Assembly Bill 874, authored by Lori Saldana (D-San Diego), passed the Assembly Judiciary Committee today on the consent calendar. The consent calendar is for bills with no dissenting votes, and bills are voted on without discussion.
The bill, which CJAC supports, would remove the requirement that city and county owned or operated skateboard parks require users to wear elbow and knee pads. Under California Health and Safety Code Section 115800, skateboard parks owned or operated by a local government receive civil immunity from lawsuits because skateboarding is a hazardous recreational activity under Section 831.7 of the Government code. In order to receive that immunity, the local government must comply with a list of safety rules and regulations.
Removing the requirement that skateboarders must use elbow and knee pads will encourage more skateboarders to use safer city or county parks, without the dangers of collisions with cars or pedestrians. California courts have agreed that skateboarding is a hazardous activity and have declined to find liability when skateboarders are injured in the course of their sport.