kangaroo kourt: the great california shakedown

Actually, some fines for traffic infractions in California are in the $800-$1,000 range.


From the Los Angeles Times

The increase is the latest in a string of fee increases statewide and in Los Angeles, as governments turn to motorists to pay more amid budget problems. Last year, the state increased the fines for traffic tickets and used the proceeds to help renovate courthouses. The changes included a $35 surcharge on traffic tickets.
"We have so many different fees tacked on to traffic tickets and many tickets are in the $400 range now," Auto Club of Southern California spokeswoman Marie Montgomery said. "They should be paying a fine because they broke the law but it's just a question of how disproportionate this is on drivers versus other taxpayers."
Another law taking effect Saturday opened the door to a potential revenue stream for cities: allowing local agencies to install cameras on street sweepers to catch parking violators.
Assemblyman Steve Bradford (D-Gardena), who wrote the bill, said in a statement that it "is vital to keeping our waterways clean" and that ticketing more cars that block street sweepers will help.
Operators of the street sweepers won't actually issue tickets to violators. Rather, cameras on the vehicles would capture the date and time of a violation and cities would mail citations, similar to the way red-light camera tickets are issued.
Bradford said the photo tickets would "remove personnel from potentially volatile confrontations when issuing citations and allow local parking enforcement officers to focus time and efforts on more pertinent matters."