"Huge California Traffic Ticket Fines Effective 1-6-2011" That's the subject line for an e-mail that's making its way around the Internet, but it's wrong and probably something someone started just to upset or scare people. In checking with Christine Gentry, court operations manager for the Sonoma County court system, the [...]
So you got a traffic ticket and you're going to Traffic Court. You won't be alone. "Business is booming in Traffic Court," said Sonoma County Superior Court Commissioner Carla Bonilla, who's been handling it for about five years. Bonilla said she used to handle up to 50 cases a day [...]
You're cruising along chatting on your cell phone when you get busted. You get a ticket for using that cell phone, and the cop says it's going to cost $20 plus fees. Cool, only $20 plus fees. How much could fees be? A lot, it turns out. Christine Gentry, court [...]
A number of readers have commented about getting pulled over, saying that with cities facing budget problems, police officers are pulling people over just to generate revenue. Petaluma Police Sgt. Ken Savano, who oversees traffic enforcement in the city, has a reply: Not true. "The revenue that comes back to [...]
Whether you get a ticket when you get pulled over may all come down to your attitude. "Recently, I stopped a guy who was in the middle of an intersection" after failing to stop soon enough for a stop sign, CHP Officer Jon Sloat said. "I was talking to him [...]
There's a perception that Sonoma County sheriff's deputies aren't as tough in enforcing traffic laws as city police or the CHP, and that appears to be somewhat true -- to a point. Sheriff's Capt. Matt McCaffrey said while traffic law enforcement is "not our primary responsibility," deputies aren't turning a [...]