CITY ATTORNEY
Sonia R. Carvalho
CITY MANAGER
Alvaro Nuñez
CITY CLERK
Jennifer L. Hall
20 CIVIC CENTER PLAZA - P.O. BOX 1988, M-31 - SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA 92702 TELEPHONE (714) 647-6900 - FAX (714) 647-6954 - www.santa-ana.org
Councilmember-Requested Item Report
DATE
April 21, 2026
TOPIC
Resolution requesting that the State Legislature amend AB 645 to allow the City of Santa Ana to establish a Speed Safety System Pilot Program as soon as possible.
COUNCILMEMBER-REQUESTED ITEM TITLE
Discuss and consider directing the City Manager to direct City staff to draft and bring back a resolution for Council consideration that would be sent to Assemblymember Avelino Valencia and Senator Tom Umberg, requesting that the State Legislature amend AB 645 (Friedman) to allow the City of Santa Ana to establish a Speed Safety System Pilot Program as soon as possible.
DISCUSSION
State Assembly Bill AB 645 was approved on October 13, 2023 to permit selected cities to establish a Speed Safety Pilot Program to run until January 2032. The initial measure included six cities: Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, Glendale, Long Beach, and the City and County of San Francisco.
AB 645 authorizes these six cities to establish a Speed Safety System Pilot Program if the system meets specified requirements. A speed safety system, as defined by AB 645, is “a fixed or mobile radar or laser system or any other electronic device that utilizes automated equipment to detect a violation of speed laws and obtains a clear photograph of a speeding vehicle’s license plate.” Automated enforcement technology, such as cameras and radar/laser sensors, are used to detect vehicles traveling over the speed limit and take a photo of the rear license plate to issue citations.
The bill requires a participating city to adopt a Speed Safety System Use Policy and a Speed Safety System Impact Report before implementing the program. The bill requires the participating city to engage in a public information campaign at least 30 days before implementation of the program, including information relating to when the systems would begin detecting violations and where the systems would be located. The bill requires a participating city to issue warning notices rather than notices of violations for violations detected within the first 60 calendar days of the program.
Councilmember Requested Item
CITY ATTORNEY
Sonia R. Carvalho
CITY MANAGER
Alvaro Nuñez
CITY CLERK
Jennifer L. Hall
20 CIVIC CENTER PLAZA - P.O. BOX 1988, M-31 - SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA 92702 TELEPHONE (714) 647-6900 - FAX (714) 647-6954 - www.santa-ana.org
AB 645 designates all photographic or administrative records, not including data about the number of violations issued or the speeds at which they were issued for, made by a system as confidential, and only authorizes public agencies to use and allow access to these records for the purpose of enforcing these violations and assessing the overall impact of the use of speed safety systems.
AB 645 requires a participating city to develop uniform guidelines for, among other things, the processing and storage of confidential information. The City of Los Angeles’ adopted Speed Safety System Use Policy states: “Access to Processed or Appended Data, including Restricted Appended Data, by local and federal law enforcement or other government agencies is not allowed except in the unusual case of a court order, subpoena, or other legal requirement. Such legal requirements do not supersede the retention guidelines noted above. LADOT (Los Angeles Department of Transportation) and its Contractors will not share specific citation events with local external law enforcement agencies and will only provide data as required by law. In the event that the Contractor improperly shares, discloses, or otherwise distributes data, LADOT reserves the right to immediately terminate the contract.”
AB 645 specifies that any violation of a speed law recorded by a speed safety system authorized by these provisions is subject only to the provided civil penalties. The bill provides for the issuance of a notice of violation, an initial review, an administrative hearing, and an appeals process, as specified, for a violation under this program. The bill requires any program created pursuant to these provisions to offer a diversion program for indigent speed safety system violation recipients, as specified.
The bill requires a city or city and county participating in the pilot program to submit a report to evaluate the speed safety system to determine the systems impact on street safety where the system is utilized.
California cities not included in AB 645 are not permitted to use speed safety systems.
Following the tragic deaths of four Pepperdine students in October 2023, the Malibu City Council urgently pursued the ability to install automated speed enforcement cameras along a scenic but dangerous 21-mile stretch of Pacific Coast Highway. On September 27, 2024, SB 1297 (Allen) was signed into law. SB 1297 authorizes the City of Malibu to establish a Speed Safety Pilot Program, similar to what was authorized in AB 645, to utilize up to 5 speed safety systems on Pacific Coast Highway for speed enforcement.
On April 29, 2025, the Berkeley City Council adopted a resolution to send to Assemblymember Buffy Wicks and Senator Jesse Arreguín to request that the State Legislature amend AB 645 to allow the City of Berkeley to establish a Speed Safety Pilot Program.
The City of Santa Ana has seen traffic collisions resulting in serious injuries or fatalities for pedestrians and bicyclists remain unacceptably high for a number of years. Santa Ana ranks 4th out of the 15 highest population cities in California in injury/fatality traffic collisions for bicyclists and 5th for pedestrians, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety, 2023.
Councilmember Requested Item
CITY ATTORNEY
Sonia R. Carvalho
CITY MANAGER
Alvaro Nuñez
CITY CLERK
Jennifer L. Hall
20 CIVIC CENTER PLAZA - P.O. BOX 1988, M-31 - SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA 92702 TELEPHONE (714) 647-6900 - FAX (714) 647-6954 - www.santa-ana.org
On Saturday, April 5, 2025, a single-vehicle collision involving a tree on Segerstrom Avenue near Griset Place resulted in the loss of five lives. The vehicle was traveling westbound on Segerstrom Avenue, passing through the intersection with Townsend Street at a high rate of speed. The vehicle entered a bend in the road on Segerstrom Avenue and appeared to have lost control, striking a palm tree on the raised center median on the passenger side. Three females were ejected from the vehicle. The driver and two other passengers were trapped inside the vehicle and required extrication by OCFA using auto-extraction tools, commonly known as the “Jaws of Life.” Despite lifesaving efforts, the driver and three passengers were pronounced deceased at the scene. Another passenger who had been transported to a local hospital succumbed to her injuries a few days later.
Just over three months later, on July 31, 2025, and less than a half-mile away, a single-vehicle collision at Segerstrom Avenue and Bear Street resulted in one death and one injury when a vehicle was traveling westbound on Segerstrom Avenue from Bear Street at a high rate of speed and veered off the roadway, striking a tree and a cinder block wall.
The City of Santa Ana has established policy and taken steps to use modern technology to support safety and enforcement. In 2024, the Santa Ana City Council adopted the Santa Ana Vision Zero Plan and its goal to eliminate traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries in Santa Ana by 2040. Our city is ideally situated to implement and benefit from a Speed Safety Pilot Program. In conjunction with education and traffic engineering improvements, a Speed Safety Pilot Program can significantly reduce speeding, improve traffic safety, and prevent traffic- related fatalities and injuries. Speed Safety Pilot Programs can also reduce the amount of and potential impacts of police traffic stops.
This item seeks to urge the State Legislature to amend AB 645 to allow the City of Santa Ana to establish a Speed Safety Pilot Program before 2032.
I therefore request that the City Council direct the City Manager to direct City staff to draft and bring back a resolution for Council consideration at the April 21 City Council meeting that would be sent to Assemblymember Avelino Valencia and Senator Tom Umberg, requesting that the State Legislature amend AB 645 (Friedman) to allow the City of Santa Ana to establish a Speed Safety System Pilot Program as soon as possible.
EXHIBITS
1. Text of AB 645
2. Text of SB 1297
SUBMITTED BY
Councilmember Phil Bacerra