MALIBU, CA — Gov. Gavin Newsom this week vetoed a bill that would have created new penalties for speeding, which was authored by Malibu’s legislators in response to recent speed-related fatal crashes on Pacific Coast Highway.
The bill, SB 1509, would have applied to roads on which speed limits are 55 mph or less, such as PCH. Drivers convicted twice of speeding 26 mph or more above the speed limit on such roads would have received a two-point violation.
The bill was coauthored by Malibu senators Henry Stern and Ben Allen and Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin. It was among the moves made by government officials after four Pepperdine University students were fatally struck last year by a driver who police say was speeding on PCH.
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In a letter accompanying his veto, Newsom outlined several concerns he had with the bill. Among them: that the option for speeders to attend traffic school would make the two-point accumulation less frequent, that the two-point penalty would apply only to those convicted of the same excessive speeding offense (and not other speeding offenses).
“Consequently, this bill may have less of an overall deterrent effect than intended,” Newsom wrote.
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Additionally, the governor said the law would require modifications to the Department of Motor Vehicles computer systems, which are already undergoing a “comprehensive” modernization. “The additional mandate would disrupt these critical projects,” he wrote.
Finally, he said the bill has no included provisions to cover its costs, which he said would disrupt the state’s balanced budget.
The governor’s veto was met with disappointment by Malibu officials.
“While I understand Gov. Newsom’s concerns about the administrative and fiscal impacts of the bill, the fact remains that speeding is the leading cause of fatal accidents on our roads,” Mayor Doug Stewart wrote in a statement. “I urge the Legislature to work quickly to find an alternative that addresses the governor’s concerns while still delivering on the core intent of SB 1509 — to protect people from the dangers of excessive speeding. The people of Malibu, and the countless Californians who travel along our roads every day, deserve action to ensure their safety.”
The bill was among those that a Malibu delegation lobbied for in Sacramento earlier this year.
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