El Cerrito police have started pulling illegal electric motorcycles, known as e-motos, off the Ohlone Greenway, the busy path that runs the length of the city beside the BART tracks. During the morning bike rush around 8 a.m., officers parked a cruiser on the greenway near Stockton Avenue, close to the El Cerrito Library and Fairmount Elementary School, and stopped two-wheelers that appeared to have foot pegs instead of pedals, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Monday, Oct. 19. By 8:35 a.m., at least two had been seized, an officer told the paper, as a crowd of onlookers gathered at the corner.

Foot pegs are the giveaway, police say, because they mean the bike runs on its motor alone. E-motos look like e-bikes but are far more powerful. Some can reach about 50 mph at the twist of a throttle and are marketed mostly to teenagers, the Chronicle reported.

What the police chief says

Earlier this month, Police Chief Paul Keith posted an Instagram video promising stepped-up enforcement. He described e-motos as electric motorcycles that go faster than 20 mph on throttle alone or have more than 750 watts of power. October is National Pedestrian Safety Month, Keith said, and officers will be looking for unsafe vehicles, unsafe e-cycles and unsafe driving, and "they're gonna be writing tickets."

Those numbers match state law. Under California's vehicle code, a legal e-bike tops out at 750 watts and 20 mph on throttle alone. Anything stronger is legally a moped or motorcycle, so the rider needs a motorcycle license endorsement, a DOT-approved helmet and state registration, Hoodline reported, citing CHP guidance. The El Cerrito Police Department also keeps a guide on its city web page explaining the three classes of legal e-bikes and where each can be ridden.

Why now

Complaints about speed on the greenway have been growing. "There have been more and more folks contacting the city with concerns about speeds on the greenway," Vice Mayor Rebecca Saltzman told the Chronicle. Several residents raised it during public comment at a recent council meeting, even though it was not on the agenda.

When the City Council adopted a new Local Road Safety Plan on Sept. 15, Public Works Director Yvetteh Ortiz said the greenway has no posted speed limit. Setting one would take an engineering study first, so that tickets would hold up in traffic court, the local blog Livable El Cerrito reported. Two council members and several speakers urged a 15 mph limit. Saltzman said at that meeting that e-motos are "flat out illegal devices" unless the rider has a motorcycle license, and that many are being sold as legal e-bikes, including through back-to-school ads aimed at parents.

Not everyone is on board. One resident called Monday's operation overkill, while another, Susan Wong, said e-motos "almost run people over" and make the path less safe for children walking to school, according to the Chronicle.

Part of a wider East Bay push

Neighboring Albany police impounded seven e-motos between October and December 2025. In March, Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton filed child abuse charges against the parents of a teen who was badly hurt crashing a Sur-Ron Light Bee near De La Salle High School in Walnut Creek, the Chronicle and Hoodline reported.

For the rules on what counts as a legal e-bike in California, including this year's new limits, see our guide to California's three new e-bike laws.