Orange County parents who let their children ride e-bikes or e-motorcycles illegally could face criminal charges, District Attorney Todd Spitzer warned at a community meeting in Seal Beach on Monday, Aug. 3. The announcement carries extra weight for Newport Beach families: NMUSD's new e-bike policy takes full effect when school starts Monday, Aug. 17.
Prosecutors have 26 open investigations into parents whose children were caught riding in violation of state law, according to Patch, citing DA spokesperson Kimberly Edds. Any of those investigations could result in criminal cases.
What parents face
Four OC parents already face active criminal prosecutions. The most serious case: Aliso Viejo mother Tommi Jo Mejer, 50, charged with involuntary manslaughter and child abuse after her 14-year-old son fatally struck 81-year-old Vietnam veteran Ed Ashman while riding an e-motorcycle in Lake Forest. Mejer faces up to seven years and eight months in state prison, according to ABC News.
Senior Deputy DA Elisa Kim told the Seal Beach audience that the 26 parents under investigation were largely those already warned by police or by the shop that sold them the e-bike or e-motorcycle, according to Yahoo News. They let their kids keep riding anyway.
"If parents refuse to hold their children accountable, then the Orange County District Attorney's Office will hold parents accountable when they endanger the lives of their children and the lives of everyone on the road," Spitzer said.
State law prohibits riders under 16 from operating e-motorcycles. Children ages 11 to 14 account for nearly 62% of e-motorcycle crashes statewide, according to the OC Register.
What NMUSD now requires
Under Board Policy 5142.04, approved 6-1 on April 21 with Trustee Ashley Anderson dissenting, e-bikes and e-motorcycles (e-motos) are banned outright for all TK-8 students on school property, including the campus periphery. That covers Ensign Intermediate and all Newport Beach elementary feeders.
High schoolers at Newport Harbor and CdM may still bring e-bikes to campus, but only after completing three steps before August registration:
- Complete the CHP Electric Bicycle Safety and Training Course online.
- Pass the CHP Electric Bicycle Safety Quiz using their NMUSD Google account.
- Pick up a permit sticker at school registration in August.
No sticker, no e-bike on campus. E-motos remain banned for all grade levels districtwide. Helmets are mandatory, bikes must be walked on campus, and e-bikes must be charged at home.
Local enforcement already underway
Newport Beach police conducted a targeted operation near Newport Harbor High and Ensign Intermediate on Feb. 24, deploying nine motor officers and two patrol units. The sweep produced 46 e-bike stops, 37 administrative citations, 14 Vehicle Code violations, three impounded e-bikes, and two felony arrests of juveniles for evading officers on electric motorcycles, according to the Balboa Island Improvement Association newsletter.
The city's own e-bike municipal codes, adopted in January 2026, already allow citations, fines, and confiscation for violations.
The health data driving it
Children's Hospital of Orange County logged just one e-bike trauma activation in 2021. By 2025, that number hit 201.
Families with questions about the school policy can contact NMUSD Student Services at 714-424-5016. Students must complete the CHP training and quiz before registration to receive their permit sticker ahead of the Aug. 17 first day.
