Last week, Seal Beach Police Operations Capt. Mike Ezroj updated the City Council on traffic safety in Leisure World.
Background: In July 2019, the Golden Rain Foundation formally asked then-Mayor/District Two Council Member Tom Moore to have the SBPD enforce traffic laws in Leisure World. Moore’s district includes Leisure World.
In September 2019, the City Council gave the Police Department the authorization to do just that. (See “SBPD to enforce traffic laws in Leisure World,” at sunnews.org.)
According to the presentation, the SBPD’s goal in Leisure World has been to help ensure safety on the roads within the gated community with education and enforcement.
As for education, Ezroj said the California Highway Patrol and SBPD were offering traffic safety classes in Leisure World. These classes are specific to Leisure World.
One class was held on Sept. 30 and another was coming up on Oct. 7.
“The residents will have an opportunity to meet with some of our officers, the Highway Patrol officers,” he said.
According to Ezroj, the California Office of Traffic and Safety provides a grant to do enforcement in Seal Beach and across the state.
According to Ezroj, Measure BB, the 2018 1-cent sales tax, provided a full time detective for Leisure World as well as funds for traffic enforcement.
“Year-to-date, there have been 66 stops inside Leisure World and 90 that are just outside of Leisure World,” Ezroj said.
According to Ezroj, it is difficult to determine if a stop is inside or outside of Leisure World. As an example, he said that if a car runs a stop sign at the main gate, it might not register as a stop in Leisure World. “That might register just outside of it,” he said.
He put the total at roughly 156 stops.
“Then 120 patrol checks are taking place,” he said.
According to the slide presentation, that number did not include stops in the Seal Beach Village. (That’s the shopping center next to Leisure World.)
“They’re doing their duty for that community in order to keep the roadway safe,” Ezroj said.
According to Ezroj, the SBPD responded to 149 calls for the year.
He said year-to-date, an officer has been in Leisure World at least once a day.
According to Ezroj, the majority of traffic violations involve stop signs, failure to yield the right of way or turning movements. “For whatever reason it becomes a little more complicated in Leisure World to make a safe turn,” Ezroj said.
Ezroj said the overall goal was to reduce the traffic collisions taking place in Leisure World, to partner with Leisure World for safer streets, and educate Leisure World residents about proper use of the road with cars, golf carts, scooters or mopeds.
Ezroj said the collision rates in Leisure World were not astronomical. However, according to Ezroj, the hope was that with more CHP classes the collision rate would decrease.
Ezroj also expressed hope that there would be fewer close calls between pedestrians and vehicles in Leisure World.
“How often does the officer go into Leisure World to do traffic enforcement,” asked District Two Council Member Tom Moore.
“I would say they’re there daily,” Ezroj said. “If not specifically for traffic enforcement at least to monitor calls.”
“Fortunately, we’re not running call to call to call each day,” Ezroj said.
He said the officers have time to do proactive police stops.
Moore asked about the time period for traffic inside Leisure World.
“My hunch would be, more so in Leisure World, in the afternoon just based on what I’m being told by the officers, when there’s more people out and about driving and being more active,” Ezroj said.
Moore asked where the most common traffic stops take place in Leisure World.
Ezroj named two streets: Tam O’Shanter Road and St. Andrews Drive.
“Apparently that’s [St. Andrews] by the administration building and no one stops there,” Ezroj said.
Moore asked if the SBPD communicates with the director of Leisure World.
“All the time,” Ezroj said.
Moore said 66 traffic stops seemed low.
Ezroj said 66 for the year to date.
“The previous year there were 173 total citations written in there,” Ezroj said.
District Three Councilwoman Lisa Landau asked how many traffic fatalities had taken place due to traffic collisions.
Ezroj said he believed there were none this year. There was one last year.
