Vehicles: automated enforcement systems.

Existing law, until January 1, 2030, authorizes a local agency, as defined, to install automated forward-facing parking control devices on city-owned or district-owned parking enforcement vehicles for the purpose of taking photographs of parking violations occurring in bicycle lanes. Existing law requires a qualified and designated employee of a city, county, city and county, or contracted law enforcement agency for a special transit district to review these photographs for the purpose of determining whether a parking violation occurred in a bicycle lane and to issue a notice of violation to the registered owner of a vehicle within 15 calendar days, as specified. Existing law requires these photographic records to be confidential and makes these records available only to public agencies to enforce parking violations. Existing law requires any local agency that implements a parking enforcement program under these provisions to provide to specified committees of the Legislature an evaluation report on, among other things, the automated enforcement system's effectiveness and impact on traffic outcomes, by December 31, 2028. Existing law prohibits the stopping, standing, or parking of a vehicle in certain places and under certain conditions, including within an intersection, on a sidewalk or crosswalk, or in front of a fire station. This bill would instead authorize local agencies to install forward-facing parking control devices on specified enforcement vehicles for the purpose of taking video images of parking violations and expand the automated parking control device program to include the enforcement of the parking violations described above. The bill would similarly require any local agency that implements an automated device program for the enforcement of these additional parking violations to submit an evaluation report to specified committees of the Legislature by December 31, 2030. The bill would extend the operation of the program's provisions to January 1, 2033. The bill would also authorize a local agency to establish an enhanced curb management system that records images of vehicles for the purpose of enforcing parking violations or automating parking payments if certain requirements are met. The bill would require the governing body of the local agency to adopt a public ordinance or resolution that would authorize the use of a system in specified locations, including, among others, passenger loading zones and commercial loading zones. The bill would require a local agency that automates parking payments by charging vehicles a fee for access to outline the fee, and any adjusted rates, in an ordinance or resolution. The bill would require the system to record images of the vehicle and license plate at the time of the violation. The bill would require the image data to be reviewed and approved by a peace officer or person authorized to enforce parking laws before mailing the notice of violation. The bill would require the notice of violation to be mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle within 15 calendar days, as specified. The bill would require the image data collected by the system and any identifying information to be confidential and would require that the image data only be used for the purpose of processing parking violations and charging vehicles a fee for access. The bill would require a local agency to observe a public information campaign for at least 60 days before issuing citations, as specified. The bill would require a local agency to report periodically to the Legislature on the system's impact, as specified. The bill would expand the definition of "local agency" to include the parking enforcement agencies of the University of California, the California State University, or a college of the California Community Colleges, thereby authorizing these institutions to implement an automated parking control device program or an enhanced curb management system. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.