Bye-Bye, Boot Drive? Panhandling Bill May Prevent All Types of Solicitation

A proposed bill by state Sen. Joel Anderson may help cut transient panhandling on road medians and intersections in Rancho Bernardo, but it might also prevent local charity efforts, like the San Diego Burn Institute's annual Boot Drive.

SB604, as introduced by Anderson in February of this year, was created to amend the current law.

As of now, a person is prohibited from "soliciting, displaying, selling, offering for sale, or otherwise vending or attempting to vend any merchandise or service while being wholly or partly within any of specified places, including, but not limited to, the right-of-way of any freeway, including any on ramp, off ramp, or roadway shoulder which lies within the right-of-way of the freeway, or any roadway or adjacent shoulder within 500 feet of a freeway off ramp or on ramp."

SB604's aim is to add intersections controlled by traffic control signals to the law, which will include medians, Jesse Gipe, Anderson's district representative told the RB Community Council last week.

“It’s an issue very relevant here in the Rancho Bernardo community,” Gipe said.

Not only is the panhandling an issue of harrassment, it's also one of safety. Gipe said the support list for this amendment to the bill has been "growing dramatically."

"Staying in those medians is just dangerous for anybody,” he said. "It’s not an area we think it’s safe for an individual, and often times these are kids. A lot of the safety organizations recognize the need for this bill."

Susan Steffen, community relations officer with the San Diego Police Department, said the median isn't considered the roadway, making it legal for individuals to solicit from.

"It was originally meant as a safety place," Steffen said. "But [individuals] can be cited if they step off to collect money."

But what about local charities and school car washes? Their fate remains unknown.

“Currently there is not an amendment that has been made," Gipe said regarding local non-profits. "It is something we’re looking into."

The bill is up for discussion in the state Senate on May 6.

If the bill passes, Gipe said typically, a state-mandated bill leaves fines and citations it up to local agencies.

"Nothing in the law that states specifically how awareness will be brought up," Gipe said.

“If this bill passes... the violations will be up to the courts," Steffen said, noting that some wiggle room might be allowed for first-time offenders.

"We get a lot of complaints from residents about it, so this will be good,” said RB Community Council President Robin Kaufman.

Read the entire bill here and let us know what you think about it.

Should charities and non-profits still be allowed to vend from the medians? Or should it be banned altogether? Tell us in the comments.