Encinitas City Council took a step toward bringing red light cameras back on Wednesday, September 16. After a long night of public comment on both sides, council directed city staff to come back with the details: what a pilot program would cost, which intersections it would cover, and how the images and data would be handled.
NBC 7’s Omari Fleming reported from outside Council Chambers, where John Chalekian asked the city to plan and run a real pilot study so council and residents can judge the results together. His daughter Emery Chalekian, 12, was killed in a marked crosswalk at Encinitas Boulevard and Village Square Drive on April 25, 2025 by a driver who ran the red light.
Encinitas ran red light cameras for 16 years before the council ended the program in 2020. Three young people have since been killed walking or riding in Encinitas: Brodee Champlain-Kingman in 2023, Emery Chalekian in 2025, and Fin Fadick in July of this year. Nothing was voted into place on Wednesday. Staff will report back, and council could vote on something concrete by the end of the year, which puts any camera on the street in 2027 at the earliest.
Watch the full report here: Return of red light cameras a step closer in Encinitas, NBC 7 San Diego
