Signal Hill Municipal Code Ch. 10.08 Administration and Enforcement

There is established in the city a traffic division to be under the control of the chief of police.

(Prior code § 11.08.010 (Ord. 581 § 2, 1965))

It shall be the duty of the traffic division to enforce the street traffic regulations of this city and all of the state vehicle laws applicable to street traffic in this city, to cooperate with the public works director in the administration of the traffic laws and in developing ways and means to improve traffic conditions, and to carry out those duties especially imposed upon the division by this title and the traffic ordinances of this city.

(Prior code § 11.08.020 (Ord. 581 § 2.1, 1965))

Whenever the accidents at any particular location become numerous, the traffic division shall cooperate with the public works director in conducting studies of such accidents and determining remedial measures.

(Prior code § 11.08.030 (Ord. 581 § 2.2, 1965))

The traffic division shall maintain a suitable system of filing traffic accident reports. Such reports shall be available for the use and information of the chief of police.

(Prior code § 11.08.040 (Ord. 581 § 2.3, 1965))

The traffic division shall annually prepare a traffic report which shall be filed with the city council. Such a report shall contain information on traffic matters in this city as follows:

A. The number of traffic accidents, the number of persons killed, the number of persons injured, and other pertinent traffic accident data;

B. The number of traffic accidents investigated and other pertinent data on the safety activities of the police;

C. The plans and recommendations of the division for future traffic safety activities.

(Prior code § 11.08.050 (Ord. 581 § 2.4, 1965))

The public works director shall exercise the powers and duties as provided in this title and in the traffic ordinances of this city. Whenever the public works director is required or authorized to place or maintain official traffic-control devices or signals, he may cause such devices or signals to be placed or maintained.

(Prior code § 11.08.060 (Ord. 581 § 2.5, 1965))

A. It shall be the general duty of the public works director to determine the installation and proper timing and maintenance of traffic-control devices and signals, to conduct engineering analyses of traffic accidents and to devise remedial measures, to conduct engineering and traffic investigations of traffic conditions and to cooperate with other city officials in the development of ways and means to improve traffic conditions, and to carry out the additional powers and duties imposed by ordinances of this city.

B. Whenever, by the provisions of this title, a power is granted to the public works director or a duty imposed upon him, the power may be exercised or the duty performed by his deputy or by a person authorized in writing by him.

(Prior code § 11.08.070 (Ord. 581 § 2.6, 1965))

Officers of the police department and such officers as are assigned by the chief of police are authorized to direct all traffic by voice, hand, audible or other signal in conformance with traffic laws, except that in the event of a fire or other emergency or to expedite traffic or to safeguard pedestrians, officers of the police department or members of the fire department may direct traffic as conditions may require, notwithstanding the provisions to the contrary contained in this title.

(Ord. 80-6-848 § 5: prior code § 11.08.080 (Ord. 581 § 3, 1965))

No person other than an officer of the police department or members of the fire department or a person authorized by the chief of police or a person authorized by law shall direct or attempt to direct traffic by voice, hand or other signal, except that persons may operate, when and as provided in this title, any mechanical push-button signal erected by order of the public works director.

(Prior code § 11.08.090 (Ord. 581 § 3.1, 1965))

No person shall remove, obliterate or conceal any chalk mark or other distinguishing mark used by any police officer or other employee or officer of this city in connection with the enforcement of the parking regulations of this title, if done for the purpose of evading the provisions of this title.

(Ord. 80-6-848 § 7: prior code § 11.08.120 (Ord. 581 § 3.4, 1965))

The provisions of this title shall apply to the operator of any vehicle owned by or used in the service of the United States government, this state, and any county or city; and it is unlawful for any said operator to violate any of the provisions of this title except as otherwise permitted in this title or by the Vehicle Code.

(Prior code § 11.08.130 (Ord. 581 § 3.5, 1965))

A. The provisions of this title regulating the operation, parking, and standing of vehicles shall not apply to vehicles operated by the police or fire department, any public ambulance, or any public utility vehicle or any private ambulance, which public vehicle or private ambulance has qualified as an authorized emergency vehicle, when any vehicle mentioned in this section is operated in the manner specified by the Vehicle Code in response to an emergency call.

B. The exemptions of subsection A of this section shall not, however, relieve the operator of any such vehicle from the obligation to exercise due care for the safety of others or the consequences of his wilful disregard of the safety of others.

C. The provisions of this title regulating the parking or standing of vehicles shall not apply to any vehicle of a city department or public utility while necessarily in use for construction or repair work or any vehicle owned or operated by the United States Post Office Department while in use of the collection, transportation, or delivery of United States mail.

(Prior code § 11.08.140 (Ord. 581 § 3.6, 1965))

Every person riding a bicycle or riding or driving an animal upon a highway has all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this title, except those provisions which by their very nature can have no application.

(Prior code § 11.08.110 (Ord. 581 § 3.3, 1965))

A. The chief of police has the authority to implement the appropriate polices and procedures necessary to recover the "expenses of any emergency response" as the result of any incident as provided for in Government Code Section 53150. Such expenses shall include those reasonable costs directly arising because of the response to the particular incident and may include the costs of providing police, firefighting, rescue, and emergency medical services at the scene of the incident, as well as the salaries of the personnel responding to the incident as provided for in Government Code Section 53156(a).

B. A person responsible for expenses under this section includes the following:

1. Any person who is under the influence of an alcoholic beverage or any drug, or the combined influence of an alcoholic beverage and any drug, whose negligent operation of a motor vehicle caused by that influence proximately caused any incident resulting in an appropriate emergency response, is liable for the expense of the emergency response; or

2. Any person whose intentionally wrongful conduct proximately causes any incident resulting in an emergency response, is liable for the expense of the emergency response. The city shall send this person an invoice for the expense of the emergency response.

C. The direct costs shall include a labor charge for the actual time spent on the incident by emergency personnel (police, fire, public works, rescue or emergency medical service personnel) including a charge for administrative overhead. The direct costs shall also include a vehicle and equipment use rate as determined by the finance department multiplied by the actual hours of use in response to the incident and charges for supplies and materials consumed in response to the incident. However, a person's liability for the expense of an emergency response shall not exceed that permitted by state law.

D. The city's finance department shall give the responsible person a written invoice itemizing all charges. The amount stated in the invoice shall be due within thirty days after the date of the invoice therefor, and shall be delinquent thereafter. Penalties for delinquencies shall be assessed as provided in Sections 5.04.290 and 5.04.300 of the Signal Hill Municipal Code. The city may take all practical and reasonable steps to recover these costs, including instituting appropriate legal action.

(Ord.90-09-1075 § 1)

A. The operator of a vehicle or the person in charge of any animal involved in any accident resulting in damage to any property publicly owned or owned by a public utility, including but not limited to any fire hydrant, parking meter, lighting post, telephone pole, electric light or power pole, or resulting in damage to any tree, traffic-control device or other property of a like nature located in or along any street, shall within twenty-four hours after such accident make a written report of such accident to the police department of this city.

B. Every such report shall state the time when and the place where the accident took place, the name and address of the person owning and of the person operating or in charge of such vehicle or animal, the license number of every such vehicle, and shall briefly describe the property damage in such accident.

C. The operator of any vehicle involved in an accident shall not be subject to the requirements or penalties of this section if and during the time he is physically incapable of making a report, but in such event he shall make a report as required in subsection A of this section within twenty-four hours after regaining ability to make such report.

(Prior code § 11.08.150 (Ord. 581 § 3.7, 1965))

Any regularly employed and salaried officer of the police department of this city may remove or cause to be removed the following:

A. Any vehicle that has been parked or left standing upon a street or highway for seventy-two or more consecutive hours;

B. Any vehicle which is parked or left standing upon a street or highway between the hours of seven a.m. and seven p.m. when such parking or standing is prohibited by ordinance or resolution of this city and signs are posted giving notice of such removal;

C. Any vehicle which is parked or left standing upon a street or highway where the use of such street or highway or a portion thereof is necessary for the cleaning, repair, or construction of the street or highway or for the installation of underground utilities, or where the use of the street or highway or any portion thereof is authorized for a purpose other than the normal flow of traffic or where the use of the street or highway or any portion thereof is necessary for the movement of equipment, articles, or structures of unusual size and the parking of such vehicle would prohibit or interfere with such use or movement, provided that signs giving notice that such vehicle may be removed are erected or placed at least twenty-four hours prior to the removal.

(Prior code § 11.08.160 (Ord. 581 § 3.8, 1965))

Any city street or part thereof may be closed upon adoption by the city council of a resolution describing the street or part thereof to be closed, and making a finding that such street or part thereof is no longer needed for vehicular traffic. The public works director shall thereafter post signs giving notice of such street closure at all entrances to such street or part thereof, and may further install barricades or other devices as he determines are necessary to effectuate such street closure. Any street or portion thereof closed pursuant to this section may be reopened at any time by the city council by adoption of a resolution rescinding the resolution which closed the street. The public works director shall thereafter remove any signs, or barricades or other devices which have been erected in connection with the street closure.

(Ord. 83-08-911 § 1)

A. A fee shall be imposed by the city to recover the estimated reasonable costs of providing the following services:

1. The provision of crime, arrest and traffic reports;

2. The booking and processing of persons arrested by city officers or agents into the Signal Hill city jail, including the recovery of any fee imposed by the city of Long Beach for the booking and processing of persons arrested by city officers or agents into the Long Beach city jail; and

3. The release of vehicles impounded pursuant to the provisions of Vehicle Code Section 14607.6.

B. The city council may, from time to time, by resolution set such fees which are reasonable to recover the city's costs for providing such services.

C. The city shall also recover any fee imposed pursuant to Government Code Section 29550 by the county of Los Angeles for the booking and processing of persons arrested by city officers or agents into the county jail.

(Ord. 95-03-1192 § 1)