ENCINITAS — Riding a wave of community support, red light cameras at signalized intersections gained backing from inside the Encinitas government this week.
The city’s Mobility and Traffic Safety Commission voted 5-1 on Feb. 9 to recommend that the Encinitas City Council direct staff to study potential locations and the number of red light cameras allowed under California Senate Bill 720.
Commissioner Ron Medak cast the lone dissenting vote.
The bill, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in October 2025, authorizes cities and counties to install automated camera systems to issue citations to motorists who run red lights, provided the equipment meets state standards. Like the state’s speed camera pilot program, the law relies on license plate images rather than facial recognition and requires that revenue from citations be reinvested in traffic safety efforts.
Commissioner David Thile called that a “big shift” in how responsibility is assigned compared with the city’s previous program.
Encinitas discontinued its red light cameras in May 2020 after the council declined to renew its contract with Redflex, the company that operated the program. The annual cost was projected at about $209,000, according to the city.
Under SB 720, drivers would receive a $100 citation if they had not been ticketed in the previous three years, with fines rising to $500 for repeat violations. The law treats citations similarly to parking tickets and requires cities to reinvest revenue into traffic safety projects.
The bill cites research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety showing 1,149 people were killed and more than 107,000 were injured in crashes caused by drivers running red lights in 2022. According to studies, cameras reduce fatal crashes from drivers running red lights by 21% in large cities and cut all fatal crashes at signalized intersections by 14%.
More than two dozen people spoke in favor of reinstating the cameras, and others submitted emails in support. Several did both, including Stacy Reddell, executive director of the Leucadia 101 Mainstreet Association, and members of Safe Streets Encinitas, formed after a high-profile traffic death.
In April 2025, 12-year-old Emery Chalekian was struck and killed by a driver who ran a red light as she crossed Encinitas Boulevard in a marked crosswalk, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office.
At the meeting, Bridget Chalekian said her daughter “trusted the system that is supposed to protect pedestrians, and that system failed her.”
Laura Van Dusen, a founding member of the Safe Streets advocacy group, asked why the commission had not advanced additional safety recommendations in the nine months since Emery’s death.
“Every one of these deaths represents a failure of our system and a call to do better,” Van Dusen said.
Reddell said the Leucadia 101 MainStreet board had directed the nonprofit organization to support the restoration of the cameras.
Mike Dobransky, another founding member of Safe Streets Encinitas, cited a 2024 New York City report that found safety benefits from red-light camera enforcement.
City staff also referenced a 2018 report showing that in the years after cameras were installed, collisions dropped 45% at El Camino Real and Encinitas Boulevard and 32% at El Camino Real and Olivenhain Road, which becomes Leucadia Boulevard.
The report noted that before the cameras were installed, the intersections averaged 8.7 and 9.2 crashes, respectively, compared with an expected 10 crashes per location, based on Caltrans data.
Opposition came primarily from Steve Linke, a former member of the Carlsbad Traffic Safety and Mobility Commission. Linke said he and colleagues reviewed 52 months of state crash data and found a reduction in collisions after the cameras were removed.
Between January 2016 and April 2020, according to Linke, 31 crashes occurred at the camera-equipped intersections, compared with 16 in a similar period afterward. Injuries fell by 38%, he said.
“I’m probably not saying things that are particularly popular in this room, and I respect all the efforts and those advocating for the safety measures,” Linke said. “The number of events in this study is somewhat low, but the data is pretty compelling.”
Medak said studies from other cities, such as New York City, may not translate locally.
“I don’t think that red light cameras have been studied conclusively, and I think it varies from community to community,” he said. “I think the data that Mr. Linke provided is much more applicable.”
Medak added that he would like to see a root-cause analysis of the crash that killed Emery, but had been advised against discussing it because of the ongoing criminal prosecution of the driver, Eddie Sengendo, 44, who is charged with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in connection with the fatal collision.
“I think it would be a good idea to consider ways to make that intersection safer,” Medak said. “I’m not sure that the red light cameras, especially under this program, are the way to go.”
Medak also criticized a provision in SB 720 that allows Medi-Cal recipients — 38% of California residents, according to state data — to pay just 20% of a red-light camera fine.
“If you run a red light, you pay $20,” he said. “What kind of behavior modification do you think that is? To me, that’s encouragement.”
Commissioner Chris Duncan later said he did not believe a $20 penalty would encourage drivers to run red lights, noting the city had debated safety long enough and needed to move forward.
“I think this is something we’ve heard loud and clear that the city wants,” Duncan said.
Commissioner Paul Templin, while voting yes, cautioned residents not to expect dramatic change.
“Red light cameras may make people feel safer, but I’m not sure it’s really going to increase safety,” Templin said.
Outgoing Vice Chair Glen Johnson supported the recommendation in line with the city’s Vision Zero goal to eliminate traffic deaths.
“When we’ve had tragedies like this, some action, some change is necessary,” Johnson said. “I favored the original red light camera program, and I think this one is perhaps a gentler one, but still we need to do something.”
In his final meeting before reaching term limits, Johnson thanked staff, fellow commissioners and the public. Johnson also encouraged Safe Streets advocates, many wearing sunflower-yellow shirts honoring Emery, to remain engaged.
“Wear those yellow shirts to City Council meetings when this gets on their agenda,” Johnson said, “and let them know what the community wants.”
