Executive Director: Pete van Nuys
(949) 492-5737
Email: petevannuys@cox.net
Bill Sellin (Orange)
Rock Kendall (Dana Point) Rock and Ria, Dana Point residents since 1978, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary during 2022.
The OCBC seeks to “promote” bicycling. A necessary component is advocacy, protecting the state-granted rights of bicyclists. Since its founding, the OCBC has successfully corrected many government infringements of these rights by schools, cities, the county and state.
In 1996, Rock was a newly-minted attorney and avid cyclist. He was invited to join the OCBC by founder Don Harvey, PhD, JD, and other board members as they eventually prevailed against a city that had unlawfully closed a crucial road to bicyclists only.
Excerpts from an effective demand letter:
Respectfully, “safety concerns” is insufficient. It is simply not a lawful reason to thwart the intent and plain meaning of both long-standing California statutes and case law, just some of which is touched upon below. If you have case law or statutory authority contrary to our citations below, please advise.
“A person riding a bicycle…upon a highway has all the rights….” California Vehicle Code Section 21200(a)(1). (Emphasis added.)
“Bicycle riders have the same rights….” Hunt v. Los Angeles R. Corp. (1930) 110 Cal. App. 456, 460. (Emphasis added.)
“[L]ocalities have no carte blanche and, absent express authority, may not determine which traffic shall and which shall not use streets.” Rumford v. City of Berkeley (1982) 31 Cal. 3d 545, 544. (Emphasis added.)
Jane Rands (Fullerton)
Dan Hazard (Huntington Beach) Dan has advocated for bicycle and pedestrian safety for 15 years. As a co-founder of the City of Huntington Beach Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee, he urged the mayor to apply for League of American Bicyclists bike-friendly status, resulting in a bronze award. Dan then planted the seed with the Orange County Transportation Authority, which also earned a bronze rating. When riding, Dan often stops to thank and compliment municipal workers, then sometimes sneaks in a safety improvement request. In his jersey are clippers Dan uses to improve dangerous “line of site” foliage issues, earning him the moniker “Yankee Clipper” – a nod to his New England roots. In early 2021, Dan joined the OCBC Board of Directors on the Infrastructure Committee and has planted more seeds to build stronger ties with cities like Huntington Beach. His focus has been on Class II streets and Class I concerns for the popular multi-modal Huntington Beach beach path.
Mike Wilkinson (Buena Park) loves to ride bikes and over time that has evolved to include a passion to make bicycling better for everyone in Orange County. Follow Mike on Instagram.
Nia Hartman (Rossmoor) joined the Lightning Velo Cycling Club in 1998 and was the president from 2017 through 2022. She was certified as a Licensed Cycling Instructor by the League of American Cyclists in 2016. From 2015 to 2021 she worked with the City of Long Beach on the Tour of Long Beach. Lightning Velo hosted the official 12 week training program for seven years for the Tour of Long Beach participants.
Anjali Tapadia (Fullerton) has been an avid road bicyclist and bike commuter since 2019. She is active in safety advocacy for all active transportation users, including bicyclists, pedestrians, and those with mobility limitations. She runs North OC Bikes, a bicycle advocacy group centered around north Orange County. Follow Anjali on Instagram