Video: La Mesa Police Chief Aceves Backs Anti-Panhandling Law

Also read: A Different Kind of Panhandler, Street Magician Joe Spelton

For panhandlers, the ability to solicit at roadway medians is a money issue, for La Mesa Police Chief Ed Aceves, it's a safety issue.

Aceves recently sat down with 10News to discuss Senate Bill 406, a bill he asked state lawmakers to enact in order to ticket panhandlers at center medians. The bill has been introduced by La Mesa's Senator Joel Anderson.

Safe Intersections Act would prohibit vendors and solicitors from the center median within 300 feet of an intersection with a control signal. Currently they can only be ticketed if they step into the roadway.

To back up his safety concerns, Aceves cites California Highway Patrol statistics that show 363 people died in intersections in 2010 where the pedestrian was a main factor.

The 10News video included resident concerns about panhandlers in medians and the opinion of Panhandler Sean Smith, who says he's not harassing anyone, so he should be left alone.

"If you take that opportunity away from us then we have to start looking for other means to survive," Smith told 10News.

Aceves told 10News he believes SB406 will become state law by the first of the year.

See more at 10News

Also see: Issue: Should State Let Cities Ban Solicitors at Major Intersections?