(Robert Jonathan, Holder USA) in the name of social justicethe state of California Essentially legalized jaywalking, and now infested with crime Los Angeles appears to have an additional public safety issue.
The green light for jaywalking became effective on January 1 of this year after the far-left Democratic governor (and US presidential hopeful) Gavin Newsom signed the so-called Freedom to Walk Act.
Under the previous law that is no longer on the books, the fine for walking started at $25, but could go up to about $200 for chronic offenders.
State Rep. Phil Ting, a San Francisco Democrat who authored the repeal language, said previously CBS News says the jaywalking law is “arbitrarily enforced and tickets are disproportionately given to people of color and in low-income communities.”
LA Assistant District Attorney John McKinney, who is running against soros-financed, mild offense holder DA George Gascon in 2024, however, describe the repeal of the original law as “equity run amok” and leading to “predictable results,” Fox News reported.
He added that in Los Angeles, “The new law … has already resulted in 19 unsafe crossing fatalities,” which is nearly 75 percent of all pedestrian deaths to date.
earlier today @LAPDVTD addressed road safety. In 2023, there were 26 pedestrian-related fatalities, 19 due to unsafe crossings. CA’s pedestrian fatality rate was 25% above the national average. We are committed to safer roads through collaboration between drivers and pedestrians. pic.twitter.com/Igc8jPzUYQ
— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) August 7, 2023
“California’s pedestrian fatality rate is [already] 25% above the national average,” noted McKinney.
McKinney stated that “Supporters of the new law believed it would remove a justification for police to stop and question people in minority communities. The predictable trade-off for reduced traffic enforcement has been more pedestrian deaths.”
Rep. Ting insisted that “our law only legalizes safe street crossings when there are no cars nearby. Walking into traffic is still a cited offense.”
As a practical matter, there is a significant difference between crossing in the middle of the street in a congested downtown area versus a suburban or rural location. Or on a quiet city street.
But awakened initiatives, however benign, can have far-reaching implications, if not perhaps unintended consequences.
Citing data from an LA-based nonprofit activist organization called Streets Are For Everyone, a group that apparently supported repeal of the walking ticket, Fox News reported that “Victims of pedestrian-related traffic deaths are overwhelmingly homeless. They are 40.2 times more likely to be fatally struck by a car than everyone else.”
In another example, California referendum voters, through Proposition 47, made theft of merchandise of $950 or less a simple misdemeanor.
Since then, there has been an epidemic of brazen robberies, and authorities have concluded that the crime is related to retail theft by organized crime rather than random looters.
Blatant thefts have forced some businesses to close their doors permanently in California.
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