The death of her little brother, 27-year-old civil engineer Raymond Olivares, run down in February by a street racer going 100 mph while he walked across Avalon Boulevard to his home in Compton, was still fresh in her mind.
With emotion in her voice, Cindi Enamorado spoke about losing her brother at a press conference in Glendale on Monday, July 10, throwing her support behind a California state legislative bill that would allow certain cities to install speed-safety cameras on streets plagued by illegal racing and street takeovers, as well as in school zones and at crosswalks.
“The scene was very graphic, very violent. We were not able to have an open casket to be able to say goodbye,” Enamorado said, breaking down, her eyes filling up with tears. “We should never have gone through this. If this bill would have been in place I still would have my brother.”
The bill is Assembly Bill 645, by Assemblymember Laura Friedman, D-Glendale, which would for the first time in California allow automated cameras to send citations to speeders’ homes without the presence of law enforcement.
Under AB 65, automated speed cameras, illegal in California, would be allowed as part of a pilot program in six cities: Los Angeles, Long Beach, Glendale, San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose. Civil penalties would be $50, $100, $200 or $500 for exceeding the speed limit by 11 mph, 16 mph, 26 mph and over 100 mph. The first violation notice would be a warning.
AB 65 is supported by victims and families of those killed or injured as a result of street racing, as well as a coalition of 80 nonprofit safe-streets groups, faith-based communities and cities who see the bill as a way to reduce the rising tide of traffic violence on local streets.
Friedman said constituents in her legislative district, which includes Glendale, Burbank, La Crescenta, Lake View Terrace, North Hollywood, Sherman Oaks, Sunland, Tujunga and Studio City, are calling for more enforcement to improve…
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