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A California appeals court just ruled that parking tickets in Los Angeles County must be evaluated in roughly the same manner as traffic tickets in Kings County and San Bernardino County.

Cody Weiss challenged a $55 ticket he got for allegedly over-staying the two-hour parking limit on La Jolla Avenue in 2012. Xerox, which is under contract with the County to review parking tickets, summarily dismissed his complaint. Mr. Weiss then challenged the system, based on a state law which requires the “issuing agency,” as opposed to the processing agency, to make the initial review. The court sided with Mr. Weiss, adding that there was a clear conflict of interest because Xerox is “a vendor that earned a profit per ticket paid and was also paid to conduct administrative hearings.”

According to court documents filed in the case, Los Angeles County has collected over $335 million in parking ticket fines over the last two years.

Traffic Ticket Procedure

Local prosecutors in the High Desert follow basically the same procedure. As a rule of thumb, they conduct an initial evaluation of traffic tickets based on:

  • Maximum Fine: Prosecutors normally shave a little off the maximum fine to encourage plea bargains; the exact amount normally depends on the next two factors.

  • Prior Record: First-time violators get more consideration that drivers with several points on their licenses or several prior cases.

  • You Can Fight City Hall: This is the big one. If prosecutors see that someone is represented by counsel, they know that the lawyer will fight the ticket, and they slash their offer like it was at a going-out-of-business sale.effective defense, which is often the case, the prosecutor will reduce the offer even further to avoid a risky and time-consuming trial.

    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.

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