10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY FEBRUARY 12-18, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com With the proliferation of e-bike riders zooming around Monterey County, sometimes speeding down sidewalks or weaving through pedestrians, the Pacific Grove City Council is exploring what it can and cannot do to regulate e-bikes. At a City Council meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 4, the city’s special counsel, Elena Gerli, broke down the current regulations for electric bike riders, who, like people-powered bicyclists, are obliged to follow similar rules of the road as motorists, such as always yielding to pedestrians. Gerli described the three classifications of e-bikes—with classes 1 and 2 able to reach speeds of 20 miles per hour and class 3 e-bikes able to travel at a maximum of 28 mph. In Pacific Grove, e-bikes are prohibited in Perkins Park, Lovers Point Park, P.G. Golf Links, El Carmelo Cemetery, and property on the ocean side of Ocean View Boulevard, except on paved portions of the Rec Trail. To further regulate e-bike use, Gerli said the city can prohibit the operation and parking of bicycles and e-bikes on sidewalks, paths and other public property. But the city cannot limit the use of e-bikes on bike paths that are on or adjacent to roadways, or regulate operation on public streets and highways. (City Council directed city staff to conduct a deep dive and revisit the topic at a later date.) From a multimodal perspective, Monterey County Sustainability Program Manager Cora Panturad said that making the roads safer for all— whether e-bike riders, motorists or pedestrians—comes down to improved infrastructure, education and awareness. “For safe ridership, having more programs starting in schools on how to ride bikes safely would be beneficial,” Panturad said. “And the best thing to do [as a bike or e-bike rider] is to just slow down when you see that you’re going down a crowded path. Being able to instill that sense of civility in people is something we need to concentrate our efforts on.” For Panturad, e-bikes are far from a problematic form of travel; they are a critical component in a sustainable transportation future. “E-bikes are part of a solution for our transportation problems, our climate problems and for our municipal budget problems,” Panturad says. “And finding a way to rebalance our infrastructure so that pedestrians, bicycles and cars can coexist is in everyone’s best interest.” Automatic license plate reader cameras have become a source of controversy with camera systems like those from Flock Safety being dropped by cities such as Santa Cruz and Los Altos Hills following public pushback. But the cameras have other uses than assisting law enforcement, such as helping parking attendants determine who parked where and when. On Tuesday, Feb. 3, Monterey City Council approved a $182,300 contract with ComSonics, Inc. for the purchase and installation of six mobile automatic license plate reading (ALPR) camera systems and services for the city’s parking division. “The City’s use of ALPR technology supports parking operations by streamlining how enforcement officers verify paid parking, time limits and virtual permits, reducing the need for manual chalking or license plate entry,” Monterey Parking Superintendent Cristie Steffy says. “The ALPR cameras are used solely for authorized parking and operational purposes and do not provide access to personal information,” Steffy adds. This acquisition will expand the use of cameras—in place for parking enforcement since 2001—to all parking division scooters. The city will likely acquire the new cameras in late spring. According to ComSonics’ website, “Checking permits and tire-chalking manually is overly time-consuming. Operators can mount the AutoVu camera on a vehicle, and automate city or university parking enforcement for many types of permits and time limit zones at once. Operators will become more efficient at covering vast areas, and AutoVu will help improve the collection of unpaid vehicle infractions.” The city acquired the camera system through an existing competitive bid contract by the City of Seal Beach through a process known as piggybacking. The money comes from the city’s parking fund capital improvement project enterprise fund, and ongoing annual services will be included in the parking division’s operating budget. Slow Down Pacific Grove City Council explores options to regulate problematic e-bike use. By Aric Sleeper NEWS IN CLASS North Monterey County Unified School District Board of Trustees meets and accepts public comment. 6pm Thursday, Feb. 12. North Monterey County High School Library, 13990 Castroville Blvd., Castroville. Free. (831) 633-3343, nmcusd.org. CLIMATE CONCERNS Pacific Grove’s draft Climate Action and Adaptation Plan is available for public review. The plan outlines ways to lower greenhouse gas emissions, protect the national environment and more. Deadline to submit comments is Thursday, Feb. 12. cityofpg.org/climateplan. CELEBRATING LEGACY City of Seaside hosts a program for Black History Month. The event honors the ongoing contributions of Black leaders. 3-6pm Sunday, Feb. 15. Oldemeyer Center, Laguna Grande Room, 986 Hilby Ave., Seaside. Free. (831) 8996800, ci.seaside.ca.us. ON THE DAIS Monterey City Council meets and accepts public comment. Tell your elected officials what they are doing well and what you think they can do better. 4pm Tuesday, Feb. 17. Colton Hall, 580 Pacific St., Monterey. Free. (831) 6463799, monterey.gov. DRIVE SAFE A workshop focuses on how cannabis affects driving and the legal consequences of driving under the influence. The workshop, presented by the County of Monterey Health Department, is geared toward teens and their parents. 5:30-7:30pm Tuesday, Feb. 17. Government Center, 1441 Schilling Place, Salinas. Free. Register at bit. ly/DUIworkshopMC. (831) 796-2871, covarrubiasL2@countyofmonterey.gov. ELECTION SEASON The candidate filing period for the June 2026 election is now open. Candidate forms will be available only during this period. Deadline to file is 5pm Friday, March 6. Make an appointment at candidateservices@countyofmonterey.gov or (831) 796-1499. countyofmonterey.gov/ elections. SCOPE OUT The U.S. Army plans a project to control erosion on a slope along the Lighthouse Avenue portion of Lower Presidio Historic Park. A draft environmental report is being circulated for public review and comments. Deadline to submit comments is March 9. View the report online at bit. ly/PresidioParkEA or a hard copy at Monterey Public Library, 625 Pacific St., and Pacific Grove Public Library, 550 Central Ave. Parking Watch City of Monterey to acquire automatic license plate reader cameras for parking enforcement. By Aric Sleeper Class 1 and 2 e-bikes are permitted on the paved portion of the Recreation Trail in Pacific Grove, as long as riders do not exceed a speed of 12 mph. E-MAIL: publiccitizen@montereycountynow.com PUBLIC CITIZEN “E-bikes are part of a solution for our transportation problems.” DANIEL DREIFUSS
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