Councilman Dennis Zine's plan might be fine with some LA motorists, but it could have state and judicial agencies seeing red.
Zine's proposal involves having the city conduct its own administrative hearings on red-light tickets instead of going through the county court system.
Fines for running a red light are about $500. That includes traffic school fees.
That figure is set by state and county agencies. The city receives less than $150 of the amount.
Zine said the city would make more money if it processed its own tickets. Zine's plan also might cut motorist fines, which have increased at three times the rate of inflation in recent years, according to the LA Times.
But nothing is easy when it comes to a revenue generator like red-light violations. The move could mean a fight with the state and judicial agencies that could lose millions.
Other California towns have a system similar to the one proposed by Zine, who called the current system punitive.
Los Angeles issues thousands of red-light tickets each month and the figure has grown with the use of photo enforcement. LA issues about 3,600 red-light violations per month through the camera system.
Check out this Flash presentation from the LA Times for a look at how the camera's work.
The Public Safety and Budget Committee is considering Zine's proposal.
