PD Editorial: Relief for those caught in ‘hellhole'

A caring public should agree that nobody should see their lives unravel due to something as mundane as a ticket for not wearing a seatbelt.

But as Staff Writer Paul Payne spelled out in this Thursday story ('Ticket costs drive debt') that is happening with increased regularity in Sonoma County and elsewhere.

His report offered the story of Petaluma roofer Danny Vitali who couldn't afford the $142 fine he got for driving without a seatbelt fastened and ended up having his license suspended in addition to being slapped with a $300 civil assessment. Ultimately, his fine swelled to nearly $1,200.

Not long ago, we received a letter from a woman who was pulled over for a broken taillight. As she was getting a ticket, the officer noticed the woman's child, who had fallen asleep and slipped out of his seatbelt, was improperly restrained. That resulted in another citation of more than $400. Because she couldn't pay the combined cost, her license was suspended, resulting in an additional $300 fine. She said she needed to keep driving to maintain her minimum-wage job and transport her children to school and was running the risk of being stopped and having her car impounded.

As Santa Rosa defense attorney Steve Fabian told Payne, 'It becomes this terrible cycle.'

It's small wonder that studies show license suspensions and additional penalties fall disproportionately on the poorest in our community. As we noted last month, a report by a coalition of legal aid groups concluded that roughly 4.2 million Californians, many of them low-income minorities, have seen their licenses suspended for failure to pay traffic court fines.

According to county data, of the 28,400 tickets issued in Sonoma County from October to April, the court ordered holds on 8,347 licenses — or about 29 percent of the tickets — for nonpayment of fines. Another 1,081 holds were issued for failing to appear before a judge.

We have little sympathy for those who fail to keep their appointed court dates. But to those who can make a case that they lack the resources to pay the fines, some measure of relief is needed. Fortunately, that may be on the way.

In his May revised budget, Gov. Jerry Brown is recommending an 18-month amnesty program for those who are past due on court-ordered payments for traffic violations. The program could allow those who had tickets issued prior to Jan. 1, 2013, to see their debt cut in half. The program is expected to generate $150 million for the state.

'These are not only fines, but there are all these penalties added to it that are bigger than the fines,' Brown said. 'When someone is making $10,000, $20,000 a year and you saddle them with $400 to $500, then they don't pay, then they get a warrant issued and lose their license. It's a hellhole of desperation.'

The governor's plan also calls for reducing the $300 administrative fees that are tacked onto the citations to $50. Most important, eligible individuals would see their licenses reinstated.

It's a reasonable approach.

In a perfect world, traffic fines would be on a sliding scale so that the financial pain would be felt equally by those of all income levels. But as it is, those who are poorest and in many cases are most at risk of seeing their lives come unhinged by such sizeable fines are hurt the most. Given that, the relief should be weighted to their benefit. The governor's amnesty plan makes sense and deserves a green light from legislators.