I like that the author included helpful bits of parenthetical background info which help frame the emergency ordinance as ill-conceived:

(The elderly and the disabled are exempt from the pedal assist ban on Pier Plaza and The Strand.)

(Hermosa Beach is the only city between Redondo Beach and Santa Monica that does not have a bike path separate from its pedestrian walkway.)

Also weird are the provisions to impound ebikes ridden specifically by juveniles. Does that mean adult riders never have to pay impound fees, but juvenile riders always have to? The devil is in the details, but levying a fee exclusively against minors seems legally suspect, and possibly extortionate if it’s levied without a criminal conviction.

The emergency ordinance gives police discretionary powers to impound the e-bikes of juveniles who are cited, and to require to require payment of an impound fee before the e-bike will be released to a parent.

There’s also the issue of whether bicycles and ebikes can lawfully be impounded in the same way as for automobiles. This bulletin issued by adjacent Orange County Sheriff’s Department interprets the California Vehicle Code as not permitting the towing or impounding of a lawful ebike.