California: The Freedom To Walk Bill Allows Pedestrians to Legally Jaywalk

By BERT HOOVER Oct 03 2022, 23:23 PM EDT

California residents will soon be allowed to jaywalk legally, "as long as it's safe to do so." Assemblyman and bill sponsor Phil Ting claims that changes were made to "The Freedom To Walk Act" after Gov. Gavin Newsom approved it on Friday.

USA Today reported that starting January 1, 2023, officers will only issue a penalty for jaywalking if there is "an immediate threat of a collision."

Despite being prohibited in many states since the invention of the automobile, jaywalking regulations are rarely enforced in big cities like New York City.

According to Ting, rules in California are "arbitrarily enforced," and until 2018, pedestrians might receive a penalty for using a designated crosswalk when the countdown meter starts to flash.

Why the Freedom to Walk Bill Wants to Counter Jaywalking Law?

In the 1920s and 1930s, the auto industry successfully advocated for regulations prohibiting pedestrians from walking on roadways so that vehicles would have more room to drive. However, the major reason for making it legal was the disproportionate impact ticketing has on Black people.

State Assemblyman Phil Ting stated that "Black Californians are up to 4.5 times more likely to be stopped for jaywalking than those who are white," according to data from California's Racial and Identity Profiling Act.

Ting said in a statement that it should not be a crime to cross the street safely. When expensive tickets and unnecessary interactions with the police hurt only specific neighborhoods, it is time to rethink how law enforcement money is spent and if the jaywalking rules keep people safe. He also added that people should get out of their cars and walk because it is good for their health and the environment.

The California Highway Patrol will work with the state's Institute of Transportation to submit a report to the state legislature on how The Freedom to Walk Act will impact public safety and traffic deaths, Fox KTVU reported.

The CPH must submit the report before January 1, 2028, giving them a lot of time.

Issues Surrounding Jaywalking Law in California

California has multiple cases proving that its jaywalking law has gone wrong.

In 2017, Sacramento officers severely injured Nandi Cain after arresting him for jaywalking.

Chinedu Okobi passed away in 2018 because of the multiple tasings he received at the hands of San Mateo County sheriff's deputies, trying to arrest him for jaywalking in Millbrae.

In 2020, an Orange County sheriff's deputy allegedly stopped Kurt Reinhold for jaywalking, and then the deputy proceeded to shoot and murder him.

Tupac Shakur's lawsuit against Oakland police was settled after he said he was thrown to the ground when he was arrested for jaywalking at 17th and Broadway in Oakland in 1991.

Meanwhile, it was revealed in 1985 that Edwin Meese, the United States attorney general at the time, had an arrest warrant out for him because he had not paid a $10 fine for jaywalking at the Los Angeles International Airport five years earlier. The Mercury News noted that Meese paid a $130.50 charge. He was not arrested.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

Watch: Jaywalking in California to be decriminalized by lawmakers in 2023 - From ABC10