Encinitas could station Sheriff's deputies near three schools to crack down on e-bike violations under a proposal headed to the City Council on Wednesday, Oct. 21. The council will also review design options for a Highway 101 sidewalk and bike project and consider banning smoking in all hotel rooms.

The meeting starts at 6 p.m. at City Council Chambers, 505 S. Vulcan Ave.

E-bike enforcement near schools

Council Member Marco San Antonio, who represents District 4, is asking the council to direct staff to coordinate with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department for focused e-bike enforcement near Oak Crest and Diegueno middle schools and San Dieguito Academy, according to the meeting agenda. Deputies would patrol on foot or by bicycle during the 30 to 40 minutes before and after school. The effort would pair enforcement with student and family education.

San Antonio has signaled that approach before. "Education first, and then enforcement," he said at a Sept. 17 candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of North San Diego County, as The Coast News reported.

The proposal follows months of council discussion on e-bike safety. Sheriff's Office data presented at an Aug. 19 council meeting showed 146 reported e-bike collisions in Encinitas from 2022 through July 31, 2026. Riders ages 13 to 15 accounted for 62 of those crashes, the North Coast Current reported. The council authorized the city manager to explore adding two Sheriff's deputies through the midyear budget.

E-bike safety took on extra urgency after a 15-year-old rider was killed at the intersection of Santa Fe Drive and El Camino Real in June 2023, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. The council later declared a state of emergency on bike safety and supported lowering speed limits on many area roadways.

The San Dieguito Union High School District now requires students to complete bike safety training before bringing bikes to campus. More than 2,700 middle school students attended training led by the San Diego County Bike Coalition in August, KPBS reported.

Highway 101 sidewalk and bike project

The council will review design options for two grant-funded projects along South Coast Highway 101. One is a sidewalk widening and bike improvements project stretching from the Solana Beach city limits to the North Cardiff State Beach driveway. The other is a pedestrian crossing near Harbaugh Seaside Trails.

The sidewalk project received $1,676,610 in federal Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funds with a 10% local match of $186,290, according to city capital project records. The pedestrian crossing was awarded $349,920 in state funds with a $38,880 local match. Both grants were awarded Feb. 21, 2025, and design is underway.

City staff is asking the council to choose a preferred configuration. The agenda does not detail the options.

Smoke-free hotel rooms

San Antonio is also proposing an update to Encinitas Municipal Code Chapter 11.08 to require 100% smoke-free guestrooms in hotels, motels and other transient lodging. Current city code allows smoking in up to 20% of hotel and motel rooms. The recommended action would direct staff to draft an ordinance removing that provision and aligning the code with California law, which already requires all guestrooms to be smoke-free.

Other items and how to weigh in

The Oct. 21 agenda also includes quarterly updates from the Sheriff's Department and the fire department.

Residents can submit written comments by emailing [email protected] with the agenda item in the subject line. Virtual speakers can register at publiccomment.encinitasca.gov within 24 hours of the meeting or call the conference line at 760-334-5039 using meeting code 1186.

The next regular City Council meeting is Oct. 28.