Countywide : Ticket Amnesty Draws Few Takers

Only about 600 Ventura County residents of the 22,000 with overdue traffic tickets have taken advantage of a statewide amnesty program that allows them to pay their fines at a reduced rate, a county court official said Tuesday.

Since the three-month amnesty program went into effect on Feb. 1, the county has collected about $80,000 from residents who were delinquent in paying their traffic tickets, said Vince Ordonez, a Ventura County court administrator.

“That’s less than we anticipated,” he said, noting that the amnesty program ends April 30.

If all 22,000 county offenders paid their fines under the state program, it would amount to about $2.2 million, with 98% of that going to the state and the remaining 2% to the county court system, Ordonez said. That would result in about $40,000 for Ventura County.

Ordonez said offenders were notified of the amnesty program by mail on two separate occasions.

All traffic citations issued before April 1, 1991--except those for parking, drunk driving and reckless driving--are eligible for the amnesty program.

Under the program, violators can get their misdemeanor fines reduced from a maximum of $1,000 down to $500. Fines for infractions can be reduced from a maximum of $500 down to $100, Ordonez said.

Misdemeanors include violations such as hit-and-run incidents, and infractions are more minor violations such as speeding or running a red light.

The state Legislature approved the amnesty program in an effort to generate revenue to help balance the state’s budget. It had been estimated that the state could generate as much as $55 million through the program.