuries and fatalities in California.

California is finally getting serious about making our streets safer. Assembly Bill (AB) 645, a groundbreaking law sponsored by SAFE and passed in 2023, identified six cities to launch a pilot speed safety program in school zones and on dangerous stretches of road where far too many people have been injured or killed. The participating cities are Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, Glendale, Long Beach, and the City and County of San Francisco.

Later, Senate Bill 1297 allowed speed safety cameras along the deadly PCH within Malibu city limits as a way to reduce speeding and fatalities on the PCH.

When cities implement speed safety programs under AB 645, they create a powerful cycle of safety that sets this model apart: every camera that catches a speeding vehicle must reinvest the funds it generates directly back into improving safety in that same community.

At Streets Are For Everyone, our mission is simple: improve the quality of life for pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers alike by reducing traffic fatalities to zero. This mission does not exclude any Angeleno from our work. We strive to make streets safer for everyone, regardless of their mode of transportation, income, housing status, or immigration status. That means pushing for equitable design, advocating for justice, and demanding infrastructure that protects our most vulnerable neighbors.

Because when we say “Streets Are For Everyone,” we mean everyone.

The ongoing immigrant raids across Los Angeles, including the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops (and now Marines), did not make the streets safer. In fact, they worked to sow fear and discord across our communities.

Long after this current moment of ICE raids is over, our most vulnerable neighbors will continue to live in fear of moving around the city, of taking the bus, or simply walking down the street. 

This past 12th annual Finish The Ride and Run Griffith Park was an incredible success, and that’s because everyone showed up to spread not only good energy but also pressure to create a community that is more welcoming to cyclists and runners. 

Between riders, runners, volunteers, and spectators, almost 2,000 people were there. And it wasn’t just a crowd—it was a community. That kind of atmosphere only happens when there’s care and intention behind every detail.

Events like this don’t just promote safer streets. They bring people together, offer hope, and show the world what’s possible when a team like ours pours everything into a cause we believe in.

On May 3rd, 2025, one of SAFE’s most celebrated educational programs returned for its 9th year! Known for showcasing Public Service Announcement (PSA) short films by high school students from across California and other States— it returned with a powerful twist.

Traditionally focused on youth-made PSA films that explore traffic safety topics, this year’s edition introduced something new: original poster designs. The addition expanded the creative scope of the event and gave students a fresh way to raise their voices—and their visuals—on what safe streets should look like for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers alike.

It also launched “encouragement categories”—topics focused on riding a bike, walking, or taking transit. These modes of transportation, in and of themselves, help create safer streets.

In 2021, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety, alcohol-involved crashes accounted for 32% of all traffic deaths in California. Nationally, 37 people in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes every day — or one person every 39 minutes — and in 2022, 13,524 people died in alcohol-impaired driving traffic deaths, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

On April 30, 2025, we, as road safety advocates, gathered on the steps of Los Angeles City Hall to stage a poignant die-in protest. Read on to see what it was about and how you can still help.

Our demonstration was organized in response to Mayor Karen Bass's proposed budget, which includes a $7 million cut to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) and the elimination of approximately 24% of its workforce.

We know these reductions will compromise street safety initiatives and lead to more traffic-related fatalities.

Nine years ago, Los Angeles made a bold promise: eliminate traffic deaths by 2025. That promise was called Vision Zero. But according to a damning new audit covered in the Los Angeles Times, the results are in—and they’re tragic.

Instead of going down, traffic fatalities have gone up.

Pedestrian deaths in L.A. have surged by more than 50% since Vision Zero began. In 2023 alone, 336 people were killed in traffic violence—nearly one a day. And of the 56 action items the city committed to? Nearly half remain unfinished.

In California, drivers run red lights daily, putting themselves and others at risk. It is a significant factor in severe injuries and traffic fatalities in California.

According to data from UC Berkeley’s Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS), in 2023 alone, there were 167 fatalities and nearly 1000 people suffered serious injuries due to red light running and traffic light violations.

While these numbers show a slight decrease from previous years, which saw 228 fatalities and more than 1000 serious injuries. These numbers highlight an ongoing road safety issue that not only affects drivers but also disproportionately affects vulnerable groups such as pedestrians, cyclists, and even children.

Therefore, a change needs to be made because of this urgent issue.

Thanks to everyone’s support, SAFE has expanded its legislative work to make roads safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers and to advocate for more transit-friendly cities.

The heart of this work is a team of 5 staff and interns working hard to make this happen.

The team is led by Kristen Weiss, SAFE’s Policy and Legislation Coordinator. 

With the new California Legislative term beginning last month, this team has been working on more bills than in any previous year. SAFE is co-sponsoring, supporting, opposing, or requesting amendments on 40 bills and watching another 10. This breaks down to: 

• Co-sponsoring four bills

• Supporting 27 bills

• Requesting amendments to six bills

• Opposing three bills

In April 2022, 77-year-old Andrew Jelmert was cycling on Crystal Springs Drive in Griffith Park, training for what would have been his fifth AIDS Lifecycle Ride, when he was hit and killed by a driver doing 80+ MPH through Griffith Park.

His death underscored what park users had been saying for decades, that Griffith Park is a dangerous and high-speed cut-through for drivers, not the safe space that it should be for Angelenos.

The calls by cyclists and community members to SAFE for help after this tragedy were immediate and many. So SAFE’s team and volunteer advocates mobilized, holding vigils, press events, speaking at meetings, and working with a broader group of organizations like Streets For All, Bike LA, LA Walks, Active SGV, Los Feliz Neighborhood Council, and many more. 

Metro has launched its pilot Bus Lane Enforcement Program (BLE), a partnership with LADOT that uses on-bus cameras to issue tickets to cars obstructing priority bus lanes. 

The BLE is part of Metro’s NextGen Bus Plan, which aims to reimagine the city’s bus service to “focus on providing fast, frequent, reliable and accessible service.” And though the NextGen program has installed more than 40 miles of Bus Priority lanes, those lanes don’t work as intended when obstructed.

Since 2017, electric bicycle sales have risen tenfold in the United States, representing a noticeable shift in how many Americans—particularly those in denser urban environments like Los Angeles—get around. The move to e-bikes has been primarily positive: They increase mobility options, alleviate traffic congestion, enhance public health, and reduce carbon emissions.

But innovation has outpaced regulation — as anyone who’s been shaken by a passing motorized electric motorcycle, which looks like an e-bike doing 30+ mph down Ballona Creek Trail can attest.

As e-bikes continue to roll off the shelves, how can we cultivate this growing alternative to driving while ensuring it’s as safe as possible? 

Let’s Clean LA launched with more than 50 generous community members who joined SAFE to clear nearly two tons of trash from Los Angeles streets. Check out what we accomplished at clean-ups in Wilmington, Balboa Park, Lincoln Heights, and Venice Blvd!

Together, 55 of us cleared 3,515 pounds of trash — nearly two tons of waste, leaves, and junk strewn across our streets is now gone!

Since the Eaton and Palisades fires started Jan. 7, I, like many Angelenos, have become vigilant about checking the air quality. The morning after the fire, I took a screenshot of the air quality in Jefferson Park, where I live, that I’ve revisited a few times since.

The sentence “Air Quality Index is 415, which is worse than yesterday at about this time” never fails to elicit a rueful chuckle.

Resources and support 📋 | Help us with the clean up! 🧹

I hope this finds you and your loved ones safe during this incredibly challenging time.

As wildfires continue to devastate parts of Los Angeles, I wanted to take a moment to reach out and share a message of solidarity.

First and foremost, all SAFE staff are safe and accounted for. However, some of our friends, family members, staff, and partners have lost their homes or have been displaced by these fires.

We are doing everything we can to assist them and others in our community who have been affected.

If you or someone you know needs help—whether it’s accessing resources or finding community support—please reach out.

The beginning of a new year always offers a chance to reflect on the year that just passed, and at SAFE, we wanted to use our first email of 2025 to share some photos, memories, and accomplishments from a fantastic 2024!

Last summer, at CicLAvia: Meet the Hollywoods, the new 2.1 mile stretch of protected bike lanes on Hollywood Boulevard got their close-up.

But once the cameras departed and the streets reopened to car traffic, the dirty work of keeping the Hollywood Boulevard bike lanes truly began.

The City of Los Angeles added 22.5 lane-miles of new or improved bike facilities in Fiscal Year 2023-2024, according to Joe Linton’s annual analysis at Streetsblog L.A, the lowest number in five years. With such a paltry number of bike lane miles added this year, you’d hope it would be at least manageable to keep LA’s protected bike lanes clean. 

After years of delays, setbacks, and a general lack of transparency, the California Air Resources Board will launch its e-bike incentive program next week.

The first e-bike incentive application window opens on December 18th at 6 p.m. PST.

The California E-Bike Incentive Project “provides up to $2,000 of point-of-sale incentives to support the purchase of a new electric bicycle”