Hawthorne, CA Public Conduct: Jaywalking (2026)

020 of the Hawthorne Municipal Code, carried forward from prior code § 10-901, states plainly that no pedestrian shall cross a roadway other than by a crosswalk in any business district, making Hawthorne's core jaywalking rule geographically limited to that district rather than citywide. 030 imposes a related but distinct rule: no pedestrian may cross a roadway at any place other than by a route at right angles to the curb, or by the shortest route to the opposite curb, except when using a marked crosswalk.

Together the two sections mean a pedestrian in the business district must always find and use a crosswalk, while a pedestrian elsewhere may cross mid-block but only on a direct, right-angle path between curbs. 010, which limits where crosswalks other than those at intersections can be established: no mid-block crosswalk may be created in a block shorter than four hundred feet, and no more than one additional crosswalk beyond intersection crossings is allowed per block, generally sited as near mid-block as practicable. The chief of police has authority to establish, designate and maintain crosswalks by painted marks or devices at all intersections within the central business district and at other intersections or locations, in or out of that district, found to pose a particular pedestrian hazard.

040 separately bars standing in a roadway outside a crosswalk if it interferes with traffic, though that provision exempts on-duty public officers, employees, and utility workers.