Last week, the Los Angeles Times ran an article about the red light cameras being used in California.
The article talked about how this great traffic safety device had turned into nothing more than a revenue-generating machine.
What the citizens of Culver City do not realize is that their red light cameras were some of the first in the state.
When this proposition was presented to previous City Councils, it was pitched as a great source of revenue. As a member of the community, you would think, hey! We can use the extra revenue to fund the parks or hire more police and fire services.
Well, they put one over on you there.
You see, they did not explain to you who benefits from these ticket revenues of approximately $2.8 million each year for the past eight years.
But What About Us?
First, the state of California and the Los Angeles County courts take between $700,000 and $800,000 each year, or approximately 30 percent. Next, the company that installs and operates the red light cameras is paid by the city $1 million to $1.5 million each year for this service.
The city then pays between $400,000 and $500,000 a year in personnel costs to run the program. The city has hired several financial consultants over the past few years to look at all of the city’s financial programs.
They all say the same thing.
Why do you have this program?
It is costing you millions of dollars each year with very little traffic safety benefit.
Shrugging Off Advice
Every year it is the same. City management and the City Council disregard their own paid consultants’ advice and approve the continuation of this program to generate revenue for everyone except the citizens of Culver City.
If this were a reality TV show with a prizze for the biggest loser, the citizens of Culver City would win.
The state and the County courts are smart. They collect the money, and they take their portion first. We have no control over the state and the Courts increasing the percentage of fines they keep, especially in a budget crisis.
There is one intersection approach in Culver City that only generated 32 tickets in one year. For that intersection approach, the city received revenues totaling $5,140, (if everyone paid their ticket). The state received $3,180, and the city paid the Red Light Co. $31,280, not including operating costs.
A Route Out of Trouble
I only hope that when the City Attorney’s Office negotiated the new contract with the red light company last year, they included some good escape clauses for the city.
If the City Attorney failed to follow the advice of staff and consultants and secure a good contract for the city, then I suppose the new City Council could dust off its Entrada Office Tower response.
We can’t go against what previous City Councils have done, because this company could use some of the millions of dollars that we have given them over the years to sue us for more.
Citizens of Culver City, don’t be fooled by this new budget when you look and see that the Photo-Enforcement Section has been taken out.
It has only been distributed throughout the police budget so it is not as obvious to everyone what is going on. Same thing with the revenue generated.
It has been combined with all other Vehicle Code Fines revenue.
Sounds Like a Ruse
The two-year budget that was sold to the Council and the community last year is just a way to move money around between line item costs within the budget.
The bottom line will appear to decrease or increase only slightly, and it looks good. At the end of the two years, when the carnival has left town.
The community will ask what happened. Where did the money go?
The city of Vallejo, Ca. filed for bankruptcy recently, and when Vallejo Councilwoman Stephanie Gomes was asked if seeking bankruptcy protection could damage the city’s reputation, she responded with, “The mismanagement of the city for so long has tarnished our reputation, not bankruptcy.
“Bankruptcy gives us the opportunity to fix that mismanagement and put a long-term plan in place to ensure true growth and recovery.”
This new City Council in Culver City has the opportunity ensure true growth and recovery for the city of Culver City.
But you have to act quickly.
