Newsom-backed San Francisco speed camera program fines certain drivers more than others
The Speed Safety System Pilot Program was signed by Newsom in October 2023 and allows cities across California to use speeding cameras to fine drivers. Those considered lower-income are eligible for a steep discount if they receive a speeding ticket.
Violations for speeding range from $50 to $500, but individuals with a household income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level are eligible for a 50% discount, according to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. Indigent persons, or individuals who are homeless, are eligible for an 80% discount on the speeding ticket.
San Francisco officials launched the program on March 20 with a total of 33 speeding cameras around the city, but only around half of them are operational.
For the first 60 days of the pilot program, the cameras will only be used to send warnings to speeding drivers, and will issue fines after. Violations start when an individual drives their car more than 11 MPH over the speed limit.
Speed cameras were placed in areas that are "high injury," where 12% of streets within San Francisco account for 68% of severe injuries or fatalities that are traffic-related.
A fact sheet for the pilot program states that speeding cameras were placed across the city "in an equitable fashion."
"The program is intended to benefit all communities and not single out any particular neighborhood," the fact sheet states.
San Francisco isn't the only city planning to roll out the pilot program.
The Los Angeles Department of Transportation will roll out a similar program in 2026 that targets speeding drivers, but has an option for low-income individuals to perform community service instead of paying fines.
Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom's office and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency for comment.
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Los Angeles Times
9 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
How a strawberry delivery driver was caught in a fight between Newsom and Trump
The strawberry delivery driver was making his last drop-off in Little Tokyo, unloading nearly a dozen boxes onto the sidewalk outside the Japanese American National Museum. Inside the building, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his allies were holding a news conference about a Democratic Party plan to fight back against President Trump's efforts to maintain control of the U.S. House of Representatives through redistricting in Texas. Angel Rodrigo Minguela Palacios knew nothing of the powerful men's clash as he stacked cardboard boxes filled with ripe, red fruit Thursday morning. He also didn't know that dozens of Border Patrol agents were massing nearby. Minguela was caught between the two spectacles. His life was about to be upended. In the days that followed, Newsom accused the Trump administration of trying to intimidate the president's political opponents by sending the immigration agents. Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin has said the agents were 'focused on enforcing the law' not on Newsom. Newsom has since submitted a Freedom of Information Act request seeking records from the administration about why agents arrived at the museum as he was announcing his latest skirmish with the president. For Minguela, who has been in the country for close to a decade, that day felt a lot more personal. He was arrested by Border Patrol agents and now faces deportation back to Mexico. Speaking from behind a plexiglass window at the 'B-18' federal detention center in downtown L.A. on Monday, Minguela stressed that he is not a criminal. 'One comes here to work, not commit crimes,' said Minguela, who wore the same red T-shirt and jeans he'd been arrested in four days prior. When asked last week whether the person arrested outside the news conference had a criminal record, a Homeland Security spokesperson said the agency would share a criminal rap sheet when it was available. After four follow-up emails from a reporter, McLaughlin on Saturday said agents had arrested 'two illegal aliens' in the vicinity of Newsom's news conference — including 'an alleged Tren de Aragua gang member and narcotics trafficker.' Asked twice to clarify whether the alleged gang member and narcotics trafficker were the same person, Homeland Security officials did not respond. But when presented with Minguela's biographical information Monday, the department said he had been arrested because he overstayed his visa — a civil, not criminal, offense. Border Patrol Sector Chief Gregory Bovino told Fox News on Aug. 15 that operations were based on intelligence about the alleged Tren de Aragua gang member. They arrested that man two blocks away from Newsom's news conference. Two law enforcement sources who asked to remain anonymous as they were not authorized to speak with the media told The Times they had received word from federal authorities that Little Tokyo had been targeted because of its proximity to the Newsom event. For those who know Minguela, it felt like mala suerte — bad luck. As Martha Franco, one of Minguela's employers, put it, 'He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.' :: Like every other weekday, Minguela rose before the sun to start his 2 a.m. delivery route Thursday. He had around eight places to hit. He'd worked for the same produce company for around eight years and never missed a day. That day, Minguela left his partner and their three children — ages 15, 12 and 7 — asleep in their home, hours before the kids would head off for their first day of school. His partner, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, had worked the night before as a cashier at a liquor store. She did not get off work until about 12:30 a.m. She brought him coffee as he started his day. Shortly before 6 a.m., Minguela called his partner to wake her up so she could take the kids to school. Throughout the morning, they checked in with each other on how the day was progressing. She called to warn him about immigration agents at Slauson and Miles avenues in Huntington Park. Over the last couple of months, as immigration raids became a part of daily life, the couple's world had slowly shrunk. Minguela had overstayed a tourist visa after fleeing the Mexican state of Coahuila in 2015 because of violence he faced there, his partner said. She said he had worked servicing ATMs there, was kidnapped twice and at one point was stabbed by people intent on stealing the money. After his employers cut staff, she said, he lost his job, helping drive his decision to leave. Because he was undocumented, he rarely went out, leaving the house only for work and errands. Minguela began wondering whether it was even safe for him to pick up the kids from school, his partner said. He planned ahead, made copies of his keys and left money for his family in the event that he was grabbed by immigration agents. That morning, he reassured his partner he was fine. He was heading to his last stop at a tea room in Little Tokyo. 'Ten mucho cuidado,' his partner told him. Be very careful. :: The Border Patrol agents descended on 1st Street in Little Tokyo about 11:30 a.m., just as Newsom's news conference got underway. They were decked out in camouflage and helmets, their faces obscured by black masks. One wore an American flag neck gaiter. They were armed, some with AR-15-style weapons. Nearby, Minguela was busy unloading several boxes of strawberries and a box of apples. He didn't notice the agents until they were close behind him. Then, he ducked back inside the van. A video shared with The Times shows at least eight Border Patrol agents as they passed the van, its side door wide-open. They did not stop. Then, one appeared to double back and peek inside. Minguela said he feels he was targeted based on his physical appearance. When the agent began asking him questions, Minguela said he pulled a red 'know your rights' card out of his wallet and handed it to the agent. 'This is of no use to me,' he said the agent told him. Another agent soon joined them. Minguela told them he didn't have to talk. But they kept asking questions, he said. What was his nationality? What was his name? Did he have papers? 'They demanded I show them some kind of identification,' he said. 'Insisting, insisting.' The agents were armed, and Minguela said he grew scared. Believing he had no choice, Minguela said, he gave one of the agents his California driver's license. Minguela tried to call his partner twice, but she was at a doctor's appointment and couldn't answer. At 11:22 a.m., he sent her three WhatsApp messages: 'Amor ya me agarró la te preocupes.' 'Todo va a estar bien.' 'Diosito nos va a ayudar mucho.' Immigration had gotten him, he said, but everything would be fine. God would help them, he assured her. Minguela sent her a picture of an agent holding his license and seemingly plugging the information from it into a phone. Then, the agent arrested him. Video captured Minguela, hands cuffed behind his back, as the agent linked an arm through his. He walked Minguela away from the van, toward Bovino. After conferring with colleagues, the agent walked Minguela back toward his delivery van. Bovino patted the agent on the back and said, 'Well done.' At about the same time, one of Minguela's employers, Isaias Franco, received a call from Little Tokyo warning him about the immigration activity. He immediately called Minguela, whose cell number is saved in his phone under 'paisa,' countryman. Both hail from the Mexican city of Torreón. No answer. Franco texted him, trying to tell him what was unfolding. By that time, though, Minguela was already in handcuffs. :: Hours before visitation began at the detention center in downtown L.A. on Monday, families began lining up along a driveway where 'B-18' was stamped in black on a concrete wall. Someone had scrawled on the ground in chalk: 'Abolish ICE' and 'Viva La Raza.' Another message read, 'Civil disobedience becomes a duty when the state becomes lawless and corrupt.' By 11:30 a.m., 18 people were waiting for visitation to start at 1 p.m. In less than an hour, that number had ballooned to 33. Three siblings there to visit their uncle who had been arrested at a car wash in Long Beach the day before. A woman whose uncle was taken from a Home Depot in Pasadena. Two sisters whose loved one had been arrested at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement check-in. They carried bags of medication and sweaters for detained loved ones, because they'd heard it was cold inside. Each person hoped to get in before visitation ended at 4 p.m., although it seemed increasingly unlikely for those at the back of the line. Martha and Isaias, Minguela's employers, were among the hopeful. It was their third attempt to see him. The day of Minguela's arrest, they got there too late. The next day, they arrived earlier and were in luck. On the advice of others in line, they brought a jacket to keep Minguela warm. In the years they've employed Minguela, they've only ever seen his serious, professional side. But during the five minutes they got to visit with him Friday, he spent most of it in tears, hardly able to speak. The couple assured him they would help however they could. They returned on Monday, this time bringing a blue Ralph Lauren shirt and a pair of black New Balance socks so he could change clothing. Isaias and the couple's son, Carlos, had both come, despite starting their workday at 2 a.m. 'We're going to be with him until the end,' Martha said. 'He's part of our family. He's one of us.' As the hours wore on, people in line squatted or sat on the concrete to rest their aching legs. Martha flitted around, advising people to bring sweaters for loved ones and letting them know the officers allowed in only one item of clothing for each detained person. By the start of visitation, 44 people were in line. Martha was No. 19. Families exited red-eyed, tears dripping down their cheeks after getting only a few minutes with their loved ones. About 3 p.m., after waiting three and a half hours, the Francos handed the officer their passports and identification, before finally making it inside. They had to turn off their phones. They could give Minguela only the T-shirt. The officer said no to the socks, a prohibited second item of clothing. Minguela beamed when he saw the Francos, who greeted him through the plexiglass window. He was trying to maintain his spirits, but said he felt 'impotente.' Powerless. The Francos told him not to sign anything. 'Vamos a estar con usted,' Isaias told Minguela, letting him know they would be with him. He and Carlos fist bumped Minguela through the Plexiglass. 'Échale ganas,' Isaias added, keep going. :: Minguela's children have hardly stopped crying since his arrest. During the eight years he and his partner have been together, he's helped raise her two children and their 7-year-old son, who is autistic. Minguela's lawyer, Alex Galvez, said the hope is that his client will be released on bond, as he initially entered the country lawfully and is the primary breadwinner for the family. The lawyer said he believes Minguela was arrested in defiance of a federal judge's order that immigration authorities cannot racially profile people or use roving patrols to target immigrants. 'It was a political opportunity. He was one of the two guys picked up right during Newsom's press conference,' Galvez said. 'They had to show something for it.' Just days before his arrest, Minguela's family had celebrated his 48th birthday. His partner made him his favorite dish, shrimp ceviche. Her birthday was Tuesday. The family had planned to go on a rare outing for a dinner of enchiladas de mole. But they spent the day without him. There was no celebration. The children asked their mother, as they have every day for nearly a week: When is papá coming home? Times staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report.
USA Today
8 hours ago
- USA Today
Truck driver facing deportation after crash kills 3 on Florida Turnpike
A truck driver is facing homicide charges, as well as deportation, after state officials in Florida accused him of causing a multi-vehicle crash and killing three people, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced on Monday, Aug. 18. The deadly wreck took place on Tuesday, Aug. 12, in St. Lucie County, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said in a news release. The Florida Highway Patrol responded to the two-vehicle crash along Florida's Turnpike, according to the release. The two-vehicle crash involved a minivan and a commercial semi-truck and trailer, officials said. A preliminary investigation revealed the driver of the commercial semi-truck recklessly and "without regard for the safety of others," attempted to make a U-Turn in an unauthorized location, the agency wrote, leading to the death of all three people in the minivan. USA TODAY reached out to state troopers for more information on Tuesday, Aug. 19, but has not received a response. 'He grabbed my knee': Bull shark attacks Florida man Truck driver facing deportation after fatal Florida Turnpike crash According to the agency, state troopers obtained a criminal arrest warrant for the driver, Harjinder Singh, on three felony counts of vehicular homicide. It was not immediately known whether Singh had obtained an attorney for the criminal charges he faces. Truck driver involved in fatal crash 'crossed Mexico border in 2018' During the criminal investigation, and with the assistance of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency said troopers learned Singh entered the US illegally, "having crossed the Mexico border in 2018." Singh then obtained a commercial driver's license in California, the release continues. Under the federal authority delegated by ICE to troopers, the state police issued an ICE detainer, the agency said. Dave Kerner, the agency's executive director, released a statement following Singh's arrest, calling the crime while operating a commercial tractor-trailer "both shocking and criminal." "He will no longer be able to damage and destroy the lives of Floridians and visitors," Kerner said. "At the conclusion of his state charges, he will be deported." In a statement from the office of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, she blamed the incident on California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his state's Department of Motor Vehicles for issuing Singh a license. 'This state of governance is asinine,' the statement reads. 'How many more innocent people must die before Gavin Newsom stops playing games with the safety of the American public? We pray for the victims and their families." California governor: Singh obtained work permit under Trump in 2020 But according to a post from Newsom's office on X, Singh, an Indian national, obtained a work permit in 2020, during Donald Trump's first term as president. "The federal government (YOU) already confirmed that this guy meets federal and state immigration requirements -- YOU issued him a work permit," Newsome said in the post directed to President Trump. Hey, Commander Cosplay: the federal government (YOU) already confirmed that this guy meets federal and state immigration requirements -- YOU issued him a work permit (EAD). usual, you are either lying or clueless. McLaughlin later disputed the allegation, stating that Singh is in the United States illegally and that his work authorization was rejected under the Trump Administration on Sept. 14, 2020. "It was later approved under the Biden Administration (on) June 9, 2021," McLaughlin wrote in a post on X. "The state of California issues Commercial Drivers Licenses. There is no national CDL." Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@ and follow her on X @nataliealund.
Politico
9 hours ago
- Politico
In: EV incentives. Out: Sales mandates.
Presented by With help from Camille von Kaenel and Noah Baustin EV COMPLICATIONS: California drivers don't want to lose their electric vehicle tax incentives, but even voters in one of the bluest states are wary about reviving plans to phase out gas cars. Voters are split down the middle on whether California should stick to its guns on its Trump-blocked plans to phase out sales of gas cars by 2035, according to an exclusive POLITICO-Citrin Center-Possibility Lab poll. Only 46 percent of the more than 1,400 registered voters surveyed said they support the policy, while 47 percent said no. Yes, there was an obvious partisan split: 60 percent of Democrats said they backed the phase-out, compared to 40 percent of independents and 31 percent of Republicans. But the results offer a note of caution for Gov. Gavin Newsom, who directed the California Air Resources Board to start writing new vehicle emissions rules after Republicans revoked the state's sales mandates for cars and heavy-duty trucks in June. 'None of us really like the idea of government intervening to take something away from us,' said Dan Sperling, a former CARB member and director of the University of California, Davis' Institute for Transportation Studies. 'That's even the most liberal of us.' Poll respondents are more bought into Newsom's plan to backfill the soon-to-be-defunct $7,500 federal EV tax credit. Nearly two-thirds — 64 percent — said they would support state-funded tax incentives once the federal subsidy ends Sept. 30, as part of the Trump administration's ongoing attacks on clean energy policy. That question again showed a partisan divide, with 80 percent of Democrats saying they back the approach, compared to 60 percent of independent voters and just 43 percent of Republicans. But the overall result bolsters Newsom's push to backfill incentives that the Biden administration used to coax drivers off fossil fuels, as he suggested using cap-and-trade revenues to fund last year and directed state agencies to consider in a June executive order. But Jack Citrin, a veteran political science professor at UC Berkeley and partner on the poll, said a closer look at the poll results shows that Democrats need to keep affordability in mind. He pointed to the fact that 28 percent of respondents said they'd only support new EV incentives if gas prices aren't impacted and another 20 percent said they should be reserved for low-income buyers, reflecting the fact that cost of living was the top concern of voters polled. And 64 percent of respondents said gasoline prices are putting a significant, extreme or moderate burden on their household budgets. 'That reflects a concern with the cost of all of this,' Citrin said. 'Yes, we're for environmental protection. Yes, we're for all of this, just as long as it doesn't cost a lot.' The poll comes the same day that state agencies released a joint report with recommendations for countering Trump's assault, calling on lawmakers to bolster tax incentives, improve charging infrastructure and regulate facilities that attract polluting trucks, but offering few specific timelines or dollar figures. California Air Resources Board Chair Liane Randolph framed the report — which Newsom asked for in his June order — as a first step in the state's defense against a hostile federal government. 'Clean air efforts are under siege, putting the health of every American at risk,' she said during a press briefing. 'California is continuing to fight back and will not give up on cleaner air and better public health.' Sperling called the report a surprisingly 'modest document' and said it lacks the specificity he hoped to see. 'The word I would use is disconcerting,' Sperling said when asked about where California stands in its fight against Trump. — AN Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up here! INVEST OR TRADE: The cap-and-trade legislative games are off to the races. Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin, who's leading the Assembly's cap-and-trade working group, began circulating on Tuesday her draft legislative language to extend the state's signature climate program through 2045. The proposal, obtained by POLITICO, would also make moderate changes to how the carbon market is run and make several multiyear appropriations of its revenues for wildfire, water, air and energy programs. It's the first detailed proposal to come out of the Legislature and follows Newsom's May proposal to reauthorize the program largely as-is. Lawmakers are now staring down a three-week sprint to resolve their differences and pass a bill on cap and trade, which is not only the regulatory backstop that ensures California meets its climate targets but also a multibillion-dollar revenue engine that's brought in lower-than-expected revenues amid uncertainty about its fate after its 2030 expiration. That uncertainty is set to continue. Ahead of the California Air Resources Board's next quarterly auction scheduled for Wednesday, prices on California's carbon market 'barely responded' to news of the Assembly's proposed amendments, according to Alicia Robinson, CEO of Elevate Climate, a carbon market analytics firm. 'While the Assembly's draft language indicates forward progress, market participants seem to need less talk and more walk before they double down on buying allowances,' she said. Broadly, the proposal — which Irwin is planning to insert into her AB 1207 in the coming weeks — seeks a middle ground between business groups advocating for more free emissions permits in the name of lowering costs and environmental groups advocating for fewer free permits in the name of furthering emissions reductions. It instructs CARB to conduct its own analysis of the risk of businesses — and emissions — leaving the state as a result of the program, and to distribute free allowances accordingly. It also proposes letting businesses offset some of their emissions through investments in carbon dioxide removal technology and natural and working lands and would keep surplus permits off the market to prop up weaker-than-expected auctions. Nick Miller, a spokesperson for Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, said in an email that the proposal 'reflects the Assembly's core values: advancing climate ambition while prioritizing affordability for California working families and businesses.' The Senate working group led by Sen. Monique Limón, meanwhile, has been circulating a draft framework, also obtained by POLITICO, to reduce free allowances over time and add a new border adjustment tax to insulate in-state industries. Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. — CvK THE DELTA BETWEEN THEM: The war of words over a controversial proposed tunnel to route water south around the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is heating up. Newsom on Tuesday touted the Delta Conveyance Project as the 'most promising action' to protect the state's water delivery system from more extreme storms and droughts, higher temperatures and sea level rise. The occasion: His administration's first-ever report on adapting the State Water Project to climate change released Tuesday. The other occasion: the trailer bill he's backing — with no legislative sponsor yet — to streamline the tunnel's construction. In a now-familiar dance, environmental groups and Delta region lawmakers who oppose the 45-mile-long tunnel's construction because of its impacts on the local ecosystem immediately panned the report, while water agencies that would get its water praised it. The report also lists other strategies to climate-proof the State Water Project, which delivers water to 27 million Californians. Among them: correcting subsidence that's eating away aqueduct capacity, developing 2 million acre-feet of storage south of the Delta, using advanced weather forecasts to manage releases from Oroville Dam and permitting a physical barrier in the Delta to prevent saltwater from creeping up during low water years. — CvK TALK IT OUT: Three Assembly policy committees are coming together tomorrow for an oversight hearing on transportation fuels that will put representatives from oil, labor and environmental justice groups at the table amid a push to overhaul drilling regulations and avert two refinery closures. The joint Natural Resources, Transportation and Utilities and Energy committee hearing should offer an inside look at negotiations on a draft bill from Newsom that would boost oil drilling in Kern County — a proposal that's won plaudits from oil companies and enraged groups that say California is backtracking on its climate goals. The speaker list includes Zach Leary, senior director at the Western States Petroleum Association; Cesar Aguirre, co-director of Central California Environmental Justice Network's air and climate justice team; Mike Smith, chair of the United Steelworkers' national oil bargaining program; and Jeremy Martin, Union of Concerned Scientists' director of fuel policy. The committees will also hear from Benicia Mayor Steve Young, whose city is facing the planned closure of a Valero refinery, and Notre Dame professor Emily Grubert, who's studied clean energy transitions around the country. CARB's Randolph, California Energy Commission Vice Chair Siva Gunda and California Department of Conservation Director Jennifer Lucchesi will also speak. — AN HOT STUFF: It's August, California is about to be hit with a prolonged heat wave, and energy leaders are braced to protect the state's grid. Sound familiar? In August 2020, similar conditions forced the California Independent System Operator to launch rolling electricity blackouts as the grid was overwhelmed with demand from air conditioners across the state. Two years later, Newsom was forced to send out a statewide emergency alert pleading with residents to turn off their appliances during a September temperature spike. As 2025's heat wave approaches, energy officials are confident (mostly) that the state is out of the woods (almost). 'We are cautiously optimistic about the summer,' the CEC's Gunda said at a Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee hearing Tuesday. 'Even under the conditions that we've experienced in 2020 and 2022, we don't expect any shortfalls in the grid,' Gunda said. 'This is because of the storage capacity that has come online.' After the 2020 blackouts, Californians, from the state's utilities to residents putting the tech in their garages, went on a battery-building bonanza, adding over 12,000 megawatts of energy storage to the grid, bringing the CAISO portfolio to about 13,500 MW. The additional storage helps grid managers supply enough energy to meet demand during the early evening, the trickiest time of the day as solar production plummets at the same time that residents arriving home turn on their appliances. 'Still, a long lasting West-wide heat wave coincident [with] a big potential fire could still put us on the edge, and that's something we want to watch carefully,' Gunda said. — NB PEAK OF THE FIRE: California's No. 1 — in homes at fire risk. The state has nearly 1.3 million homes at moderate or higher wildfire risk, representing $800 billion in reconstruction costs, according to a new report released Tuesday by property data and analytics company Cotality. Second-place Colorado has 318,000 homes at similar risk, representing $142 billion. California also claims eight of the 15 metropolitan areas with the most homes at risk: Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Sacramento, San Francisco, Oxnard, Redding and Chico. — CvK — Suisun City is considering annexing thousands of inland acres from the tech-billionaire backed company California Forever to stay afloat amid rising seas. — See where forecasters are scheduling extreme heat and red flag warnings in California starting Thursday. — The House Oversight Committee is investigating whether the California High-Speed Rail Authority knowingly misrepresented the project's numbers in order to obtain federal funding.
