City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: JULY 14, 2026 FROM: RIVERSIDE POLICE DEPARTMENT WARD: ALL SUBJECT: STATE OF CALIFORNIA, OFFICE OF TRAFFIC SAFETY 2026/2027 –SELECTIVE TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM IN THE AMOUNT OF $412,000.00, CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY PROGRAM IN THE AMOUNT OF $25,000.00, AND MOTORCYCLE SAFETY PROGRAM IN THE AMOUNT OF $24,000.00 – SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION ISSUES:
Approve the acceptance of grant funds for three traffic safety programs in the total amount of $461,000 from the State of California, Office of Traffic Safety for the period of October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027, and authorize a supplemental appropriation in the amount of the grant awards. The programs include the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program in the amount up to $412,000, the Child Passenger Safety Program in the amount up to $25,000 and the Motorcycle Safety Program in the amount up to $24,000.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the City Council:
Approve the acceptance of the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program funding from the State of California, Office of Traffic Safety in the amount of $412,000; Approve the acceptance of the Child Passenger Safety Program funding from the State of California, Office of Traffic Safety in the amount of $25,000; Approve the acceptance of the Motorcycle Safety Program funding from the State of California, Office of Traffic Safety in the amount of $24,000; With five affirmative votes, authorize the Chief Financial Officer, or designee, to record supplemental appropriations and related revenues in the amount of the grant awards in the Grants and Restricted Programs Fund, Selective Traffic Enforcement Program, Child Passenger Safety Program, and Motorcycle Safety Program revenue and expenditure accounts for each award; and Authorize the City Manager, or designee, to execute all grant documents with the State of California, Office of Traffic Safety, including making minor and non-substantive changes.
BACKGROUND:
In 1966, the federal government created the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to distribute traffic safety funds to the states. The California Office of Traffic Safety was created the following year as a conduit for those funds. The role of the State of California, Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) is to identify traffic safety problems, propose solutions and develop grants designed to minimize traffic safety problems and reduce traffic deaths and injuries. Through grant funding made available to California by the NHTSA, OTS annually funds over $80 million dollars in innovative, evidence-based education and enforcement programs and technologies designed to make California’s roadways safer.
DISCUSSION:
The State of California, Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) strives to eliminate traffic deaths and injuries through the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) grant, Child Passenger Safety Program grant, and Motorcycle Safety Program grant. These grants are available to local and state public agencies for programs that help them enforce traffic laws, educate the public about traffic safety, and provide various and efficient means of reducing fatalities, injuries and economic losses from collisions.
The grant funds would support the City’s efforts to reduce occurrences of injury and fatal collisions and to improve Riverside’s positioning in the state-wide OTS rankings through STEP, Child Passenger Safety, and Motorcycle Safety. These programs use several best practice strategies to impact traffic safety including training, community education, strategic operations, and supplies to support those operations.
These grants would be implemented by the Riverside Police Department’s Field Operations Traffic Division and would fund the overtime operations during the term of October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027.
Selective Traffic Enforcement Program
The STEP grant would focus on bicycle and pedestrian enforcement, distracted driving operations, traffic enforcement operations, street racing and sideshow enforcement, and DUI saturation patrols and checkpoints. In addition, a traffic safety survey would be conducted to gather community input on traffic safety in the City of Riverside, and educational recommendations related to traffic safety, which will guide future traffic safety programs and enforcement.
Child Passenger Safety Program
The Child Passenger Safety Program grant focuses on a variety of activities to educate parents and guardians on child safety seat laws, including child safety seat check-ups, education classes on using and properly installing the right car seat, and providing child safety seats to families in need, as well as Child Passenger Safety Technician training and certification courses.
Motorcycle Safety Program
The Motorcycle Safety Program grant aims to reduce motorcycle collisions, injuries, and deaths and includes programs that provide hands-on motorcycle training to riders. The training allows experienced riders to hone their skills. Motorcycle safety programs also include campaigns reminding riders of mandatory DOT-compliant helmet requirements, increasing other road users’ awareness of motorcycles, and campaigns to reduce impaired riding.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total fiscal impact of this action is an increase in revenue and expenditures in the amount of $461,000, or the actual award amount. No matching funds are required for the grant awards.
Upon City Council approval, an increase in revenue in the amount of the award and an equal amount of appropriations will be recorded in the funds and programs in the table below:
Fund
Program
Account
Amount
Grants & Restricted Programs
Revenue
OTS Selective Traffic Enforcement Program
9187300-331100
$200,000
9187310-331100
$140,000
9187320-331100
$50,000
9187330-331100
$22,000
OTS Child Passenger Safety Program
9187100-331100
$25,000
OTS Motorcycle Safety Program
9187200-331100
$24,000
Total Revenue
$461,000
Expenditures
OTS STEP DUI - Overtime
9187300-440110
$223,157.46
OTS STEP DUI - Supplies
9187300-426800
$6,842.54
OTS STEP Enforcement - Overtime
9187310-440110
$98,898.90
OTS STEP Enforcement - Supplies
9187320-426800
$6,000.00
OTS STEP Enforcement - Meeting and Travel
9187320-427100
$5,101.10
OTS STEP Distracted Driving - Overtime
9187320-440110
$50,000.00
OTS STEP Community Collaboration - Overtime
9187330-440110
$22,000.00
OTS Child Passenger - Overtime
9187100-440110
$16,967.27
OTS Child Passenger - Supplies
9187100-426800
$5,760.00
OTS Child Passenger – Indirect Costs
9187100-881300
$2,272.73
OTS Motorcycle - Overtime
9187200-440110
$18,091.00
OTS Motorcycle - Travel
9187200-427200
$3,727.00
OTS Motorcycle - Indirect Costs
9187200-881300
$2,182.00
Total Expenditures
$461,000
Prepared by: Brandi Becker, Police Administrator
Prepared by: Larry V. Gonzalez, Chief of Police
Certified as to
availability of funds: Julie Nemes, Interim Finance Director Approved by: Edward Enriquez, Acting City Manager/Chief Financial Officer/ City Treasurer
Approved as to form: Rebecca McKee-Reimbold, Interim City Attorney Office of Traffic Safety 26-27 - Page 2