In a 4-1 vote on Tuesday night, the La Mesa City Council gave final approval to a new e-bike ordinance, which prohibits children under 12 from riding standard e-bikes.
Councilmember Laura Lothian cast the dissenting vote. She said she spoke with parents who take reasonable safety steps such as setting a speed limit on their children’s bikes.
“I feel like we need to let parents make decisions for their children,” Lothian said. ”The problem is the teenagers and it’s not the 8, 9, and 10 year-olds with their parent.”
But the rest of the council members believe the ordinance is necessary and allowed under a 2024 state law that specifically targeted San Diego County.
The law, AB 2234, authored by Assemblymember Tasha Boerner, D-San Diego, established a pilot program for regulating e-bikes. In addition to the age restriction, it also allows cities to confiscate modified bikes. The pilot program and ordinance will last through 2029.
“It simply establishes what California law has long recognized that some vehicles require a minimum level of physical size, cognitive development, and judgment that children under 12 have not yet reliably reached,” Councilmember Genevieve Suzuki said.
La Mesa now joins Chula Vista, San Marcos, Carlsbad, Coronado and Santee as cities that have recently passed e-bike regulations.
The council unanimously approved the first reading of the ordinance on April 14, but at their last meeting on April 28 Lothian and Vice Mayor Lauren Cazares walked back their initial support after parents expressed concerns about not being able to ride their e-bikes with their kids. The council postponed the vote.
However on Tuesday, Cazares decided to back the ordinance after all.
“The opinion that I have formed is informed by healthcare professionals, school representatives, not just the one here tonight, but our elementary schools, and others … our firefighters and public safety,” Cazares said. “I do not think it's a perfect ordinance. There are lots of things that I would change if we had the ability to change them, but when it comes down to it, I'm going to be supportive.”
The council’s decision had some public support at the meeting, including from school and public safety officials.
“This ordinance is not about banning e-bikes and is not about taking the rights away from parents,” said Domenic Provence, president of the La Mesa Firefighters Local 4759 union. “It's about protecting our children, the people in our community, by creating reasonable safety measures that help prevent serious injuries before they happen.”
But some parents left the meeting disappointed with the council’s decision. Andrea and Joseph Cryer said they had planned to raise their four kids with e-bikes.
“We’re the ones who are going to lose out,” Joseph said. “There are a lot of responsible parents out there and I think the City Council is really discounting the quality of parents and the quality of kids that we have in our city and they're really selling us short.”
In addition to passing the ordinance, council members directed city staff to explore options for more bike lanes near schools and e-bike safety workshops.
The ordinance will take effect after a 30-day outreach campaign. For the first 60 days after it is in effect, a violation will result in a warning. Violations after that period will carry a $25 fine, which can be waived if the offender completes a safety training.
