Comments for The Freedom Minute

Comment on The $100 Stop Sign Scam by Tony

Tony — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

I read somewhere on the web that there was a lawsuit filed against the MRCA in Northern California which they lost, and they had to pay back millions in fines they had collected, but I can’t find it now. If that is true, I wonder if they were found to be in violation of the California Vehicle Code, and if so, how is it that now they supposedly are not bound by the CVC. Does anybody know anything about this previous lawsuit?

Comment on The $100 Stop Sign Scam by D in Cali

D in Cali — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

I got one of these tickets and since this is not handled by the courts, I have refused to pay it. It went to a collection agency in Ohio they sent me a threatening letter, but again I have refused to pay. They cant do anything in terms of affecting your credit, or your driver license so i understand. Thus far nothing has happened to me. The fact that they make the citation look like an official court approved document (what ALL other traffic violations tickets are)and try to pass it off as such is also criminal and what they are really doing is committing extortion.

Comment on The $100 Stop Sign Scam by Follow the money

Follow the money — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

Follow the money and see how much these administrative penalties fit into the MRCA budget (or money making scheme).
Their revenue report shows that the actual amount for admin. penalties (what they classify these tickets as) for 08-09 was $1,874,914 and a proposed revenue budget for 2010-2011 to be $1,990,000. Nearly 2 million a year comes from administrative citations like these. Sure not all the penalties come from these “tickets,” but you can bet that a large amount does.
Their buddies at RedFlex are also making a nice amount. Based on the MRCA’s payouts to them:
1/14/10 $39,303
2/18/10 $42,702
3/11/10 $44,627
4/8/10 $43,697.50
5/20/10 $34,232
5/27/10 $43,136.50
6/24/10 $30,800
Nearly $300,000 in 6 months to Redflex (which only gets a PERCENTAGE of what they take in for the fines). The 2006 meeting agenda where the MRCA voted to enter into a 5 year contract with Redflex shows each “ticket” payout to Redflex to be $25. Pretty good profit for the MRCA and I have to ask myself what have they been doing with all that “extra” money they collected from safety violations. Surely at least 25% has gone back into the parks to promote safe spaces and walkways (their justification for these stop sign cameras). Good luck finding the safety improvements. If this was truly about safety, then something more would have been done and with that much money signal lights could have been easily installed. I only went back to January 2010 to find all this information on their website, but this scam has been going on for a LONG time.
There was also no explanation as to why they increased the fine from $100 to $175. It can’t be that they are being charged more by Redflex because they have a multi-year contract that locks in the rates (I think for years). Budget cuts elsewhere and salary increases most likely led to this need.
At some point someone has to expose this for the money making scheme it is designed to be. Reading through their attachments it was interesting to see how many references there are to state laws and procedures, but when it comes to this issue they only adhere to their own administrative code.
When will it be enough?

Comment on The $100 Stop Sign Scam by freedomminute

freedomminute — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 03:03:19 +0000

These are good starts. We’re going to have to get a groundswell of opposition if we want to affect change. Which representatives have you contacted and I would also call their offices. The representatives who would be the most effective would be your state representatives.

Comment on The $100 Stop Sign Scam by freedomminute

freedomminute — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 03:00:56 +0000

I’m not sure if you can sue a governmental agency in small claims court. It’s an interesting idea. I’ll check and let you know what I find out.

Comment on The $100 Stop Sign Scam by Anon

Anon — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 21:05:53 +0000

I have zero faith in our court system.

Comment on The $100 Stop Sign Scam by meTarzana

meTarzana — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 06:50:06 +0000

If they were concerned about safety they would have put a stop sign coming into the park also, not just coming out when one is looking around admiring the view. I am one of those who wants to join in any class action.

Comment on The $100 Stop Sign Scam by Anon

Anon — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 03:52:33 +0000

I’ve already written my representative & contacted the attorney and Goldstein.
What would you suggest?

Comment on The $100 Stop Sign Scam by Howard

Howard — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:10:25 +0000

Perhaps small claims court would be an option to get the money back once you have paid it? Kind of a pain, but I can’t imagine MRCA could afford to keep going to court on multiple such claims.

Comment on The $100 Stop Sign Scam by freedomminute

freedomminute — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:15:39 +0000

It’s not legal, but they will keep doing it until someone stops them. That means a judge or the State Legislature. We’re trying on both fronts. What are you prepared to do to help?