Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
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.
Parking Citations Audit Reveals Missed Revenue, Fees On Voided Tickets, VIP Treatment 'Gold Card Desk'
Photo by Atwater Village Newbie via LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr, Used with permission
()
City Controller Greuel released the second in a series audits of the LADOT parking citation process revealing massive oversights, missed revenue, questionable policies and special treatment, according to a statement from her office.
According to the release, in revenue findings:
Due to DOTs inability to investigate contested citations within their own required 240 day time period, valid tickets are being dismissed, and unnecessarily costing the city money. The audit found City failed to collect $557,000 in administrative fees and penalties related to expired registrations stickers and vehicles with no evidence of registration, $328,000 of which could have been money in the City’s coffers. Over a two year period, DOT issued approximately 5.7 million citations over two fiscal years from 2008 to 2010. Approximately one third of citations are paid in full upon the motorists’ receipt of the citation on their vehicle’s windshield. However, $272 million in parking citations over a five year period needs to be written off because it is no longer eligible for collections. “If the Department is issuing tickets but not collecting outstanding citations, we clearly have a larger problem,” stated Controller Greuel. “If motorists can get away without paying tickets, we can’t expect them to change their law-breaking behavior either.
And then there's the "Gold Card Desk," a special service for the Mayor and Council "to expedite the review of parking citations." The audit revealed that DOT cancelled approximately 1,000 tickets without much policy, explanation, or paper trail during the 2-year audit process. Controller Greuel was reportedly not aware during her time as a Councilmember, and surprised to learn of the VIP Gold Card Desk process.
Support for LAist comes from
Controller Greuel commented, “You shouldn’t need political pull to expedite the investigation of a ticket. There ought to be a fair and equal process for examination of all contested citations.” She is calling for DOT to shut down the Gold Card Desk altogether.
The mayor's office, however, is saying that Greuel had been informed of the Gold Card Desk while on the council, and points to a DOT report, documents from 2007 about briefing members of her field staff and a PowerPoint presentation in 2008, reports the L.A. Times.
"As chair of the City Council's Transportation Committee then-Councilmember Greuel was briefed on all aspects of the department's operations and was fully aware of the Gold Card Desk," said the email from Villaraigosa's office. "For example, in 2007 and 2008, LADOT staff briefed the Mayor's and City Council field offices about the parking citation process as well as the adjudication process so that they provided better service to our constituents."
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake. -
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
Best of LAist