1 David Yakobson
From: Jacob Wasserman <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, September 21, 2026 9:09 PM
To: Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Dan Hall; Ellis Raskin; Natalya Zernitskaya
Cc: Council Mailbox; councilmtgitems
Subject: In Support : Item 4.K
EXTERNAL
Writing for myself, as a driver and pedestrian in Santa Monica, I support red-light cameras because they save lives. They enforce the law fairly and without human bias.
Jacob Wasserman
90403
Item 4-K
September 22, 2026
Item 4-K
September 22, 2026
1 David Yakobson
From: [email protected]
Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2026 12:02 PM
To: [email protected]; Dan Hall; [email protected]; Caroline Torosis; councilmtgitems
Subject: oppose Agenda Item 4.K. Automated Traffic Enforcement System
EXTERNAL
I oppose Agenda Item 4.K. Automated Traffic Enforcement System because there is a safer and less expensive alternative. The city should pay citizens for uploading dash cam videos of city employees and others violating traffic control signal laws. That would prevent the expense of buying automated traffic enforcement systems. It would also provide government transparency and accountability if the results of uploading dash cam videos were published so that citizens knew whether the violation were processed the same when a city employee violates the law.
"We found no evidence that red light cameras improve public safety. They don’t reduce the total number of vehicle accidents, the total number of individuals injured in accidents or the total number of incapacitating injuries that involve ambulance transport to a hospital."
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/red-light-cameras-may-not-makestreetssafer__;!!OfuUnHCITYtmmjM!qAvE8ipMZTwlcxGDupqoGMIVKchyF5yXHva2Mk0Imk7EfE3dnvQTBpQNJGvv3uyZqZlS7aQoQ5JZP8bqbPfPtoiaVt7TPBy0OQ$ California Vehicle Code 21400(a)(1) requires that the decision to install traffic control should be based on an engineering study. Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) Section 2B.07.03. An engineering study shall be documented. MUTCD Section A1.13. The City of Santa Monica has several traffic control devices for which "There is no traffic study on file at this time." Therefore, City has had ample time to perform a study but has failed or refused to do so. Therefore, those traffic control devices are not "justified by an engineering study." The city knows that installing those traffic control devices where they were "not justified," where there wasn't even any "traffic study" or "engineering study" to determine justification, would result in "drivers largely" ignoring the signs. Therefore, City installed "unjustified" signs so that "drivers" would "largely" ignore them.
The city should not use Automated Traffic Enforcement because it will result in needless predatory revenue generating behavior.
Judge Revel allowed Officer Ramos to ambush the court and ruled that the letter of the law defeats the purpose of the law and thereby coerced me to focus on obeying the letter of the law despite its purpose in preventing collisions, which resulted in a collision that I otherwise would have prevented. Ex-city employee, Angela Jiminez Deterville, crashed into me and totaled my car within a few blocks of her apartment on Hill Street while she was violating a law that is never enforced (bus lane hours) and a city employee, Stuart Jose, was following us but refused to provide a witness statement. Then, SMPD Officers Carlton Palmer #3623, John Brooks #4083, and Lantz Lewis #4005 made twenty-nine errors on their four-page collision Report 2025-064908 to make it look like my fault, increase my car insurance rate by approximately $230/mo., hinder my appellate court proceedings, deteriorate my health, maximize the need for litigation, and force upon me unpaid work and extreme emotional distress. Then, Sgt. Austin Brown, Lt. Lowell Watson, and Chief Jacob refused to enter those corrections into the record.
The city should enact my alternative instead.
Elisabeth Green
1223 Wilshire Blvd #1656
Santa Monica CA 99403
Item 4-K
September 22, 2026
Item 4-K
September 22, 2026