California Assembly panel blocks higher fines for drivers on cell phones

Aug 2010

California lawmakers put the brakes Thursday on a bill that would have increased fines for drivers using handheld cell phones or texting while navigating the road.

The Assembly Appropriations Committee blocked Senate Bill 1475 from reaching the floor for a vote.

The bill, which would also have barred bicyclists from talking or texting while riding, sat in the committee's suspense file where it was later killed Thursday afternoon.

"I'm at a bit of a loss," said the bill's author, Democratic Sen. Joe Simitian of Palo Alto.

The measure narrowly passed the Senate, 21-16, on June 3.

Simitian said he had hoped the bill would increase the number of drivers who comply with the existing prohibition against driving and using a hand-held cell phone.

Drivers under 18 are not allowed to use cell phones or wireless devices even with a hands-free device.

The bill would have increased fines from $20 to $50 for first-time offenders and from $50 to $100 for subsequent violations.

It would also have added a new $20 fine for bicyclists caught committing the same offense while riding.

Simitian said he was surprised the bill did not make it through the Appropriations Committee. It would have increased base fine revenue by about $4 million and penalty revenue by about $28 million a year, he said.

SB 1475 was among a handful of measures that did not make it out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Thursday.

Among other bills that didn't make the cut:

Senate Bill 1255, by Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla of Los Angeles, would have restricted sales at middle schools and high schools of electrolyte-replacement beverages to certain hours before and after school.

Senate Bill 1204, by Republican Sen. George Runner of Lancaster, would have required registered sex offenders to inform law enforcement agencies of their online addresses, including e-mail and instant messaging user names.

Senate Bill 1453, by Democratic Sen. Curren Price of Inglewood, would have allowed the Department of Motor Vehicles to contract with a private vendor to explore the use of digital electronic vehicle license plates.

Senate Bill 928, another Simitian bill, would have required manufacturers of cleaning products to disclose the products' ingredients on their websites.

Senate Bill 1362, also by Simitian, would have required that cities using red-light cameras better ensure that citations are properly issued and that drivers could challenge incorrectly administered tickets.

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