TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Talyn Mirzakhanian, Acting City Manager
FROM:
Rachel Johnson, Chief of Police
Andrew Enriquez, Police Captain
Matt Sabosky, Police Lieutenant
SUBJECT:Title
Consideration of a Voluntary Bicycle (E-Bike) Registration Program (Police Chief Johnson).
(Estimated Time: 30 Mins.)
DISCUSS AND PROVIDE DIRECTION
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RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council receive the report and discuss and provide direction on next steps, if any.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
The cost for the City's participation in the online database is $1,000-$3,000 per year. All costs can be absorbed in the 2024-2025 Police Department budget. However, once the City Council directs staff on this matter, appropriations may be required in future years.
BACKGROUND:
At the June 18, 2024, meeting, the City Council directed staff to research and present information related to a voluntary bike registration program in the City of Manhattan Beach. Both the Police Department and the City Council have expressed interest in the feasibility of a voluntary bicycle registration program to aid in repatriating lost or stolen bicycles with their owners.
DISCUSSION:
The California Vehicle Code (CVC 39000-39011) allows local agencies to create a mandatory program only by participating in the State's bicycle licensing program utilizing the State's indicia and allows a maximum of $400 to be collected per bicycle. Traditional bicycle licensing programs have been phased out due to cumbersome administrative processes in favor of online databases that are more user-friendly and more cost-effective for municipalities to operate. California Vehicle Code (CVC 39002(a) is clear that cities that adopt a bicycle-licensing ordinance or resolution, shall not prohibit the operation of an unlicensed bicycle.
The earliest history of a bicycle registration program in the City dates back to 1936, whe...
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