In the News 2008

By Greg Thomas

A prohibition on text messaging while driving is one of several state laws going into effect in the new year, and Half Moon Bay police officers have mixed feelings on the subject.

On one hand, Capt. Michael O'Malley says, it discourages drivers from fiddling with a cell phone when they should be paying attention to their surroundings. But on the other hand, "It's going to be a difficult law to enforce," he said.

By Will Reisman
Examiner Staff Writer

Motorists breaking rules on two highways that run through San Francisco will be hit a little harder in the wallet starting today.

A new law, authored by state Sen. Leland Yee, will double the base fine for all traffic violations on a 5-mile stretch of state Highway 1 that includes Park Presidio Boulevard and 19th Avenue, and a 2.7-mile span of U.S. Highway 101 that includes Lombard Street and Van Ness Avenue.

The base fine makes up a portion of the citation for traffic violations.

Drivers who are ticketed for speeding and driving recklessly on two of San Francisco's busiest roads will be soon be facing some pretty stiff fines.

Beginning Jan. 1 fines for traffic violations on 19th and Van Ness avenues will double.

Both roadways have been the scene of more than 500 crashes between 2003 and 2007.

California State Sen. Leland Y. Yee and members of the Senate Select Committee on Asian Pacific Islander (API) Affairs will meet with students, faculty and staff at University of the Pacific's Stockton campus during a tour of the Central Valley. Yee will host an open forum to discuss issues that affect people of Asian and Pacific Islander heritage. The forum will be held on Friday, January 16, 2009 from noon to 1 p.m. in the President's Room. A second public meeting, billed as a town hall meeting, will be held from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.