A newly-approved bill signed in late September by Gov. Gavin Newsom allows cities within San Diego County, or the county itself, to ban electric bicycles for riders who are younger than 12 years old.

The bill, AB 2234, was written by Assemblymember Tasha Boerner, who is the California State Representative for the 77th District that includes much of coastal San Diego County. She shared that while she is a mother of kids who enjoy using their e-bikes to get around, there needs to be more regulations around how they are used.

“I think it is a great alternative, but what I saw was increasingly younger kids having e-bikes,” she told NBC 7.

The approval of the bill marks the start of a pilot program exclusive to San Diego County that could prohibit kids who are under the age of 12 from operating class 1 and 2 electric bicycles. Under existing law, they are already not allowed to use class 3 e-bikes, so this would ban them from using them altogether. 

“Any city or the county itself can opt into the pilot by passing a local ordinance after Jan. 1,” Boerner said. “They have to have a diversion program and they have to have reporting requirements because we want to get the data from this to make this statewide.” 

It comes after a rapid rise in traffic collisions involving bikes and e-bikes across the state, as well as a handful of deadly crashes around San Diego County. In Carlsbad in 2022, Christine Hawk Embree was killed on Aug. 7 while riding her e-bike with her daughter near the corner of Basswood Avenue and Valley Street in Carlsbad. The following week, on Aug. 15, 68-year-old Solana Beach resident Brad Catcott and two others were seriously hurt when a motorcycle crashed into a bicycle on an ocean-front street in Carlsbad, authorities reported.

Then, in Encinitas last year, 15-year-old Brodee Champlain-Kingman was riding his bike near the intersection of El Camino Real and Santa Fe Drive. The San Diego Sheriff’s Department said he rode into the path of a work van, was hit and was taken to the hospital where he later died.

“We want our kids to get home safe,” Boerner said. 

The pilot program is authorized from Jan. 1 2025, to Jan. 1, 2029. NBC 7 reached out to coastal communities in the region — including Carlsbad and Encinitas — and asked if they would plan to participate in the pilot.

The city of Oceanside referred to the Oceanside Police Department and they have not responded. The city of San Diego said it is too early to know and that they will likely have more information on their consideration in the coming days or weeks. 

Solana Beach Mayor Lesa Heebner sent a statement to NBC 7 that said she “definitely” wants this in front of the city council. She added that, recently, many residents have expressed concern about young e-bike riders not knowing the rules of the road. 

“This Bill could go a long way to ensure a safer experience among e-bike riders, pedestrians and drivers. I’m looking forward to hearing from our community, then deliberating to determine if we’ll opt in to this pilot program,” she wrote. 

The city of Solana Beach shared they also work closely with their school districts to develop education programs on safe usage that would continue as they consider the pilot program.

The city of Encinitas shared a statement with NBC 7 that the bill “aligns with our City’s promoting safe and sustainable transportation options, particularly given the popularity of e-bikes among our youth.” They added they feel the pilot program is an opportunity to “assess the impact of e-bike use by younger kids.” 

They plan to bring an agenda item forward for the city council to consider soon. 

On Saturday September 28^th, 2024 Green Day finished the North American leg of their Saviors tour at Petco Park in San Diego. The entire tour began in Santiago de Compostela, Spain this May and finishes May 30^th 2025 in Mumbai. This tour was launched in support of Saviors, Green Day’s fourteenth album.

After thirty-five years on the road the band has learned a few things about holding an audience. Green Day’s performance included lots of coordinated flash bang occurrences using fireworks to punctuate their songs, along with a full stage assortment of lighting effects. This tour was a four act bill in North America consisting of The Linda Lindas, Rancid, Smashing Pumpkins and Green Day. That’s a pretty big show given the reasonable ticket prices.

There is a lot of talk these days about the ebb and flow of demand for tickets to big shows. Consumers are growing resistant to spending money, and there has been a marked increase in tickets going unsold because fans are economically pressured. But, when Green Day comes to town it’s still a party that can’t be missed.

Ticket prices remained fair, even up to the last minute in San Diego where a bunch of “obstructed view” tickets were added shortly before the show for sale at $36 apiece. For those in the know about baseball stadiums, the noted obstruction was because there is netting protecting against foul balls going into the crowd. This netting was still there because the Padres are still in contention as baseball goes into the playoffs. Here’s a pro tip: once it is dark during a nighttime show you can’t see the net. The stage video screens are bright in the darkness and sound is unimpacted.

The Saviors tour focused on the 30^th anniversary of the Dookie album and the 20^th anniversary of American Idiot. By now, the crowd knew this music intimately, and they sang along throughout the show. There is something special about being in a crowd of longtime fans all joining together to celebrate the music which has been the soundtrack to their lives.

Once a band has been touring a show for a while they settle into a rhythm. If you see the show twice, you’ll have twice the fun, but both shows will be very similar. So, sometimes it the unexpected which gives a little jolt of energy when it comes out of nowhere.

Early on in the San Diego show lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong noticed two people fighting in the front audience. He stopped the show and directly told the aggressors to stop fighting. He had to say it a few times, until the situation calmed. Then, showing how a great front man handles a crowd, Billie Joe turned the entire stadium into a support group, urging everyone to collectively join in the soothing process by chanting “ohm” repeatedly as a calming device. The concert became group therapy, and with the support of the audience the situation resolved.

Even more unexpected was the pep talk Billie Joe gave the audience as the show was nearly finished. It is no surprise to anyone these days that with a highly partisan election nearing there is tension in society. Billie Joe reached around the trip wires and spoke from his heart. He said:

“We are not choosing sides. We are all unified. This is unity. We want a new America. Something that’s inclusive for all of us with compassion and love and joy.”

What Billie Joe sand and how he said it was what should be the norm of how to interact with people. But in this polarized world people are talking in circles. Truth has been left to the performers. Green Day is not afraid to speak from their heart, and remind those in attendance how normal human beings shold interact.

All of this runs to trust. Those in entertainment who survive the journey learn to build affinity with their fans. In return, the fans buy tickets, merchandise and build a community amongst themselves which celebrates the joy of singing together the songs which have been playing for the better part of a lifetime. Those who turned up and saw this tour got 38 songs over nearly two and one half hours. The show began with a new song: The American Dream Is Killing Me and ended with a heartwarming classic: Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life.) The arc through their back catalogue during the show kept the crowd engaged. When the audience is in synch with the musicians they bond as the fans in the stadium slowly become a collective community. Then, together with the performers they celebrate the past and inspire the musicians to continue creating in the present.

Green Day is not done. They have many shows already booked around the world for 2025. The party held in San Diego as the Saviors tour of North America ended was joyous. The crowd was a blend of young and old, left and right, well off and grinding. In the end, they came in excited for the event and left satiated. There is nothing easy about managing a stadium crowd. There are substantial logistics to be handled prior to and during the performance. Green Day gave the crowd an terrific experience. It’s clear the stadium will fill again when they return on their next loop.

A man was injured after being shot by a police officer in Escondido on Wednesday night, authorities said.

Officers responded to the Escondido Transit Center located at 700 West Valley Parkway at around 7:40 p.m. after a call about a man who was waving a gun, according to the Escondido Police Department.

When police arrived, they found the suspect, who ran eastbound, prompting a foot chase, Sgt. Russ Whitaker with the EPD said.

About halfway between North Quince Street and Centre City Parkway, the man pulled out what appeared to be gun, Lt. Jud Campbell with San Diego Police Department’s Homicide Unit said in a news conference. An officer then shot the man multiple times on a bike path east of North Quince Street, Escondido police said.

SDPD said another officer and a sergeant were also involved in the pursuit but did not fire their weapons.

The man, who police described as 34 years old, is expected to survive and is being treated at a nearby hospital, according to SDPD. He has been identified, but police are not releasing his name yet.

Police say no officers were injured in the shooting.

A firearm that was dropped during the incident was possibly a replica firearm or a compressed air gun, Campbell said.

The officer who fired his weapon has been with the EPD for three years, San Diego police said.

SDPD said its Homicide Unit is conducting the investigation, which is county protocol for officer-involved shootings.

This is a developing story that will be updated as more information arrives.