El Cajon, CA Public Conduct: Aggressive Panhandling (2026)

030 makes it unlawful to solicit, ask, or beg in an aggressive manner in a public place, defining "aggressive manner" to include following or approaching someone in a way that would cause a reasonable person to fear for their safety, unwanted physical contact, blocking a pedestrian's or vehicle's path, violent or threatening gestures, persisting after being refused, or using profane or abusive language likely to provoke an immediate violent reaction. 040 separately bans all solicitation, aggressive or not, within fifteen feet of a bank, savings and loan, credit union, or check-cashing business during business hours, and within fifteen feet of an ATM while it is available, though an unenclosed ATM inside an unrelated building like a supermarket or airport is exempt.

It also bans approaching a vehicle's occupant to solicit anywhere in public, and bans solicitation in public parking lots or structures after dark, defined as from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise, except for a premises' own tenant soliciting business, lawful vehicle-towing solicitations, or emergency repair requests. Soliciting on a public transit vehicle or within ten feet of a designated stop, or in a restaurant's dining area, is a violation only if the person remains after being told to leave, or returns to solicit at that location within thirty days of being told to leave. 050 makes any violation a misdemeanor, chargeable as such or as an infraction at the city attorney's discretion.