City Council members decided on April 21 that Coronado would support a bill requiring license plates for electric bicycles and oppose a bill that would allow San Diego’s Metropolitan Transit System to bypass California’s local sales tax cap.
Council member Amy Steward did not attend this meeting and did not vote.
The discussion of legislation is part of the city’s wider initiative to take positions on federal, state and local measures that could impact Coronado.
The three bills specifically discussed were Senate Bill 956 (SB 956), Assembly Bill 2595 (AB 2595) and AB 2484.
SB 956
SB 956 does not directly affect Coronado, but it has to do with rules regulating electric bicycles, or e-bikes, which is a cause the city has been vocal about.
It is a pilot program in Orange County that requires license plates to be displayed on e-bikes, making it an infraction punishable by a fine of up to $250 if not shown. This bill would require the county to submit a report on the effectiveness of the program.
Mayor John Duncan and Council member Carrie Anne Downey agreed that support for this bill would be helpful in the case of an e-bike accident and being able to identify the bike and potentially the rider.
All voted unanimously to support this bill.
AB 2595
AB 2595 is also a bill regarding e-bikes, outlining another pilot program in the County of San Mateo. It restricts children under the age of 12 from operating e-bikes until 2031 and is also an infraction violation.
This is very similar to a San Diego County program formed from AB 2234 that restricts children under the age of 12 from riding e-bikes until 2029. Coronado was one of the cities to adopt and implement this ordinance.
The council voted to take no position on the bill. Council member Kelly Purvis argued that 12 is too young to operate an e-bike and expressed concern that formalizing the rule would normalize that age as an acceptable standard for riders.
AB 2484
AB 2484 is a bill about MTS, which operates public buses and trolleys countywide. It is designed to give the government agency more flexibility in how it raises money for public transit through sales taxes, and allows a bypass on how to get around the state’s 2% local sales tax cap.
All voted to oppose this bill, with Council member Fleming stating that he was concerned with this bill exempting MTS from the tax cap.
“We’re living in a state that has the – if not the highest, among the highest, tax rates in the entire country – and we keep coming up with … other excuses to continue to increase taxes,” Fleming said.
Downey said she supports AB 2484 but voted to oppose it because she hopes the council will reconsider in the future, and under parliamentary rules she could not request a second vote unless she voted with the majority of the council, according to city attorney Johanna Canlas.
