West Covina, CA Public Conduct: Jaywalking (2026)

Section 22-198 governs how pedestrians must cross where no marked crosswalk exists: the route must run at right angles to the curb, or by the shortest path to the opposite curb, effectively requiring a straight, direct crossing rather than a diagonal or wandering one. The section separately bars standing in any roadway outside a designated safety zone or crosswalk if doing so interferes with the lawful movement of traffic. Both restrictions exempt police officers, surveyors, street sweepers, and anyone else on the street in the line of duty.

The rule works alongside Section 22-197, which lets the city council establish and mark crosswalks at intersections the traffic authority finds particularly hazardous for pedestrians, and, elsewhere in a block, permits at most one additional mid-block crosswalk, and only in blocks at least 600 feet long. The public works director can also post signs at an unmarked crosswalk directing pedestrians not to cross there at all. Together, these sections implement the state law authority cited in the chapter's footnote, Vehicle Code Section 21961, which lets cities prohibit pedestrians from crossing roadways at points other than crosswalks. Section 22-198 has stood unchanged since Code 1960 Section 3162, with no ordinance amendments since its original adoption.