Bill to Improve Safety Utilizing Cameras on the Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach Now Law

SACRAMENTO — On Sept. 27, Senator Lena Gonzalez’s (D-Long Beach) Senate Bill (SB) 1279, authorizing Long Beach to pursue further measures to prevent traffic fatalities on the Pacific Coast Highway or PCH, was signed into law by Gov. Newsom.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2027, Long Beach will be able to place two speed safety cameras on PCH, where there have already been three traffic fatalities this year. These additional cameras will augment the eighteen cameras the city is now installing and help Long Beach address traffic fatalities, which are at a 10 year high.

Data from other cities implementing speed safety cameras shows that these cameras are working: Oakland has seen a 70% decrease in speeding, San Francisco 79%. SB 1279 expands Long Beach’s pilot program to PCH, which accounts for 20% of the City’s crash fatalities, to help ensure that Long Beach sees similar benefits as the City implements speed cameras.

Long Beach’s speed camera pilot program includes guardrails to protect personal privacy and reduce the financial burden of tickets on lower-income residents. For example, cameras cannot activate unless they detect a vehicle moving at least 11 mph over the speed limit and will only capture an image of the rear license plate of a speeding vehicle, blurring out even the rear window. Images will be shared only with the Long Beach Department of Public Works, not with law enforcement. Tickets will start at $50, with no cost for an initial speeding violation if the vehicle was going 15 mph or less over the speed limit. Payment plans or alternatives like community service will also be made available to individuals who cannot afford to pay. Any revenue from the program must be used for traffic safety measures.