State highway work zone speed safety program.

The bill was renumbered from 'AB 289' to 'Chapter 684' in all headers and page references, reflecting its status as an enacted law rather than a pending bill.

Added the authenticated header 'STATE OF CALIFORNIA AUTHENTICATED ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIAL' and the Governor's approval and filing date (October 13, 2025).

Removed legislative passage information including Assembly and Senate vote dates, clerk signatures, and the Governor's receipt line with blank fields for date and time.

The maximum number of speed safety systems Caltrans may deploy in state highway work zones was reduced from 75 to 35, significantly scaling back the automated speed enforcement program.

The requirement for Caltrans to consult specifically with the Department of the California Highway Patrol when developing speed safety system guidelines was removed. The bill now only requires consultation with 'relevant state agencies and other relevant stakeholder organizations.'

A new Section 2.5 was added to amend Government Code Section 70615 as amended by SB 720 (Chapter 631 of the Statutes of 2024), adding a $25 filing fee for appeals under Vehicle Code Section 21455.9 regarding automated traffic enforcement violations. This provision is operative only if both AB 289 and SB 720 are enacted and AB 289 is enacted last.

Sign placement language was clarified from 'no more than between 500 feet and one mile' to simply 'between 500 feet and one mile, inclusive,' removing confusing double-negative phrasing.

In the requirement that systems only issue citations when workers are present, the phrase 'construction or maintenance workers from the Department of Transportation' was shortened to 'workers from the Department of Transportation.'

The document was reformatted from an official chaptered legislative document (with page numbers, authentication headers, and print layout) into a web-based presentation format that includes website navigation menus, quick search fields, and bill tracking links. No substantive policy language was added, removed, or altered.

The definition of 'speed safety system' was narrowed from capturing 'a clear photograph, video recording, or other visual photographic image' to only 'a clear photographic image.' This change is applied consistently throughout the bill, removing all references to video recordings and other visual images as permissible evidence.

The allowable uses for information collected by the speed safety system were narrowed. The Assembly version allowed use for program administration AND compliance with state or federal law, court order, or subpoena. The Senate version limits it to 'the administration of the state highway work zone speed safety program only.'

A new requirement was added that notices of violation must include a phone number the recipient may use to request additional information about the State Highway Work Zone Speed Safety Program.

The requirement that notices of violation include 'a proof of service consistent with Section 1013a of the Code of Civil Procedure' was removed from the list of required notice contents.

A new sentence was added to the administrative hearing provision stating 'There shall be no additional charge for this hearing,' meaning recipients cannot be charged a separate fee beyond the civil penalty itself to request an administrative hearing.

Payment plan eligibility during the administrative hearing process was broadened. The Assembly version limited payment plans to indigent persons. The Senate version extends them to anyone who is indigent OR who provides evidence satisfactory to the examiner or department of an inability to pay the civil penalty in full.

Page numbers were renumbered from 96 to 95 throughout, and various line numbers shifted due to the text changes. The legislative findings section was updated to remove references to video recordings and other visual images, consistent with the definitional change.

The definition of 'speed safety system' was narrowed from capturing 'a vehicle license plate' to specifically 'a rear vehicle license plate,' and the term 'photographic image' was added alongside 'visual image.'

The maximum number of speed safety systems was confirmed at 75 by filling in a previously blank field ('up to____ 75' became 'up to 75'), removing ambiguity about the program's scale.

Section 22445(c)(5) was changed from requiring that the system 'actively issues citations only when workers are present' to requiring that it 'records speed violations and actively issues citations only when workers are present,' clarifying that both recording and citation issuance are restricted to times when workers are on site.

The allowable uses for collected information were changed from 'including' (non-exhaustive) to 'is limited to...only' (exhaustive), meaning data can only be used for program administration and legal compliance, with no other purposes permitted.

Section 22445(m) was narrowed so cameras must capture only 'rear license plate photographs' of speeding violations rather than the broader 'photographs, video recordings, or other visual images,' further restricting what may be recorded.

Section 22445(n) changed 'radar' to 'photo radar' when describing the type of automated enforcement system the department may use, and several other provisions added the word 'photographic' before 'image' or 'evidence' for precision.

The maximum number of speed safety systems authorized for use on state highway construction or maintenance areas was reduced from 75 to 35.

The consultation requirement before adopting written guidelines was expanded: the department must now consult with 'the Department of the California Highway Patrol relevant state agencies' in addition to stakeholder organizations, rather than just CHP and stakeholder groups.

Sign placement distance before a speed safety system was changed from a fixed maximum of 500 feet to a range of 'between 500 feet and one mile, inclusive, as determined by the department,' giving Caltrans more flexibility.

The requirement that citations only be issued when workers are present was clarified to specify 'workers from the Department of Transportation, including persons contracted to perform construction, maintenance, or repair of a highway,' rather than just 'construction or maintenance workers.'

Funding allocation was restructured: moneys in the Safe Highway Work Zone Account are now continuously appropriated first for program administration, with any remaining funds then used for the Construction Zone Enhanced Enforcement Program and Maintenance Zone Enhanced Enforcement Program. Previously all three purposes shared the continuous appropriation equally.

A clarifying sentence was added to the 'speed safety system' definition stating it is also known as an automated speed enforcement system.

The maximum number of speed safety systems authorized for deployment was reduced from 125 to 75, cutting the program's potential scale by nearly half.

Funding language changed from 'allocated, upon appropriation by the Legislature' to 'continuously appropriated,' removing the need for annual legislative action to release funds. The continuous appropriation now explicitly covers three programs: the speed safety program, the Construction Zone Enhanced Enforcement Program, and the Maintenance Zone Enhanced Enforcement Program.

The bill's appropriation designation changed from 'no' to 'yes,' reflecting that the continuous appropriation language constitutes a legislative appropriation.

Four additional Assembly Members (Ahrens, Davies, Harabedian, and Ransom) were added as coauthors of the bill.

The maximum number of speed safety systems changed from a fixed cap of 125 to a blank (undetermined maximum), meaning the legislature has not yet set a final limit on how many cameras can be deployed.

A new requirement was added stating that a speed safety system may only actively issue citations when construction or maintenance workers are present in the state highway work zone. This narrows enforcement to times when workers are actually at risk.

Funding changed from moneys being allocated 'upon appropriation by the Legislature' to being 'continuously appropriated' to Caltrans. The continuous appropriation now covers not just the speed safety program but also the Construction Zone Enhanced Enforcement Program and the Maintenance Zone Enhanced Enforcement Program.

Two new definitions were added: 'Construction Zone Enhanced Enforcement Program' (Caltrans reimbursing CHP for supplemental units in construction zones) and 'Maintenance Zone Enhanced Enforcement Program' (same for maintenance project zones).

The legislative intent statement was expanded to explicitly state that speed safety systems complement traffic enforcement by the California Highway Patrol, and that the program supplements existing enforcement including the two named CHP programs.

The required vote threshold changed from majority to two-thirds, and the appropriation designation changed from 'no' to 'yes,' reflecting that the bill now makes a continuous appropriation of state funds.