Ocean Beach is a ‘Hot Spot’ for Law’s Enforcement
By Olivia Harden / SFGate / May 5, 2025
Police in San Diego revealed they have written thousands of tickets in the last two months, fining drivers over $100 for a controversial law that other cities, including San Francisco, have decided is too difficult to enforce.
The San Diego Police Department’s Parking Enforcement team has issued 4,200 tickets to drivers who violated California’s new daylighting law, the department’s supervisor Erin Longen told SFGATE in an email. The law, Assembly Bill 413 that began being enforced on March 1, prohibits drivers from parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk. It applies to all crosswalks — including unmarked crosswalks without white lines on the street. Many curbs are not painted red to the full 20 feet, creating confusion for some drivers.
Longen told KUSI-TV that tickets are most commonly written in extremely popular neighborhoods like La Jolla. The beach is well-liked by travelers and among the most visited in the city. Other hot spots for ticketing include Normal Heights, North Park, Hillcrest, University Heights, Ocean Beach and Pacific Beach. Prior to the beginning of the enforcement period, the city gave out 1,500 warning tickets in an effort to educate the public.
“Nationwide, 43 states already have daylighting laws, and most prohibit parking within 20 feet of an intersection,” City of San Diego spokesperson Anthony Santacroce told SFGATE in an email. “The average length of an automobile in the United States is approximately 14 feet. To help estimate 20 feet, it may be helpful to envision about one car length and a half’s worth of distance.”
Elsewhere in the state, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency made it clear in February that the city would not fine drivers for violating the law due to the lack of painted red curbs.
Santacroce said San Diego has worked towards adding more red curbs but has yet to add any in La Jolla. “To make it easier for drivers to follow this new law, City teams have evaluated more than 1,000 of the busiest intersections in the densest areas of San Diego, installed red curbs at more than 200 locations, and removed 97 parking meters within the 20 feet,” Santacroce wrote.
San Diego also raised the fine from $40 to $117, reportedly putting them on track to raise $3 million through the tickets by the end of the year.
Editordude: Here’s local channel CBS8’s take on the law and the tickets.
After being flamed on NextDoor for having lamented getting a citation ($77!) for violating the daylighting law, I’m a little reluctant to say anything but here goes.
On the second day of enforcement of the new law, I received a citation. Our car was parked in front of our house where we have parked for the last 39 years. Yes, I violated the law and I fully admit that and paid the fine promptly. I have also not parked in the daylight area since.
What disturbs me about the new law and its enforcement is the apparent random nature of enforcement. When I walk around in my neighborhood, it is rare to come to an intersection where there is not at least on vehicle, not to mention two, three or four vehicles, parked in the prohibited area without citations. Parking enforcement has a big footprint in OB and Point Loma, so its not like there aren’t parking enforcement vehicles cruising through our streets on a regular basis. I have witnessed multiple parking enforcement vehicles drive past cars parked illegally under the new law without stopping and writing a ticket.
As a result, I have to question exactly why this law is enforced at all. If we are not citing every vehicle breaking the law, when, exactly, do we enforce it? At the whim of the parking enforcement officer? Because someone has complained? Because the parking enforcement officer loves Chevys but hates Fords? Please, someone, explain it to me. Anyone?
At the very least, give a citizen a chance to chose to obey or violate the law by painting the curbs red. Okay, it’s a car and a half, but which car? A Smartcar? A crew-cab pickup truck? I’m pretty good at being a law abiding citizen, but I’m maybe not so good at visualizing 20 feet. For this I get cited?
Same in Hillcrest. I got a ticket for parking by my house as I have done for 21 years. When I looked at the other three corners with stop signs there were three other cars parked closer to the crosswalk with no tickets. This has happened two other time I am aware of. Also, it’s impossible tell exactly where they start measuring with no marked crosswalk. So, yes, the tickets are random and/or targeted. One other point–the law allows the city to change the 20 foot limit where it is not needed so long as it marks where you can park. I was parked behind a bold white line in the street which I assumed the city realized you can see in all directions from where I was parked. I have appealed my ticket and hope everyone will file appeals. We should push to be sure they cannot use “public safety” laws to buttress their poor financial management. This appears to be the Mayor’s (and our City Council Member’s) war on the neighborhoods. They recently just eliminated four to six regular parking places on our corner (and many more in our neighborhood) with their sudden interest in curb access (it took them over 20 years to do this) in their attempt to buttress reelection chances. I don’t think that worked in our neighborhood.
What exactly is a “unmarked crosswalk?” Any corner at all?
Right? I’m a big fan of the law itself but not the enforcement of it without red zones clearly marked. Do I need to drive around with the law printed out so I don’t make a mistake?
For the money collected by these fines alone, you could paint the curbs. Or stop bike lane construction for that matter. But the city would rather collect the money in their deficit spending.
Isn’t it goddamn amazing that there is no police enforcement for speeding, running stops signs, running red lights, or having up-to-date registrations, which, I have been told, the mayor told the PD not to spend time on, but they have time for this? The citizenry should all rise up and refuse to pay the fines without going into court. Think of the chaos that would cause.
Have you seen the incognito Highway Patrol cars?
I agree with the inconsistencies as well!!!! I heard that they hit a couple of areas (Clairemont, North Park) pretty hard. What about the beaches?!?!?!
Here’s a fun fact I learned when I paid my ticket…
The state collects $12.50 per ticket. Fun Times!!
Gloria trying to get more cash. I wonder if the speed limit reduction has the same goal. Obviously, they can write more tickets quickly in heavily parked areas like OB and Mid-City areas.
Before the city paints intersections red, they should send out crews to stencil (like address numbers) on the top of the curb with “DL” on it so people would know where parking can commence. Eacjh full intersection could be done in under 5 mintues.
There also is probably confusion that only the right side of the intersection has the new limits.
But… One middle-schooler speeding thru a stop sign on their electric bike saved per week!
Those of you, that voted for Toddler for another term, should be happy he raising every tax and fee he can possibly create. That’s the only way he’s going to be able to replenish his coffers for all the foolish spending. Maybe you could get hats made IVFT (I Voted For Toddler). The only Council Rep that’s stood up to Toddlers demands is Councilman Foster and he’s the only one I’d encourage you to re-elect next election. I strong encourage voters to vote for people who are NOT career politicians, have common sense that has been shown repeatedly in their previous job, and have basic bookkeeping money management skills, also demonstrated via experience.
I think the big thing flying under the radar in all this is that completely independent of who is elected and what policies they attempt to implement, the City is as broke as a joke and just does not have the money to provide basic services to its 1.4 million residents.
Part of that is waste and bad choices and a pension crisis and shouldering a disproportionate amount of a national homelessness epidemic, no doubt. Another part is that San Diego has to be the only place around where even liberals are rabidly anti-tax. Whatever people want to attribute it to, I wish the City had the money to do the bare minimum of services for its residents.
If you think it is bad in OB, try going to any other neighborhood in the city that is not as affluent — which for whatever it is worth, is most of them.
I put a “get it done” on a 72 hr parking violation and nobody ever showed up to ticket the vehicle. LOL
That is no surprise. I submit “get it done” reports all the time about abandoned vehicles and vehicles parked for more than 72 hours. Whomever is assigned this task fails miserably as they frequently close out these reports without the vehicle ever moving an inch. Useless.
I live one block from the beach here in OB and haven’t seen one warning OR real ticket on my car or others since it went into enforcement. It makes me wonder where exactly in OB are they enforcing it? I see the same 4 way stops with cars always parked up to the stop sign and still nothing.
They are repaving the street this week so I wonder if they will also paint the curbs; probably not.
After reading all these comments, I have a few thoughts to share.
I, too, have had miserable experiences with using the Get It Done app to report abandoned (parked over 72 hours) cars. Typically, I will get a reply that the offending vehicle cannot be found, even though I included a full description, license plate and photos of the vehicle and the street signs indicating the location. Never have I seen a car marked with the pink notice, cited or towed as a result of my complaint. I have, however, seen people drive up in Uber/Lyft cars, load their luggage into the vehicle I have reported, and drive away. Obviously I live in an area where it is a cheap ride to the airport and where parking is often available.
Imagine my surprise when, after submitting a GID complaint, someone came out and marked the car and placed the pink notice indicating that it will be cited and/or towed. Unfortunately, that notice is dated April 30 and it is now May 12, and nothing additional has been done. So now the notice has been posted for four times as long as the parking itself is allowed – twelve days as opposed to three.
My mind boggles at the inconsistency with which we enforce our parking and traffic laws. I have witnessed police watching cars running stop signs and red lights, not to mention speeding and other traffic violation involving behavior that can have drastic impacts to safety and just ignoring them, and do nothing. SamSam states above that there is no enforcement in the beach areas, but I live in OB and was cited. As I stated, it is rare to visit an intersection in my neighborhood where there is not at least one car parked in the daylight area. Yet, somehow I received a ticket.
The image used is of La Jolla, not Ocean Beach
There was no caption to the photo that said it was in OB.