Many thanks for the heads up...I haven't heard of this happening in Hermosa, only Redondo.

This is a shameless revenue generating effort, regardless of any other excuse offered by Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, or any other local city hall. I was tagged just a few months ago in Redondo...my stop was not unsafe in any manner and there were no pedestrians in sight. Unfortunately (or, fortunately, depending on how you look at it), it just wasn't economical for me to devote several hours of my time to fight the ridiculous charge. Indeed, it's likely that any local judge will be equally aware of any local budget shortfall, and would have ruled against me anyway.

With the economy slowing and property tax revenues reversing, cities will increasingly rely on ticketing cyclists for this petty offense. I imagine the cops are under intense pressure to generate their quota...though I still wish great misfortune upon them for their particpation. I'll bet Hermosa City Hall increased spending on fixed expenses under the assumption the real estate boom would continue forever. If you know otherwise, please correct me. Until then, I'll assume this is the rigged game we must live with until the budget problems get so severe, the cities finally give in and cut their bloated budgets properly, rather than "plug the gap" with $175 bicycle tickets.