A city council candidate in Coronado had some very harsh words for what he called the lack of speed limit enforcement in certain parts of the community.

Shortly before the November election, Bill Sandke accused the California Highway Patrol of " abdicating" its responsibility for speeding enforcement on some major thoroughfares in Coronado. According to Mr. Sandke, speeders had destroyed the "neighborhood quality" of these areas. He also pointed to illegal short-term vacation rentals and the transformation of single-family homes into multifamily dwellings as contributing to the problem.

Mr. Sandke won a plurality of 48 percent over two other candidates. He'll face Carrie Downy, who polled 37 percent, in a runoff.

The aspiring councilman did touch on one of the driving forces behind some speed limit laws: neighborhood integrity. It's difficult to have quiet residential areas and sidewalk cafes when cars are zooming down the street. This impetus clearly does not apply along Highway 58 near Mojave and other similar stretches of road. In these places, the only concern is for motorists to get where they are going as quickly, and as safely, as possible.

Super speeder laws are not designed to improve neighborhood quality, and the evidence that high speeds causes accidents is rather scant. Nonetheless, the legislature drew a line in the sand and stated that 100 mph is essentially reckless. A super speeder ticket in California means:

By getting the charges reduced, an attorney practicing along the Interstate 5 corridor in Lamont and Shafter can help you avoid these harsh penalties, even if you do not think you have a legal defense to the charge.