Lake Forest council outlines targeted ebike enforcement, staff backs state safety bills

Lake Forest City officials on May 21 described new local and state steps aimed at curbing reckless ebike riding and improving rider safety after recent incidents involving youth. Mayor Prom Servo said the city would "be taking steps" to address the problem and asked staff and legal counsel to review what further actions the city can lawfully take.

Captain Pulse of the Orange County Sheriff's Department told the council the department has "specific ebike enforcement scheduled out for the next couple weeks" focused on youth congregation areas such as the city sports park and Pittsford Park. He said the effort will use overtime staffing and coordinate across neighboring jurisdictions and trail corridors to follow groups after they disperse.

City staff reminded the council that the city's vehicle and safety code (chapter 12 / 12.24) already governs bicycles and ebikes, granting officers discretion to cite operations deemed unsafe or endangering others. The city attorney said those code provisions were updated about a year and a half ago and provide enforcement authority without a separate local speed limit for ebikes.

In addition to local enforcement steps, staff recommended the council support a package of state bills aimed at consumer protections and stronger safety oversight. Among the proposals noted were Assembly Bill 2346 (consumer-safety disclosure measures) and Senate Bill 1167 (prohibiting misleading sales of noncompliant ebikes); staff described the bills as intended to improve speed and lighting equipment standards and seller disclosures. The staff report cautioned that two recent ebike bills were held in fiscal committee during this session because of perceived fiscal impacts.

Public commenters also raised safety concerns. Resident Bob Holtzclaw told the council an ebike brushed his arm on a sidewalk and suggested requiring audible warnings on certain ebikes so pedestrians can hear them approaching. Amy Stevens, who described herself as an active community advocate on ebike safety near schools, thanked the city for taking the issue seriously and urged attention to enforcement, education, registration and consumer protections.

What happens next: staff will continue coordination with the sheriff's office on targeted enforcement and the council voted later in the meeting to support multiple state bills on safety and wildfire/insurance issues while deferring a final decision on one insurance-related bill (AB 1795) for further review.