A new bill sitting on Governor Newsom’s desk, SB 720, offers California an opportunity to overhaul our red light camera program, making it more equitable and effective.
There are several problems with the current red light camera program. Currently the legislation requires that, to issue the violation, the cameras must capture a clear photo of the driver’s face. This results in thousands of violations being thrown out due to poor photo quality, a system expensive for the city to maintain, and ineffective in its outcome. This also brings up concerns for facial recognition technology and the SFPD, who runs the program, sharing this data with federal agencies.
The fines currently issued are $500 for everyone, among the nation’s highest for red-light violations, with a moving violation on a driver’s record. While this seems like an effectively tough penalty, people living on low incomes often can’t and don’t pay, falling into a cycle of increasing penalties and financial instability.
SB 720 aims to remedy this by following the lead of the automated speed enforcement bill that passed in 2023, AB 645. In the short time that speed cameras have been active in SF, the new approach has proven more effective, and it’s time for the red-light camera program to catch up.
The bill would reduce red-light fines to $100 for first-time violations — still a meaningful deterrent, but sustainable enough for cities to be able to maintain their programs. The bill would also make violations civil rather than criminal, protecting working families from insurance increases and other mounting penalties.
The equity provisions in SB 720 align with San Francisco values. Like the speed camera legislation, the bill includes lower rates and alternative options for low-income drivers. It also includes privacy provisions, requiring the photographs be only of the license plate rather than the faces of car occupants and explicitly bans facial recognition technology; it also requires the data not be shared with state or federal agencies unless via court order.
We know red-light cameras save lives. According to the SFMTA, San Francisco has seen a 66% drop in injury collisions caused by running red lights since cameras were introduced. But the program only works when citations are actually issued. Currently, that’s not happening as effectively as it could.
This is why we need Governor Newsom to sign SB 720 before October 13. Email the Governor and ask him to sign SB 720 and fix our red light camera program.
