Placentia council advances e-bike ordinance after police safety briefing; ordinance introduced on 4–1 vote

Sergeant Garza, the police traffic sergeant, told the Placentia City Council on May 5 that the proposed ordinance aims to reduce injuries and give officers clearer enforcement tools. "It's about preventing injuries before they happen," he said, describing a rise in collisions and unsafe riding behaviors such as stunt riding and wheelies.

The ordinance (introduced for first reading by a 4–1 vote) would add chapter 13.77 to the municipal code to define electric mobility devices and regulate their operation. Garza said the measure adopts the vehicle-code classifications it described in the presentation: electric bicycles up to 750 watts, with Class 1 and Class 2 capped at 20 mph and Class 3 capped at 28 mph. The draft includes helmet rules (helmets required for minors and Class 3 riders) and area-of-operation limits in high-pedestrian business districts, parks and most sidewalks.

Garza described enforcement provisions the department supported: citation authority for unsafe operation, temporary seizure of devices used in unsafe riding with a minimum 48‑hour hold for juveniles’ devices, and a requirement that seized off‑road/dirt bikes be registered as off‑highway vehicles before release. He said seized electric bicycles would be held at a city facility; electric motorcycles or dirt bikes handled under state vehicle‑code authority would be towed and processed through a tow company’s release procedures.

Council members pressed staff on several details. One councilor noted concern that some e-bikes can be modified or lack manufacturer tags, which complicates on‑the‑spot classification. Another councilor asked whether electric scooters are covered; Garza said scooters fall under the ordinance as “electric mobility devices” and are also controlled by the state vehicle code in certain contexts. The council debated school‑zone speed limits and the age tied to Class 3 operation; during the discussion council members and staff referenced both 15 and 16 as the applicable ages, creating an inconsistency that staff said would be corrected in final ordinance language and legal review.

An emailed comment summarized by staff earlier in the meeting from the Orange County For People Oriented Places Coalition urged clarifications on e‑motorcycles, sidewalk rules, speed‑measurement practicality and school‑zone limits; Garza responded in the meeting that some categories (for example, electric dirt bikes and electric motorcycles) are already covered by the California Vehicle Code and thus treated differently in enforcement.

The council voted 4–1 to waive full reading and introduce the ordinance for first reading; Mayor Pro Tem Yamaguchi cast the lone "no" vote. The ordinance will return for additional readings and final adoption at a later meeting. The council also asked staff and legal to fix drafting typos and to clarify where scooters and multi‑use paths are explicitly addressed in the ordinance text.

Next steps: staff will incorporate legal edits and clarifications requested by council, and the ordinance will be scheduled for subsequent readings and further public notice.