Costa Mesa speakers urge stepped-up outreach as AB 413 citation period begins

Public commenters and multiple councilmembers on Feb. 4 urged Costa Mesa officials to accelerate education and physical markings for AB 413, California’s daylighting law that prohibits parking at crosswalks, as the law moved from a one-year warning period into a citation phase on Jan. 1, 2025.

Supporters and residents said intersections around schools and high-pedestrian corridors remain hazardous and that the city should use red curbs, bollards or other physical treatments before tickets are issued.

The issue matters because AB 413 is designed to reduce driver-obstructed sightlines at crosswalks — a safety change residents say should be paired with active city outreach so drivers are not ticketed without notice.

At the lectern, a resident who identified himself as Mr. Tuller said, “Intersections are the places where bad things happen in our streets,” and urged the council to apply “daylighting, right turns on red, and yield left turns” in priority locations. Another commenter identified as Mark summarized the state timeline: “It was implemented on January first of 2024 with a one year warning period and then a 01/01/2025 citation period going forward,” and asked how many warnings CMPD issued and how many curbs the city painted in the prior year.

Councilmembers also pressed for follow-up. Councilmember Marr (District 3) said she had received complaints about parking permits and enforcement glitches and asked staff to look for technical issues affecting residents. Councilmember Arledge Reynolds (District 5) urged the city to prepare a plan that pairs public education with physical markings — “red curbs, delineators, bollards, potted trees, something to make it clear where people should not park,” she said — noting she supported the safety goal but worried about tickets issued without public awareness.

City Manager Farrell Harrison told the council she had “already reached out to the chief on that and making that a priority before we — before there’s any really enforcement, ticketing, etcetera.” She said public works and the police department were coordinating education efforts and that staff would report back to the council.

Councilmembers also suggested operational steps such as prioritizing intersections near schools and bus stops, placing informational signage, and incorporating daylighting treatments into the capital improvement program. Several speakers asked staff to report back with the number of warnings CMPD issued during the statutory warning period and a timeline for curb painting and other physical work.

The transcript records public requests for the city to treat daylighting as a near-term CIP priority and for staff to clarify enforcement practice and warning counts. The city manager committed to returning with additional information and to emphasize education ahead of enforcement.