Stop Light Cameras in Los Angeles
Fri, 07/22/2011 - 4:59pm
 14 years
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Channel 2 news had a piece last night on these cameras being installed in several parks (of all places). More than 34,000 $175 tickets have been issued in the last 18 months.
As near as I can determine these are not included in the POI files.
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2010/09/26/socal-stop-sign-ca...
Related links
not sure
I don't know if it's part of the file, but we have talked about these stop sign cameras before.
In the LA Times today Red-light camera ticket? Ignore it
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-red-light-cameras-20...
LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-red-light-cameras-20...
Date line on the story is July 27. Hmm.
1490LMT 1450LMT 295w
No, not hmm.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-red-light-cameras-20...
Date line on the story is July 27. Hmm.
Common with articles on newspaper websites. The LATimes published the story online on July 26th and then ran it in the July 27th print issue, hence the July 27 date online. Magazine articles often appear online with a date several days into the future. This comes down to the policy of the publication, but it's not a suspicious thing.
Enforcement on LA red light camera tickets is ending.
JMoo On
lol
'the tickets are part of a "voluntary payment program"'.
You gotta love the logic
'the tickets are part of a "voluntary payment program"'.
FTA:
"The consequence is somebody calling you from one of these collection agencies and saying 'pay up.' And that's it," said committee member and Councilman Bill Rosendahl. "There's no real penalty in terms of your driver's license or any other consequences if you don't pay."
So, if people harass me for money without any basis, do I file a Fair Debt Collection Practices Act complaint with the FTC? Maybe throw in a Do Not Call Registry complaint while I'm at it?
Then it depends...
If LA or Redflex or whoever owns these tickets is selling violations that haven't been "voluntarily paid" to collection agencies, it may be risky to disregard those. It depends whether the collection agencies that buy the unpaid violations can place a delinquency on the car owner's credit record. If they can, that can cost owners far more than the tickets are worth.
JMoo On
Debt collection violations
If LA or Redflex or whoever owns these tickets is selling violations that haven't been "voluntarily paid" to collection agencies, it may be risky to disregard those. It depends whether the collection agencies that buy the unpaid violations can place a delinquency on the car owner's credit record. If they can, that can cost owners far more than the tickets are worth.
From the FTC faq on debt collection: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre18.shtm
What does the debt collector have to tell me about the debt?
Every collector must send you a written “validation notice” telling you how much money you owe within five days after they first contact you. This notice also must include the name of the creditor to whom you owe the money, and how to proceed if you don’t think you owe the money.
Can a debt collector keep contacting me if I don’t think I owe any money?
If you send the debt collector a letter stating that you don’t owe any or all of the money, or asking for verification of the debt, that collector must stop contacting you. You have to send that letter within 30 days after you receive the validation notice. But a collector can begin contacting you again if it sends you written verification of the debt, like a copy of a bill for the amount you owe.
[...]
What practices are off limits for debt collectors?
Debt collectors may not:
[...]
give false credit information about you to anyone, including a credit reporting company;
[...]
Do I have any recourse if I think a debt collector has violated the law?
You have the right to sue a collector in a state or federal court within one year from the date the law was violated. If you win, the judge can require the collector to pay you for any damages you can prove you suffered because of the illegal collection practices, like lost wages and medical bills. The judge can require the debt collector to pay you up to $1,000, even if you can’t prove that you suffered actual damages. You also can be reimbursed for your attorney’s fees and court costs. A group of people also may sue a debt collector as part of a class action lawsuit and recover money for damages up to $500,000, or one percent of the collector’s net worth, whichever amount is lower. Even if a debt collector violates the FDCPA in trying to collect a debt, the debt does not go away if you owe it.
thanks for the heads up
thanks for the heads up
Sly
LA RLC tickets will not affect the credit record
A follow-up in today's LA Times says that Los Angeles County is permitted to sell unpaid tickets to collection agencies, but that the agencies are NOT permitted to enter a delinquency for red light camera tickets that are unpaid, so it will not affect one's credit record or credit score. Bottom line: Los Angeles County red light camera tickets can be totally ignored.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0727-red-light-camer...
If someone is contacted by a debt collection agency for an unpaid Los Angeles County red light camera ticket, the agency can be told that the ticket will not be paid and that the debt collector must stop contacting the debtor, and that should end it.
There is one exception noted in the article. If you go to court to fight the ticket, and you are or have been ordered by a judge to pay the fine, you can't get out of it now. You also can't get a refund for fines you have paid. No, these things aren't fair, but such is life.
NOTE ALSO, this strategy of ignoring tickets only applies to red light camera tickets from Los Angeles County. It will work there because of the way LA wrote the law. Most other communities using camera enforcement closed loopholes that LA left open. Ignoring red light camera tickets from other municipalities can get very expensive and is not generally recommended.
JMoo On
LA to shut down money-losing cameras
http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_18564404?source=rss
NickJr Nuvi 3597LMT
Thanks for the info
If someone is contacted by a debt collection agency for an unpaid Los Angeles County red light camera ticket, the agency can be told that the ticket will not be paid and that the debt collector must stop contacting the debtor, and that should end it.
It's funny what the government allows when they have a part in it.
I wonder what would happen if I started calling random telephone numbers and demanded a couple hundred dollars from them, but neglected to mention that any such payments were "voluntary." My guess is that I'd have a couple criminal and civil cases in my future.
Don't try this at home
Yeah, Scott, since it's "voluntary," I guess that means the fine-payers can claim a tax deduction for a charitable contribution. I'm sure the IRS and California Franchise Tax Board will have no problem with that!
JMoo On
Don't get me started on the California Franchise Tax Board
Yeah, Scott, since it's "voluntary," I guess that means the fine-payers can claim a tax deduction for a charitable contribution. I'm sure the IRS and California Franchise Tax Board will have no problem with that!
You know they tax you for the full price of a cell-phone even if it's free after the "two-year contract" discount? My guess is that most people probably don't even notice the extra $50-$60 in taxes they get charged.
Maybe it's another one of those voluntary taxes, cause you can avoid it by purchasing online instead of walking into a bricks and mortar cellular store.
Just a thought
So, Los angeles is "getting rid" of rlc's. Will the downloaded pot factory alert still go off on my Garmin when approaching one of these de-activated cameras? Just curious.
IF the RLC's are removed/non functional
then Miss Poi will remove them from the file.
So, Los angeles is "getting rid" of rlc's. Will the downloaded pot factory alert still go off on my Garmin when approaching one of these de-activated cameras? Just curious.
Nuvi 2460LMT.
Query clarification
In the meantime (before the files are removed), would the alerts on my gps still go off when approaching a deactivated camera, or does the camera have to be "live" (activated)in order for the alert to sound?
If the RLC is in the file
If the RLC is in the file it will go off whether or not it is activated or not.
In the meantime (before the files are removed), would the alerts on my gps still go off when approaching a deactivated camera, or does the camera have to be "live" (activated)in order for the alert to sound?
Nuvi 2460LMT.