The sheriff’s representative told the San Clemente Community Safety and Welfare Committee on Oct. 28 that the city now has a municipal‑code provision allowing diversion of some e‑bike fines if juveniles complete a city‑approved education program.

Under the provision staff cited — recorded in the meeting as section 10.62.040 of the municipal code — deputies may offer an education and training diversion in lieu of paying a fine. The program staff proposed for San Clemente is the "Responsible Instruction and Diversion for e‑Bike Riders" (RIDER) program, which is hosted in Huntington Beach and has been piloted by deputies and school‑resource officers.

"It's called the rider program," the sheriff’s sergeant said. "It stands for Responsible Instruction and Diversion for e‑bike riders. ... When they do get this ticket, they can actually divert that if they go through this program and they successfully complete it where then we just basically wipe free the ticket as per what the muni code says." (Attribution: Sheriff’s sergeant, committee meeting Oct. 28.)

Program elements described by staff include parent participation (parents must attend), hands‑on skill courses (slalom, braking and turning exercises), waivers and certificates for successful completion. Staff requested City Council backing to implement the program in San Clemente and offered to provide deputies and instructors for local sessions.

Committee members pressed staff on enforcement limits. Sheriff’s staff said certain electric motorcycles and modified dirt bikes — described in the meeting as "sirons" — reach speeds unsafe for pursuits. "We tell them don't get in pursuit," the sergeant said, explaining that deputies limit vehicle pursuits of those bikes to avoid high‑speed collisions.

The committee discussed complementary measures: registration of serial numbers to aid recovery of stolen bikes, school‑based education sessions (an "every 15 minutes" presentation and smaller rodeos), and watching state legislative changes that could change e‑bike licensing and vehicle‑code status.

Staff also described operational tactics that have been used to reduce incidents: plain‑clothes operations, ATVs, UTVs, intelligence gathered from social media, and collaboration with other contract cities to provide additional deputies to respond quickly when needed.

No formal action was taken at the meeting to adopt the program; staff requested and said they have city approval to proceed once council backing is received.