La nueva regla eliminaría los pagos en la corte antes de las audiencias si la persona citada se presenta en la corte en la primera audiencia. Después de recibir el ticket, los conductores deberían ser notificados por correo acerca del monto de la multa y la fecha cuando deben aparecer ante la corte. Algunos activistas dicen que, sin embargo, estos cambios no llegan lo suficientemente lejos para ayudar a los afectados.
Si ha recibido una citación de tráfico y desea contestar su citación en la corte, o necesita más información, haga una cita con la oficina legal del abogado Tommy A. Ruedaflores y Asociados por el teléfono: 1-855-381-2121
(Nota en inglés del LA Times)
Culled from the LA Times / Courts may let people fight traffic tickets without paying fine first
The new rule would prevent California courts from requiring payment before a hearing only if the driver showed up to the first court appearance, called an arraignment. After receiving a ticket, drivers are supposed to be notified in the mail of the amount of the fine and the date they must appear if they want to challenge it. Some activist say this rule doesn’t go far enough, nearly 5 million drivers have had their licenses suspended because of an inability to pay fines.
By Maura Dolan / Reporting from San Francisco (June 8).- An emergency state court rule scheduled for a vote Monday would make it easier for drivers to contest traffic tickets — but will do nothing to help those already saddled with fines and fees they cannot afford to pay, according to lawyers and court officials.
The state has added on charges that make the cost of a routine traffic ticket nearly $500, an amount that rapidly inflates when deadlines are missed. Although state courts charge people many fees — raised during the budget crisis — to use the legal system, the outcry has been loudest in the traffic arena.
Lawyers representing the poor have complained that judges in some counties have been requiring drivers to pay the fines as a condition of contesting them, a practice that California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye called “pay to play” and vowed to stop.
The traffic infraction penalty consists of a fine that is then quadruped by all the fees that have nothing to do with the person’s culpability. – Christine Sun, ACLU of Northern California
“The traffic infraction penalty consists of a fine that is then quadruped by all the fees that have nothing to do with the person’s culpability,” said Christine Sun of the ACLU of Northern California. “Folks of color are disproportionately stopped for traffic citations, and they are now paying for things that the state general fund should cover.”
Read the whole article here.