Announcing my Safe Routes to School Initiative

For the last year, many of you have stopped me in the grocery store, at Costco, at the library, and even hiking in Mission Trails, to tell me about a dangerous event you saw or experienced from young people riding e-bikes irresponsibly. So, this week, I announced my Safe Routes to School initiative to introduce new e-bike regulations aimed at improving public safety for children and families across the City of San Diego, covered by a great CBS8 segment you can watch here.

The initiative seeks to increase safety for children as well as reduce reckless riding and incidents by imposing passenger restrictions and an age limit of 12 years. If approved, passengers would only be allowed if the e-bike is specifically designed to accommodate multiple riders with a permanent second seat and children under 12 years of age would not be allowed to operate e-bikes.

The proposed regulations would also promote education-first enforcement, strengthening youth training and accountability. A comprehensive public outreach campaign would be launched following City Council approval of the regulations. The new regulations would:

Offer education-first diversion (safety course).

Require 30-day public outreach before adoption.

Align with new state authority for local regulation.

In terms of next steps, the proposal will first need to be approved by the City Council’s Public Safety Committee on March 11, 2026 at 2PM and then be brought to the full City Council for final approval.

To voice your support, please click here to send a pre-written email to the entire Public Safety Committee. You will just need to update your name and community.

What You’re Saying

“As part of your bill, you should add the requirement that users must have head and tail lights after dark. We have seen youngsters ridding at night in dark clothing and no lights or reflectors at all. They are nearly invisible and at high risk” -W.F., Navajo

Thanks for the suggestion! My staff and I have frequently incorporated resident ideas and feedback into our policies, so I appreciate your outreach and will keep it in consideration as we develop this policy. E-Bike laws are State laws, so I also recommend that you reach out to our State Assemblymember, Chris Ward, whose contact page is here.

You are right on target as to why I introduced this policy in the first place. Public safety and public health are my number one priority, and there are too many young community members endangering themselves and endangering others with unsafe e-bike use. It’s not about ruining fun. It’s about making sure that their fun is safe, and that they return home to their families at the end of the day.

First Two Town Halls Were Immense Successes—Thank You!

This week, I kicked off my yearly Town Hall events with two well-attended stops in Navajo and Mission Valley. Guests of all ages and backgrounds brought their insights and questions aimed at bettering their communities and improving City of San Diego processes. From advocating for bathrooms at Lake Murray, to proposing AI as a tool for City employees, you brought meaningful discussions and I deeply value the opportunity to reflect with you on your needs.

Thank you for coming out. As a reminder, we’ve got two more next week in Linda Vista and Serra Mesa - you can RSVP by clicking here. Hope to see you there!

An Update on the Tecolote Canyon Golf Course

Two weeks ago, I wrote in the Raul Roundup about my support for the City Auditor, Andy Hanau, and his critical work in identifying where the City can better streamline processes and review policies to save tax dollars. He reported that the City currently has under-performing leases of our city-owned golf courses and is missing out on potential revenue streams to support our budget. We are also allowing key City-owned recreational assets to degrade.

It’s because of reports like these that City leadership can examine assess, like the Tecolote Canyon Golf Course (which recently temporarily closed), and explore options to not just maintain these assets, but better them through new contracts that prioritize significant renovations.

The City of San Diego launched its request for proposals (RFP) for the Tecolote Canyon Golf Course and I’m hopeful that we will lock down a strong contract with an operator that will take Tecolote Canyon Golf course where it needs to go.

NBC 7 San Diego: San Diego high school students get hands-on firefighter training

NBC 7 San Diego recently reported on an exciting program at the Linda Vista Innovation Center—a new fire science lab that allows students to explore possible careers in fire science, firefighting, and more.

The report followed students around during a day of work in the lab, which included rescue drills, firefighting simulations, and curriculum developed in partnership with CalFire and the San Diego Fire Department.

I’m thrilled to hear about this first-of-its-kind lab in Linda Vista, which will undoubtedly encourage bright and talented young adults to consider careers in fire prevention. These students and our region as a whole will benefit from this program.

Sincerely,