In a case that has tremendous implications for Kern County, a California appeals court blocked a proposed class-action lawsuit against red light cameras in Los Angeles.

Howard v. GC Services began when Mr. Howard received a red-light camera citation in the mail. But the Concord resident resided about 300 miles from Los Angeles, and he had not been to SoCal in nearly 15 years. Rather ironically, the fact that the ticket was such an obvious fake convinced the court to halt his proposed class-action lawsuit against red light cameras. The court concluded that Mr. Howard was clearly a victim of identity theft, so he was not in the same situation as the other class-action plaintiffs, and there was no way of telling what collection letters the other members received, so they were not all the same.

As a result of this ruling, the contractor can keep issuing red light tickets.

Red Light Cameras

An Ohio politician recently described red light cameras as “a kernel of a good idea [that got] put [] on steroids and managed to anger a significant amount of the population.” That phrase pretty much sums up the red light camera experience in Bakersfield, Los Angeles, and other California cities.

Municipalities need revenue, and in the post-Proposition 13 era, which capped property tax increases, the money needed to come from somewhere. At the same time, there is no doubt that t-bone crashes at intersections cause major physical injury and property damage. So, the city fathers thought, why not kill two birds with one stone?

But, in today’s political landscape, it is perfectly acceptable for governments to raise a significant portion of their revenue through traffic tickets. And, until governments make safety a priority over moneymaking and ensure that these citations are handed out legally, red light cameras and speeding cameras will be favored.

Getting Legal Help

The aggressive lawyers at Bigger & Harman, APC, are committed to giving individuals a voice when dealing with speeding and traffic tickets. Call today at 661-859-1177 or email attorney@markbigger.com to receive the personal professional attention you deserve. En español, llame al 661-376-0214.