Detective Bradley Bordon takes more calls from worried parents than he used to. The Camarillo Sheriff's traffic investigator says the question is almost always the same: Is this e-bike legal? He spends those calls explaining what is.
E-bike collisions in Camarillo doubled in 2025, jumping from 5 the year before to 12, according to Sheriff's office data presented to the Ventura County Board of Supervisors at its April 28 meeting. The board voted unanimously to direct the county to study e-bike safety best practices and report back in six months. The vote came days after a 13-year-old in Simi Valley died on an e-bike struck by a train.
"There's got to be a better way," Sheriff Jim Fryhoff told the board.
What's happening on Camarillo streets, according to Bordon and Commander Eric Tennessen who heads the Camarillo office, is a mismatch between the bikes kids are riding and the rules they're following. California groups e-bikes into three classes. Class 1 maxes out at 20 mph with pedal-assist only. Class 2 hits the same speed but adds a throttle. Class 3 reaches 28 mph and is restricted to riders 16 or older. Helmets are required for any rider under 18.
The class system is clean in theory. In practice, Bordon said, "The market is changing very quickly and we're seeing new bikes come to market that we've never seen before." One manufacturer has a model with built-in pedals that looks like an e-bike but reaches 40 to 45 mph out of the box. It's designed to resemble a legal e-bike while performing more like an electric motorcycle, which requires a license and can't be ridden on roadways.
Then there are the modifications. Class 2 e-bikes are the most popular segment locally, and Bordon said they've "morphed into essentially electric motorcycles." Riders, often teenagers, are buying or modifying them to push past 30 mph.
"They want to be the fastest in their group," Bordon told the board. "They're buying bikes that are faster or modifying them into faster things."
The Camarillo office has tried to get out in front of it. Tennessen said his team reached more than 1,600 students and parents through e-bike education at local schools last year. They've put together a public service announcement built around a real local crash. Rayden Goodwin, the teen in the video, looked behind him, didn't see where he was going, and hit a pole. He had a seizure on impact, suffered a skull fracture, and lost his hearing. He wasn't wearing a helmet.
"It's not too cool for it," Rayden says in the video. "It's not worth being in the hospital and having injuries that can impact the long run in your life."
When the education didn't curb behavior, deputies moved to enforcement. As of January 2026, state law allows them to seize illegally modified e-bikes and e-motos for 48 hours. Parents have to pay a fine and the tow fees to recover the bike. Bordon said that change is what's driving the calls to his desk.
Public comment at the board meeting ran in the same direction. A parent named Jennifer Sudin put it bluntly. "We wouldn't hand car keys to a 12-year-old," she told the board. "Yet these bikes can reach speeds that are equivalent to a car."
The county's report back is due in October. Several state bills could change the rules. AB 1569 would create a standardized e-bike safety program for grades 7-12. AB 2346 would require speedometers and lights on class 1 and 2 bikes by 2029. AB 1942 would require DMV registration and license plates for class 2 and 3 bikes.
For now, what parents can do is straightforward. Confirm the class of bike before buying. Make helmets non-negotiable. Know that class 3 means a 16-and-up rider.
Sources: Ventura County Board of Supervisors regular meeting, April 28, 2026; Camarillo Sheriff's Office presentation to the Board of Supervisors, April 28, 2026.
By Gabrielle Ridgeway