A new law was passed last year, why doesn’t it go into effect until 2025? - Press-Enterprise
Q: A new law passed last year mandates that anyone cited for illegal street or speed racing, or so-called “sideshows,” may also have their license suspended for up to six months as one form of additional punishment. However, this new law does not take effect until July, 1, 2025, as we wrote in a recent column about new traffic-related laws. Steven E. Ziegler of Moreno Valley asked why there is such a delay for this law to take effect. “Activities such as street racing are dangerous and can be deadly. So I ask, why such a long pause before this new law is officially on the books?” he said.
A: As we previously noted, existing law already prohibited people from engaging in speed racing contests on the highways, or aiding or abetting in a race, and allows for a jail sentence of up to 90 days, a fine up to $500, or both. The new law beginning July 1, 2025, says judges can also suspend a person’s driver’s license for up to six months if the violation occurred as part of a sideshow, or an event where two or more people block or impede traffic on a highway so they can perform stunts, speed contests, speed demonstrations with their cars, or reckless driving for spectators.
As for the reason for the delay, we contacted the office of the bill’s sponsor, Assemblyman Vince Fong, who represents the 34th Assembly District, (Kern County: Bakersfield, Ridgecrest, Taft, Tehachapi, Bear Valley Springs, Maricopa and Oildale) for an explanation. Spencer Street, a spokesman for Fong, said implementation was delayed to 2025 at the request of the Department of Motor Vehicles, which is undergoing some programming updates and wanted the delay. “It’s because the bill would allow for a court to suspend your license, and the DMV oversees licenses. It was some technological programming updates they are doing internally,” Street said.
Trash keeps coming back
Reader Carol Dement of Menifee called our hotline with a message to her community (it was more like a plea for help, really) in response to a recent letter we published from another reader who lives in Menifee, Dennis Bailey. Bailey had inquired about messy landscaping and graffiti along the 215 Freeway between Ethanac Road and McCall Boulevard in the Menifee/Sun City area. Bailey and Dement are concerned about recurring trash, messy landscaping and graffiti in their community. Caltrans has responded to the area before by removing graffiti, litter and tumbleweeds as part of the three-year, $1.5 billion Clean California campaign, but they said, the litter and trash keep returning over time.
Dement says individuals and businesses in her community need to take responsibility too, care about their neighborhood, stop littering, and help clean up. She asked her fellow Menifee residents to do better and to talk to their children about not throwing fast food trash all over the area. She also asked local businesses to step up and participate in the California Highway Patrol’s Adopt a Highway program (https://dot.ca.gov/programs/maintenance/adopt-a-highway) to clean up freeway trash. Dement said she used to see signs that businesses were doing this, but she hasn’t seen one in quite some time.
“It is uncontrollably, dirty, filthy out there,” Dement said, adding that bottles, soda cans and fast food trash in bags litter the area. “It’s really upsetting about how no one seems to care about their neighborhood. You can go to another state and it’s clean and their highways are gorgeous, and you come to California and everyone throws their stuff out the window or leaves it in the gutter. It’s really sad how people treat our state.” We hope Menifee area readers will take our reader’s plea seriously and step up to the plate.
Do you commute to work in the Inland Empire? Spend a lot of time in your vehicle? Have questions about driving, freeways, toll roads or parking? If so, write or call On the Road and we’ll try to answer your questions. Please include your question or issue, name, city of residence, phone number and email address. Write [email protected] or call 951-368-9670.
source: https://www.pe.com/2022/02/01/a-new-law-was-passed-last-year-why-doesnt-it-go-into-effect-until-2025
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