Bill Would Decriminalize Jaywalking In California

Photo by: BJ Hansen

Sacramento, CA — A bill passed the California Assembly that would legalize street crossings, outside an intersection, when safe to do so.

Assembly Bill 2147 is authored by Democrat Phil Ting. He says, “We should be encouraging people to get out of their cars and walk more for health and environmental reasons.”

He says jaywalking can lead to expensive tickets and unnecessary confrontations with police officers. If passed, Ting says officials could no longer use jaywalking as a pretext to detain someone. He also argues the current law unfairly targets some communities, noting that wealthier neighborhoods typically have more crosswalks.

Jaywalking laws were enacted in the 1930’s during the rise of the automobile industry.

The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.