CHP’s Annual Fourth of July Crackdown Nears as Pasadena Braces for the Holiday Weekend

The California Highway Patrol is heading into the Fourth of July weekend with its annual Independence Day enforcement campaign, an effort that historically blankets state roads with extra officers during one of the deadliest travel stretches of the year.

For Pasadena and Altadena, that effort runs out of the CHP’s Altadena Area office at 2130 Windsor Ave., which patrols the city and the wider San Gabriel Valley.

During an earlier 12-hour Maximum Enforcement Period from 6 p.m. June 20 to 6 a.m. June 21, CHP officers arrested 505 drivers on suspicion of driving under the influence, the agency said. Officers took 8,297 enforcement actions and issued 4,604 citations statewide, including 75 to drivers going more than 100 mph.

“Summer brings more people onto California’s roadways, increasing the risks of impaired driving,” CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee said in the agency’s June 17 announcement of the summer crackdown. “Impaired driving continues to claim hundreds of lives in California each year and forever changes countless others. These tragedies are entirely preventable.”

The stakes rise over Independence Day. AAA projects 72.2 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home between June 27 and July 5, with 61.4 million going by car. Impaired drivers are involved in roughly 30% of U.S. traffic deaths, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and California averages about 34,000 impaired-driving crashes a year.

In its most recent Independence Day enforcement period, in 2025, the CHP reported 1,311 arrests for driving under the influence and 34,548 citations statewide. The agency also says it ran 122 sobriety checkpoints in 2025, screening more than 45,000 vehicles and arresting 172 impaired drivers.

Locally, Pasadena police and fire will be fully staffed for patrol, jail, fire and paramedic services on the holiday, though administrative offices will close, the city said. Residents can report suspicious activity or illegal fireworks — banned citywide — to police at (626) 744-4241, and should call 9-1-1 for emergencies.

The holiday also reshapes daily logistics. The city says parking meters not posted as “No Parking” will be free on Friday, July 3, with time limits unenforced; regular enforcement resumes Saturday, July 4. Bans on overnight parking, red curbs and blocked hydrants still apply, and the city flags parking restrictions in the Arroyo Seco near the Rose Bowl. Pasadena Transit’s Route 33 will run a Sunday schedule on Saturday, July 4; other routes and Dial-A-Ride will not operate that day.

The CHP urges drivers to plan a sober ride before going out — a designated driver, rideshare, taxi or public transit.

“Plan ahead, never drive impaired, and help us keep California’s roads safe,” Duryee said.