The Encinitas City Council will consider on Wednesday whether to once again put in red light camera systems at major roadway intersections now that a new state law has changed the requirements.
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Senate Bill 720, which went into effect in January, has new restrictions on where the cameras can aim, as well as how red-light running violations are handled, a city staff report produced for Wednesday’s meeting states.
Violations now will be civil penalties, “rather than conventional traffic citations,” it states. The tickets will be $100 for those who have not had a prior violation in the last three years, $200 for those with one prior violation in the last three years, $250 for two-time violators and $500 for those who have three or more violations within the three-year period.
The new camera systems generally will take pictures of “the rear license plate, rather than the driver, and the notice is issued to the registered owner,” the report continues. “Facial-recognition technology is prohibited, and a violation does not result in a driver’s license point or suspension.”
Wednesday’s meeting starts at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 505 S. Vulcan Ave. Council members are expected to vote on whether Encinitas should investigate starting a red light camera pilot project and obtain cost estimates. Before the city actually can pick a camera vendor, it will need to prepare an “Automated Traffic Enforcement System Impact Report” and collect public comments as required by state law, the staff report notes.
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“A limited, data-driven pilot will an opportunity to evaluate safety benefits, costs, administrative requirements, and community impacts before deciding whether automated red-light enforcement should be expanded, modified or discontinued,” it states.
Encinitas had red-light cameras for about 16 years. One set of cameras covered various vehicle lanes at El Camino Real’s intersection with Encinitas Boulevard, while another set monitored conditions at El Camino’s intersection with Leucadia Boulevard and Olivenhain Road.
The cameras were removed in spring 2020 during the COVID pandemic, after the City Council decided not to extend its contract with camera operator Reflex. At the time, some council members cited concerns about the high cost of the tickets as a reason to end the program. Red-light runners received $490 tickets, and much of that money went for court-related expenses.
In the years since there have been efforts to bring the cameras back. The most recent one has been promoted by Safe Streets Encinitas, which formed after the death of 12-year-old Emery Chalekian in April 2025. Emery, a dance school student, was struck by a vehicle and killed while walking in a crosswalk one block east of the Encinitas Boulevard and El Camino Real intersection.
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