Your eyes on California Government

Steven Greenhut: Maybe there’s some hope that government officials won’t always be above the law. California officials often can violate traffic laws and ignore tolls with impunity. Police officers are particularly bad on this score, as this article makes clear.

Here is the OC Register series about this abuse and my article on the topic.

Here is a statement from Assemblyman Jeff Miller, R-Corona:

Miller Bill Ensuring Bureaucrats Pay Traffic Violations Clears Assembly Floor

SACRAMENTO-Assemblyman Jeff Miller (R-Corona) today announced that his bill AB 2097, requiring bureaucrats to pay their traffic violations like everyone else in the State, passed off the Assembly Floor by a vote of 56-0.“It is outrageous that there are more than one million government workers in over 1,500 state agencies who can get out of paying their traffic violations, just because they are enrolled in the Confidential Records Program,” stated Miller.  “While there are certain protections in place for valid reasons, no one should be above the law.”

AB 2097 will foster transparency in government by closing the loophole that allows some eligible participants in the Confidential Records Program, whose home addresses are hidden from law enforcement, to avoid paying traffic, red-light, parking, bridge, and toll road violations.  By requiring participants to provide an employment address, AB 2097 will allow enforcement personnel to collect citations, violations and fee revenues without compromising confidentiality.  At the same time, the revenue collected by AB 2097 will serve as a much needed, alternative transportation revenue source for counties, without raising taxes or creating new fees.

AB 2097 will be heard next in the Senate Transportation Committee.