SAFE celebrated the end of May with a trio of legislative successes. Three SAFE-supported bills related to speeding passed the full California Senate — Senate Bills 1297, 961, and 1509 — on May 20,21, and 22, respectively.

Here’s a quick rundown of what these bills aim to accomplish and why we at SAFE think they’re important steps in making our streets safer for everyone.

After four years of advocacy, Streets Are For Everyone (SAFE) celebrated a significant milestone last October when Governor Newsom signed the speed camera safety bill (AB 645) into law. With the passage of this law, six California cities—Los Angeles, Glendale, Long Beach, San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose—were given the green light to roll out a five-year speed-camera pilot program. AB 645 requires that the cameras be used only on designated high-injury/high-speed roads, known street racing corridors, and around school zones. 

Unfortunately, tragedy struck just weeks after the law's enactment…

I have some good news related to the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). Okay, admittedly, I’m not ecstatic, jumping up and down for joy, but it’s at least something tangible that will help, to a degree, to save lives and make roads safer on PCH through Malibu.

The latest fatality happened shortly after a show put on by California Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin and other state transportation officials in a press conference about safety enhancements for the 21-mile highway weaving through Malibu.

At this press conference on Monday, 18 December, officials announced the green light for a (paltry) $4.2 million contract, enabling Caltrans to move forward with a roster of 30 upgrades.

The Malibu community group Fix PCH, of which Streets Are For Everyone is a part, hosted a poignant World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims on Sunday, November 19th on PCH in Malibu. The event was attended by approximately 100 people, including family and friends of the 4 Pepperdine girls killed by a speeding driver on October 17th 2023; friends and family of Emily Shane, killed by a speeding driver in 2010; civic leaders; elected officials; community members and other families affected by traffic violence, both along PCH and elsewhere in the city.

Every year, on the 3rd Sunday of November, organizations and individuals gather to commemorate World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. It is high high-profile global event to remember the many millions who have been killed and seriously injured on the world’s roads and to acknowledge the suffering of all affected victims, families, and communities.

This day has also become an important tool to advocate and call for an end to the preventable epidemic of traffic violence in Southern California and across the US. This year, we call attention to one specific deadly road, Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), and call for tangible and effective action by CalTrans to slow down and fix PCH.