State, Cities Battle Over Money From Traffic Fines

The California state Senate has approved a bill that will stop a growing trend by cities, which diverts revenue from traffic tickets away from the state. Several local municipalities have implemented their own traffic laws, which are enforced instead of the state’s traffic laws. This means that the revenue generated from those tickets goes to the city, instead of the state. “Several local governments have recently made it their official policy to substitute their own local ordinances for defined violations and penalties in the state’s vehicle code for moving violations,” said Senator Jenny Oropeza, the author of the bill. The measure is opposed by several cities including Los Angeles, Costa Mesa, and Fremont.