Once again, a killer driver was allowed to plead reduced charges.
And a reduced prison sentence.
Julio Cesar Sanchez, a 39-year-old Oxnard resident, pleaded guilty to gross negligence manslaughter in the drunken death of 16-year-old Andres Hernandez as the Port Hueneme boy drove at Oxnard last September.
Sanchez also admitted special allegations of fleeing the scene and having committed a serious crime involving great violence.
He was sentenced to nine years in prison, after prosecutors dropped charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter while driving a vehicle while intoxicated with previous convictions for impaired driving, which could have resulted in a sentence of 15 years to life.
Instead, he will likely spend less than half of his nine-year sentence behind bars.
At least let’s hope he’s never allowed to drive again.
Photo by Suzy Hazelwood from Pexels
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A fundraiser to help cover the funeral costs of Rapha frontman John Hermoso reached more than $12,900 in just one week, surpassing the $10,000 goal.
Hermoso, better known as Panduh in the cycling community, was killed in a head-on collision while riding the Santa Clara Truck Trail near Santa Clarita 12 days ago.
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Here’s your reminder to show up at the Los Angeles City Council’s Budget and Finance Committee meeting on Friday to demand more funding for active transportation and Vision Zero in the coming fiscal year.
Hey LA Bike Twitter – check out this toolkit to make our voices heard on Friday. Show up in person or tweet about the need for our city to fund cycling and walking infrastructure https://t.co/2xzA3oMRYF
— syb (@sybbys) May 11, 2022
Sadly City Council are no longer taking comments over the phone after City Hall reopens, despite rising Covid rates. You will therefore need to appear in person or send an email to the committee members before the Friday afternoon meeting.
And if you’re wondering what difference additional funding could make, just take a look at the photo in the tweet below.
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Your periodic reminder that this is what we could have in Los Angeles, where the terrain and weather are more inviting than London.
And commuting in London didn’t look like this either, until the city built a network of cycle superhighways just a few years ago.
The bicycle is a remarkably efficient mode of transport, just look at the number of people compared to 3 vehicles in the same space. pic.twitter.com/hkM4NauWge
—Jack Mayorcas (@jackamayorcas) May 10, 2022
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The annual Ride of Silence to remember the victims of traffic violence is scheduled for next Wednesday.
Unfortunately, no rides are currently listed on the National Register for Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, or San Bernardino counties for the day of the event.
However, the Pasadena Ride of Silence will return to the Rose Bowl as a daytime event on Saturday, May 21.
Hopefully more people will step up to organize rides in Southern California over the next week. Because we really need to send a message this year.
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I would watch it.
Mexican film El Campeón Ciclista (The Cycling Champion)
1957#bikesinfilms pic.twitter.com/XCHRwhhJ7q– Cool Bike Art 🚴 (@CoolBikeArt1) May 11, 2022
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In a way, I think it will take just a little more than an unreadable sign.
But maybe it’s just me.
We solved speeding in Griffith Park, all it needed was a bigger sign! pic.twitter.com/494oGUuJMW
– Authorized Cyclist🚲 (@EntitledCycling) May 9, 2022
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How to tell someone they skipped physics class.
I wonder if John has ever realized how stupid his comment was. pic.twitter.com/0PPtvaB7Z6
—Tommy (@Wombletom) May 10, 2022
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The Bike Wars may be a myth, but the Bike Wars continue.
No bias here. A London man is being slammed for the crime of driving a Penny Farthing through traffic, while politely signaling a driver to turn in front of him – then nearly getting hit when a second driver tries to do so as well .
Get this all the time pic.twitter.com/lOH6Cg3FAN
— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) May 9, 2022
Sometimes it’s people on two wheels who misbehave.
Bizarre story from Las Vegas, where a man faces murder charges for pepper spraying another man, then stabbing him to death, after accusing the victim of damaging his bike “with the help of of a “hacker” from Indiana.
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Local
Street blogs Joe Linton digs deeper into Metro’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2023, which calls for a 27.2% increase in active transportation spending. Though the $80 budget for active transportation is dwarfed by the agency’s proposed $634 million for highway spending, a 35% increase from this year.
Pasadena celebrates an abbreviated bike month, condensing it to the last 19 days of the month.
State
More on the cryptically described hit-and-run we reported on yesterday in San Diego’s Ocean Beach neighborhood that left the bicycle victim with serious injuries; Police are looking for a new model 4-door crossover-style white SUV with silver alloy wheels and probable damage to the front right, with a license plate starting with 8YN. There is a $1,000 reward for information in the case. Thanks to Keith Johnson for the heads-up.
Morgan Hill-based Specialized is developing a new e-cargo bike sub-brand extension called Globe, specifically designed to replace car commuting, at a lower price than the company’s Turbo line of e-bikes.
National
Ride a bike offers its picks for the best road bike wheels to “improve your speed, improve your ride quality, and take you further than ever before.” As usual, read it on Yahoo if the magazine blocks you.
Denver-area residents have attempted to replace the electric bike a Vietnam War veteran relied on as his only means of transportation, after it was stolen from a Walmart bike rack.
She gets it. Chicago’s Active Transportation Alliance executive director slams the city’s failure to improve a deadly intersection, saying no one should die just for using a bike to get around.
Pittsburgh is getting a new e-bike-based bike-sharing system.
New York’s new $4 million road safety campaign urging drivers to slow down appears to be having the opposite effect, with a dozen people killed in crashes in the first week.
International
Off.Road.cc provides a primer on frame geometry, while weekly cycling discusses frame materials, suggesting that metal frames offer advantages over carbon fiber.
A Calgary, Alberta couple dug up a 1935 metal bicycle license while working in their garden. Note that it wraps around the frame and would be virtually invisible to anyone from a distance, anyone who insists on licensed bikes to force riders to behave fraudulently..
A Toronto newspaper shows the correct way to write a headline, reporting that “a cyclist was hit by a driver while crossing the street with his bicycle.” My only complaint is that the victim is a person, not a cyclist. But stay.
The US military garrison in Wiesbaden, Germany offers tips on how to ride in the country.
Competitive cycling
Lennard Kämna won the Etna stage of the Giro on Tuesday in a breakaway; the 23-year-old German pro is making a successful comeback after last season was derailed by physical and mental health issues.
Columbia’s Miguel Ángel López withdrew from the Giro after being dropped in the opening miles of Tuesday’s fourth stage; he reportedly suffered a left hip injury that did not rebound on Monday’s rest day.
Dutch star Mathieu van der Poel is taking a sabbatical from mountain biking to focus exclusively on road racing this year, before returning to the sport for the Paris Olympics in 2024.
Colorado’s annual Durango to Silverton Iron Horse Challenge celebrates its 50th anniversary at the end of this month.
To finish…
Apparently London doesn’t have the only cat that rides a bike. Now you too can be the proud owner of a Giro d’Italia NFT.
And this one hits where I live, at the intersection of bikes and corgis.
It was a good day 💗🌊🐶🚴 #Corgi #corgisoftwitter #doggos #bike race pic.twitter.com/pSDbbF2VC0
— Brady & Graffiti the Corgis (@bradygraffiti) May 10, 2022
But of course, they’re not the only canine bike racing fans.
Woof Come on Woof 🥳
Fur fan cheering for its owner 😍 #giro #GiroDItalia #ReinTaaramae pic.twitter.com/nk7Ms2KaPA— Hanna Taaramae (@HannaTaaramae) May 10, 2022
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Be safe and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and damn Poutine too.
