One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Fire Official Gets $26K in Toll Road Fines
Paul Matheis, a Newport Beach divisional fire chief, was using toll roads in Orange County without having a Fastrak transponder on his car. When that happens, a photo is taken and a citation is sent to the vehicle's registered address. In Matheis' case, it happened so many times, it went up to $26,000, according to the Daily Pilot. No worries, though, he paid it out of his pocket. But now he's still under scrutiny because he was using a city-issued car when the violations occurred.