L ATIMES.COM TUESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2019B
CITY & STATE
SAN DIEGO — San Di-
ego is cracking down on Seg-
way companies in the wake
of a $1.7 million payout last
year to a rider injured in La
Jolla and a separate wrong-
ful-death lawsuit from a
crash in Old Town.
The city plans to begin re-
quiring local Segway tour
companies to follow new
safety procedures, acquire
comprehensive liability in-
surance and indemnify the
city against any potential
lawsuits.
Segways are two-
wheeled motorized vehicles
that carry one person stand-
ing upright. The devices
were invented in 2002.
The City Council voted
8-1 last week to approve the
new requirements, but a sec-
ond vote is required this fall.
Councilwoman Barbara Bry
voted “no,” contending that
the new law would be too pu-
nitive to Segway operators.
The owner of one local
Segway tour company said
the new requirements would
put her out of business. But
no other tour company own-
ers spoke against the pro-
posal during the Aug. 6
council meeting. “I cannot
just raise tour prices,” said
Bridgette Bisogno, owner of
Adventures in San Diego. “I
am competing in a market,
in the San Diego market, one
of the most saturated mar-
kets in the world.”
Councilman Scott Sher-
man said he empathized
with the Segway tour com-
panies, characterizing them
as small businesses. But he
also said that limiting the
city’s liability is more impor-
tant. “I know it’s a hardship,”
Sherman said. “Our job is
protecting the taxpayer
here, and I think this is what
we need to do.”
In the case that led to the
$1.7-million settlement, the
tour company that rented
out the Segway didn’t con-
tribute to the payout be-
cause it didn’t have liability
insurance and the compa-
ny’s owner had limited as-sets.
The goal of the new law is
to reduce the number of in-
jury crashes and limit the
city’s vulnerability to large
payouts when injuries occur,
city officials said.
The new safety pro-
cedures would prohibit Seg-
way use by intoxicated peo-
ple, require users under 18 to
be accompanied by an adult
and mandate that tour
guides have a driver’s li-
cense. In addition, the rules
would limit each Segway to
one rider at a time and re-
quire that they move in sin-
gle file.
On insurance, the com-
panies would be required to
obtain commercial liability
insurance of at least $1 mil-
lion per case and $2 million
per year. An earlier version
of the proposal would have
required $2 million per case
and $4 million per year.
Segway is the name of the
leading company in the in-
dustry. In order to make sure
the city’s new law would also
apply to competitors, it
refers to the vehicles as
“electronic assistive person-
al mobility devices.”
The $1.7-million payoutwent to Regina Capobianco,
who suffered a shattered
pelvis in a Segway crash in
July 2015, and her husband,
Christopher Capobianco,
because her injuries were
found to have damaged their
marriage. Capobianco’s 2016
lawsuit said she needs in-
tense physical therapy and
relies predominantly on a
wheelchair to get around,
preventing her from per-
forming the full-time job she
had before the Segway
crash.
Also last year, the family
of Jeff Hassett filed a wrong-
ful-death lawsuit against the
city claiming he struck a 3- to
4-inch concrete stub in the
sidewalk while riding a Seg-
way in March 2016.
The suit, filed by Has-
sett’s four siblings, says the
stub was created by the re-
moval of a light pole in Old
Town.
The suit says Hassett suf-
fered broken ribs, a toe in-
jury that required amputa-
tion and damage to an inter-
nal heart defibrillator that
led to a fatal infection.Garrick writes for the San
Diego Union-Tribune.SEGWAY is the name of the leading company in the industry. To ensure that a planned San Diego law applies
to competitors, it refers to the vehicles as “electronic assistive personal mobility devices.”
John GastaldoSan Diego Union-TribuneSan Diego moving to
crack down on Segways
Planned insurance,
safety requirements
come after $1.7-million
settlement in 2018.
By David Garrick
A reggae and hip-hop art-
ist who had worked with the
bands Sublime and Slightly
Stoopid was shot and killed
following a dispute in Long
Beach on Saturday night,
according to police and coro-
ner’s officials.
Tasi Malaki, 45, was fa-
tally shot about 11:40 p.m.
Saturday, said Sarah
Ardalani, a spokeswoman
for the Los Angeles County
coroner’s office.
Malaki who performed
under the stage name Toko
Tasi,had released two al-
bums and collaborated with
several famed ska, punk
and reggae acts, including
Sublime and Slightly
Stoopid.
A post on his official
Facebook page said Malaki
was “taken away from this
Earth by senseless violence”
and that future benefit
shows were being planned in
Long Beach.In a news release issued
last weekend, the Long
Beach Police Department
said a man was shot and
killed after a dispute near
West Willow Street and
Eucalyptus Avenue on Sat-
urday night.
The victim was pro-
nounced dead at the scene.
The suspected gunman fled
on foot, according to the re-
lease.
Police did not offer a de-
scription of the shooter. It
was not clear what led to the
dispute.
Amemorial post on the
Toko Tasi Facebook page
described Malaki as a “lover
of all things music, who lived
life to the fullest.”
He had released two al-
bums since 2007. His debut
featured previously unre-
leased vocals from Bradley
Nowell — the singer of famed
Long Beach-born ska act
Sublime who died in 1996 —
on a track called “Love to
Share.”
Malaki also had ap-
peared on the song “Shoo-
bie” with San Diego-based
Slightly Stoopid in the
mid-2000s.
His most recent album,
“Rise ta Shine,” was released
in 2017.Reggae artist
fatally shot in
Long Beach
Tasi Malaki, known as
Toko Tasi who worked
with Sublime, died in
a fight, authorities say.
By James QueallyA police officer in the Sili-
con Valley city of Los Altos
was taken to a hospital Mon-
day after possibly being ex-
posed to fentanyl, author-
ities said.
Fire and hazardous ma-
terials crews responded to
the Los Altos Police Depart-
ment shortly before 9:30 a.m.
for what may have been fen-
tanyl exposure, an official
with the Santa Clara County
Fire Department said.One officer was taken to a
hospital with symptoms
that did not appear to be
life-threatening, the official
said.
Additional details about
the incident weren’t im-
mediately available.
Fire crews were still on
the scene at 11 a.m.
Fentanyl is a synthetic
opioid that’s up to 100 times
stronger than morphine
and has been responsible for
a growing number of
U.S. overdose deaths each
year.Officer treated
after possible
opioid exposure
By Alex WigglesworthA warming trend will
bring an elevated fire risk to
Los Angeles County over the
next few days, the National
Weather Service said Mon-
day.
Temperatures are ex-
pected to rise Tuesday be-
fore another cooling trend
moves in Friday, said Lisa
Phillips, a meteorologist
with the weather service in
Oxnard.
The peak of the heat wave
is expected Wednesday,
when high temperatures are
predicted to be 6 to 10 de-
grees above normal across
most of Los Angeles County.
It will be hottest in Wood-
land Hills and the Santa
Clarita Valley, where
Wednesday’s temperaturesare forecast between 102 and
104 degrees, the weather
service said.
In West Covina, El Monte
and Pasadena, midweek
temperatures are predicted
to range from 97 to 99.
The risk of fire will be ele-
vated through Thursday,
thanks to the combination
of high temperatures, low
humidity and dry vegeta-
tion, Phillips said.AN L.A. COUNTY FIREFIGHTERfights a structure fire at Camp 13, an inmate
fire crew camp. Fire risk will be elevated this week due to high temperatures.
Stuart W. PalleyFor The TimesHeat wave across L.A.
County brings fire risks
By Alex Wigglesworth
THE GOLDEN STATE.
DELIVERED.
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