Things that are actually illegal
- Removing a shopping cart from store premises — Business & Professions Code §22435.2.
- Riding in the bed of a pickup truck on a highway, with narrow exceptions — Vehicle Code §21712.
- Leaving an animal in a vehicle in conditions that endanger it — Penal Code §597.7.
- Holding a phone while driving at all, even for navigation — Vehicle Code §23123.5 requires hands-free mounting and a single tap or swipe.
- Setting off any firework in the City of Los Angeles, including "safe and sane" ones that are legal a few miles away — see fireworks and a safe July 4th.
- Riding an electrically motorized board under 16, or without a helmet — see California hoverboard laws.
Things people think are illegal but aren't (anymore)
- Jaywalking. The Freedom to Walk Act (AB 2147) took effect in 2023 and bars a citation for crossing outside a crosswalk unless there is an immediate danger of collision.
- Possessing small amounts of cannabis as an adult 21 or over, within Prop 64 limits — though driving with an open container of it is still an offense.
- Recording police in public, which is expressly protected in California so long as you do not interfere.
When a minor offense becomes a bail problem
Infractions do not usually mean custody. What creates the bail call is ignoring one: an unpaid citation becomes a failure to appear, and that becomes a bench warrant that gets served at a traffic stop months later. See warrant bail bonds and failure to appear.