Under the new law, officers can cite a jaywalker 'only when a reasonably careful person would realize there is an immediate danger of a collision.'
This means pedestrians can now cross the street outside an intersection or crosswalk without being ticketed as long as it is safe to do so. , was first introduced by Assembly member Phil Ting .
The bill defines when an officer can stop and cite a pedestrian for jaywalking - specified as only when a reasonably careful person would realize there is an immediate danger of a collision. "It should not be a criminal offense to safely cross the street," said Ting. "When expensive tickets and unnecessary confrontations with police impact only certain communities, it’s time to reconsider how we use our law enforcement resources and whether our jaywalking laws really do protect pedestrians."