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Old 10-29-2009, 10:37 AM
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ilbegone ilbegone is offline
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Default Fees and penalties drive traffic ticket costs through the roof

Fees and penalties drive traffic ticket costs through the roof

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BY STEVE E. SWENSON, Californian staff writer
Oct 21 2009

Oct 21 2009



People who get traffic tickets -- and let's face it, you're probably one of them -- get told at some point how much they will cost.

A lot of people believe the cost is their fine.

No. A thousand times no.

The fine is the easy part. And much cheaper.

The expensive part is the penalty assessments and fees. If you're lucky they just triple the fine.

If not, they can shoot up the cost to four, five, or more than six times the base fine.

Cayla Stamper, 21, and her friend, Joseph Nelson, 25, were feeling the economic wallop this week.

Stamper was surprised to learn the actual fine part of her $485 ticket for driving on a suspended license was only $100.

"I just thought it was that much for the fine," she said of the total amount. "I would have rather paid the $100, honestly."

Nelson says he's somewhat of a veteran in the ticket business. "Since I turned 16, I've had to pay about $7,000 for tickets," he said.

It's impacted his ability to get jobs because he either doesn't have a license or his car is in impound. "It's kind of like a big trap," he said. "But it's all my mistakes. I can't blame anyone else."

Frank Flores, 19, suffered his first ticket for going 32 mph in a 25 mph school zone. He didn't show up when he should have. The cost zoomed up to $800 and could have been worse.

He just finished his last payment this week. "I just can't believe they can charge you the extra amounts," he said.

But it is having an effect on his driving. "I'm doing a bit better now," he said.

So what are these fines, fees and penalties?

Each ticket has three parts. The fine goes to the local jurisdiction, city or county, which issued the ticket. The fees are flat rates that go to the county. And the penalties are calculated based on the fine.

PENALTIES

Generally about 70 percent of the penalties collected goes to the state, while 30 percent goes to local government, McNally said. For every $10 in fine, you will pay another $26 in penalties.

Those penalties go into various funds, including some that target money for DNA or court facilities.

FEES

Besides the fine, each ticket in Kern County has two or three fees.

A court security fee of $30 pays primarily for bailiffs and guards to keep the court house safe, McNally said.

A $35 criminal conviction assessment goes to the state to finance court construction costs.

A night court fee of $1 is charged only in the downtown Bakersfield courts to help with the expenses of holding night court.

Nelson, whose contributed $7,000 to the system, was philosophical about it all. "They got to do what they got to do to keep it going."

********

Here's some typical ticket situations:

* Cell phone violation has a $20 base fine but a $138 out of pocket grab.

* Speeding 60 mph in a 45 mph has a $25 base fine. But the total cost jumps up to $169.

* Driving with an expired license of less than a year. A $35 fine and $205 total bill.

* Speeding in a 65 mph zone. If cited for 81 to 90 mph, the $50 base fine balloons to $246. If cited for 91 mph or more, the $100 base fine become a $426 cost.

* Camera red light violation is another $100 base fine with a $426 price tag.
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Old 10-29-2009, 10:54 AM
PochoPatriot PochoPatriot is offline
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Infraction fees and penalties are ridiculous and utterly out of control. Sadly, the people are not able to do anything about them. Having sat in traffic court, and listened to traffic court judges pontificate from their perches, they say the parts about fees and penalty assortments with a mocking joy.

It's a racket, and the judges are in on it.
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Old 10-29-2009, 11:11 AM
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Originally Posted by PochoPatriot View Post
Infraction fees and penalties are ridiculous and utterly out of control. Sadly, the people are not able to do anything about them. Having sat in traffic court, and listened to traffic court judges pontificate from their perches, they say the parts about fees and penalty assortments with a mocking joy.

It's a racket, and the judges are in on it.
It's not so much about paying fines or serving sentences, but how they screw with an offender otherwise.

I know people who couldn't afford an attorney ( they are provided with the Public non-Defender) and can't get away from the system.

They interfere with employment (difficult to get or stayed employed while the claws o' injustice are in them), and go out of the way to violate probationers, inventing reasons where there are none.

It turns into a vicious circle, sort of like Le Miserables.

And they get away with it.
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Old 10-31-2009, 05:16 AM
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Law allows Corona to process red-light camera tickets, officials learn

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October 28, 2009

By LESLIE PARRILLA
The Press-Enterprise

Corona city officials learned Wednesday that they could legally and financially process red-light camera traffic tickets through the city to lower the $446 fine, which many drivers consider excessive.

The council listened to staff reports about the city's red-light camera program at a study session that compared costs of processing tickets through the city versus through the state.

Corona's red-light camera program began five months ago and has cameras installed at four intersections.

The council has been discussing processing citations administratively, through the city, instead of through the state, to reduce the $446 fine. Mayor Steve Nolan proposed the idea to alleviate the financial burden on people unable to pay the hefty fee in the bad economy.

"I'm just happy we know we have the right to do this," Nolan said. "We're not making as much money, but we can cover the cost of the program."

Legally, the state vehicle code allows the city to consider red-light camera citations a violation of its municipal code, according to information presented at the meeting. But that interpretation of state law could be challenged.

Financially, figures presented at the meeting showed that the city would generate about $777,000 a year if it did not change the system and allowed the state to continue processing the tickets.

If the city started processing the citations and lowered the fine to $100, that revenue would drop to $23,115.

Mayor Pro Tem Karen Spiegel voiced concerns that the revenue would be lower than the rough projections or even that the program would cost the city money, and taxpayers would be left footing the bill for other people's traffic violations.

Spiegel -- who has received a red-light camera citation -- also was concerned that a lower fee would be less effective as a deterrent.

"If it's a $100 citation, you will have more violations because I know it's easier for me to get to that meeting and cost me $100 than to be late. If we're talking safety, we're not going to have that same effect when there are not as much teeth in that violation," Spiegel said.

The city based its estimates on issuing $100 citations, generating 16,000 citations a year, paying $350,000 annually to the camera vendor and paying for staff time and collection expenses.

The city currently receives $132 per violation with the state processing the tickets.

The council did not take any action at the study session and plans to continue studying the issue.
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