Los Angeles

LA Spends More on Traffic and Parking Enforcement Than Tickets Generate, Report Says

The last two fiscal years represent the largest shortfall, with nearly $121 million more spent than generated through citations, Crosstown reported.

LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 15: In an aerial view, the top of Los Angeles City Hall is seen while lit in the colors of the Mexican flag to mark 200 years of Central American independence from Spain during the first night of National Hispanic Heritage Month on September 15, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. The colors of Costa Rica were displayed earlier this week, changing tonight to the green, white and red of Mexico. These will be followed by the colors of El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua in a series of national independence displays. These nations, excluding Mexico, formed “Las Provincias Unidas del Centro de America” and declared their independence from Spain on September 15, 1821. Mexico declared its independence on September 16, 1810, before the Mexican War of Independence ended on September 27, 1821. Los Angeles has deep historic ties to Mexico and Spain, and its current population, consisting of at least 50 percent Latino residents, has profound cultural connections to Mexico and Central America. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

While parking fines used to provide Los Angeles with net income, the city spent $192 million more in the last five years for parking and traffic enforcement than it generated in fines from the tickets, it was reported Monday.

The city brought it $617 million in parking tickets since the 2017 fiscal year, while it spent more than $809 million for salaries, equipment and other expenses related to it, according to data compiled by Crosstown, a nonprofit news organization based at the USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism.

The last two fiscal years represent the largest shortfall, with nearly $121 million more spent than generated through citations, Crosstown reported.

In the 2020-21 fiscal year, which ended on June 30, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation spent $56.4 million more than it took in through tickets. The previous year had a shortfall of $64.4 million.

While the shortfall began before the pandemic, Crosstown's report cited the suspension of parking regulations during the first eight months of the pandemic. In January 2020, there were more than 200,000 tickets issued.

Three months later, there were about 45,000.

A hit-and-run crash in North Hills has left an 18-month-old boy dead and a woman in serious condition at a local hospital. Lauren Coronado reports for the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. on Oct. 17, 2021.

The department also has staffing shortages, with 22% of traffic enforcement positions currently unfilled.

Crosstown noted that parking fines until 2017 were a reliable source of income for Los Angeles, with more than $20 million typically produced each year from the revenue, which the city used on parks, youth programs, trash cleanup and more.

The Los Angeles Department of Transportation's Director of Information, Colin Sweeney, told Crosstown that the department's costs increased because it is providing a record number of hours of service for a variety of citywide projects.

"Over the last decade, while revenue from citations has remained within a consistent range, our parking enforcement division has also provided a record number of traffic safety control hours for citywide projects, including street repair and maintenance, the construction and expansion of Metro Transit projects, and homeless encampment clean-ups,'' he said.

See the full report here.

Copyright CNS - City News Service
Exit mobile version