It’s not enough that the hotel I’m staying in is charging me $25/night to park my car (and $12.95/day for internet access), but as I walked down the street to get lunch (past the court house, which may have been part of the problem), a cop on a motorcycle pulls over and says, “Sir, I need to see an ID.” Huh? I quickly realized what he meant, as I had just crossed a perfectly empty street against the Big Red Hand (BRH). He also stopped to innocent teenaged girls from Scotland for the same offense. They had no idea what was going on.
So the cop takes my ID (he made me give him my drivers’ license after I handed him my military ID even though he only said he “needed an ID”), and then proceeds to make small talk about why I’m in town. I wanted to reply with a comment about how I wasn’t getting enough jaywalking tickets in Santa Cruz, but there was still a remote possibility of getting a warning, so I refrained. He then made a point to say (twice) that “this isn’t just a San Diego law, it’s a CALIFORNIA law.” I didn’t stick around, but I’m guessing the Scottish teens got a warning.
Questions: (1) Anyone know how much a jaywalking ticket costs in CA?
(2) If I fight this (if only as a protest), I’m going to make the comment that the cop couldn’t have seen the actual BRH I saw because he was at least a block and a half away when I crossed and coming from the opposite direction. Does this sound plausible?
p.s. I realize I was wrong. I will pay the fine if I don’t get some leniency from the judge. I happen to think, however, that stopping jaywalkers who don’t put anyone in harm’s way is ridiculous. I’m educated enough to know when it is safe to cross a road!
A friend of mine in college got a jaywalking ticket in Palm Springs - kind of the same situation: no immediate danger, etc.
I’ve grown up in Southern California (granted I haven’t ever lived or worked in the actual center of downtown) and I’ve never actually witnessed this happening. So even though I’m sitting here 10 miles north of you, it boggles MY mind, too.
But I’ll keep that in mind next time I head to the Gaslamp.
Don’t know about out there, but here where I work a couple of weeks ago they were waiting for people to jay walk. They were giving out $35, I think, tickets to people crossing against the red. Now this street is a pain to get across because of the amount of time the walk light stays lit. You can only get half-way across before it turns red and you can’t cross any more. So usually I wait until it’s ok then cross halfway, not when I saw them giving out tickets. What a waste, it’s not like that many people get hurt crossing the road, and when it does happen it’s because people are being stupid and crossing where the traffic can’t see them.
That sounds cool. I’m supposed to be heading back to Santa Cruz on Friday afternoon, but I might consider sticking around. It depends on if I can find an apartment I like (I’m moving down here in July). I’ll drop you an e-mail if I’m going to be around. Cheers!
I’ll have to stay away from San Diego. They’d probably throw me in jail for being a repeat jaywalker. I jaywalk a lot, because sometimes it’s a lot safer to jaywalk than to wait for the light.
I saw lots of people get ticketed for jaywalking when I was in Los Angeles. It was funny to watch those lazy enough not to walk the 20 feet to the cross walk on Ventura get ticketed by hidden motorcycle cops.
San Diego has always been big on jaywalking tickets. I lived there for 9 years. I never got one, but not for lack of trying My upstairs neighbor was a County cop, and my next door neighbor was a city cop, they both had lots of jaywalking stories. At least they both had the grace to be embarrased about having to do something so lame-assed.
Its not like SD has no crime.
You know, I agree with you to a point, but cops pick and choose almost continuously. I’m not a big speeder, but I would be happier to pay a fine for going 5-10mph over the speed limit than one for jaywalking. The difference is that when I’m speeding, I’m putting people in danger; when I’m jaywalking on an empty street, I’m not putting anyone in danger.
By the way, you should SEE all the jaywalkers in San Diego. I’ve been keeping my eye out, and many people jaywalk and put themselves in danger, or slow traffic, etc. The fact that the cop gave me a ticket on an empty street means he’s not paying attention to others doing far more dangerous jaywalking (or he’s giving a bucketful of tickets, which he may be doing).
Yup, and believe me, they’d rather be doing it. Handing out jaywalking tickets is crapwork. But it’s usually because enough people bitched and moaned about jaywalkers that one of them is stuck there. Or some idiot got run down, and they have to look like they’re doing something about it.
My upstairs neighbor was a County cop, and my next door neighbor was a city cop, they both had lots of jaywalking stories. At least they both had the grace to be embarrased about having to do something so lame-assed.
I’ve been keeping my eye out, and many people jaywalk and put themselves in danger, or slow traffic, etc. The fact that the cop gave me a ticket on an empty street means he’s not paying attention to others doing far more dangerous jaywalking (or he’s giving a bucketful of tickets, which he may be doing).