Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

3 days ago

Trump Says He’s Willing to Let Migrant Farm Laborers Stay in US

3 days ago

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

4 days ago

Eyeing Arctic Dominance, Trump Bill Earmarks $8.6 Billion for US Coast Guard Icebreakers

4 days ago

Trump’s Sweeping Tax-Cut and Spending Bill Wins Congressional Approval

4 days ago

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

4 days ago

US Supreme Court to Decide Legality of Transgender School Sports Bans

4 days ago

Nvidia Set to Become the World’s Most Valuable Company in History

4 days ago

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

4 days ago
Traffic Fine Relief? Gray Wants to Eliminate 20% 'Tax' on Tickets.
David Taub Website photo 2024
By David Taub, Senior Reporter
Published 5 years ago on
January 24, 2020

Share

A traffic fine is never just a fine in California.
In addition to the monetary penalty and points on a license, the state can assess fees for a court building fund, driver education, and other public needs.


Listen to this article:

On top of all that, there’s a state 20% surcharge.
Portrait of Adam Gray
“All sides agree this tax is unjust, indefensible, and long overdue for repeal.”Assemblyman Adam Gray
Assemblyman Adam Gray (D-Merced) wants to roll back the automatic 20% hit.
“During a time of fiscal uncertainty nearly two decades ago, the state imposed a 20% tax on traffic tickets and devoted the funding to prop up the General Fund,” Gray said in a news release Friday morning. “At the time, the state promised this was a temporary measure, but to the surprise of no one eventually made the tax permanent just a few years later.”
Gray is introducing AB 1980 which would repeal the 20% surcharge.

Fines Add Up

For example, on a $35 fine for rolling through a stop sign, an extra $7 is automatically tacked on by the state. Other state and local penalties further inflate the total.
The 20% surcharge went on the books in 2002. A 2015 editorial in the Los Angeles Times estimated that 80% of the total traffic fine is above the base fine.
A similar bill from Gray, AB 1348, passed the Assembly Public Safety Committee last year but died in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
An Assembly staff analysis of last year’s bill estimated the surcharge pumps about $40 million a year into the General Fund.

State Auditor Blasts Fee Structure

According to Gray, the state auditor recommends eliminating the surcharge. His bill also has the support of law enforcement groups and the ACLU.
In a 2017 report, State Auditor Elaine Howe criticized the fee.
“California’s current approach to funding state and county programs through penalties and fees from criminal and traffic violations has proven problematic both for the programs that rely on those funds and for drivers who receive costly citations,” Howe wrote.
Howe went on to say the system places an unfair burden on low-income drivers.
“All sides agree this tax is unjust, indefensible, and long overdue for repeal,” Gray said.
Gabriel Brickey, running unopposed for Fresno County judge on the March ballot, says he’s likely to work with what the law says when imposing fines.
“There is legislation behind each (court fee with) some thought and consideration. … But obviously, the judge most of the time has the ultimate discretion to impose whatever sentence he or she feels appropriate in the case. I believe I would do the same,” Brickey said.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

How Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Will Make China Great Again

DON'T MISS

What’s Caitlin Clark Worth to the WNBA? A Lot More Than Her $78,066 Salary.

DON'T MISS

Trump to Sign Tax-Cut and Spending Bill in July 4 Ceremony

DON'T MISS

Madre Fire Spurs Evacuations Across 3 Counties, Grows to More Than 70,000 Acres

DON'T MISS

Clovis, Sanger, Madera, and Bass Lake Will Light the Sky With Fireworks Shows Tonight

DON'T MISS

Oil Dips Ahead of Expected OPEC+ Output Increase

DON'T MISS

613 Killed at Gaza Aid Distribution Sites, Near Humanitarian Covoys, Says UN

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Authorities Investigating Suspicious Death of Transient Man

DON'T MISS

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

DON'T MISS

Israeli Military Kills 20 in Gaza as Trump Awaits Hamas Reply to Truce Proposal

UP NEXT

Clovis, Sanger, Madera, and Bass Lake Will Light the Sky With Fireworks Shows Tonight

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Rachelle Maria Blanco

UP NEXT

Fresno Police to Conduct DUI Checkpoint on Fourth of July, Boost Holiday Patrols

UP NEXT

Fresno Crash Involving Unlicensed Teen Driver Sends Woman to Hospital

UP NEXT

Madre Fire Burns More Than 52,000 Acres in San Luis Obispo County

UP NEXT

RIP John Harris: Fresno County Rancher, Racehorse Breeder Was a Visionary Leader Who Leaves a ‘Profound Legacy’

UP NEXT

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

UP NEXT

Kaweah Health Names Its New Chief Nurse. She’s From Texas

UP NEXT

Clovis Police Say At-Risk Missing Woman Found Dead in Mariposa County

UP NEXT

Fresno Police Recover Some of the $40,000 in Fireworks Stolen From Bullard High Team

David Taub,
Senior Reporter
Curiosity drives David Taub. The award-winning journalist might be shy, but feels mighty with a recorder in his hand. He doesn't see it his job to "hold public officials accountable," but does see it to provide readers (and voters) the information needed to make intelligent choices. Taub has been honored with several writing awards from the California News Publishers Association. He's just happy to have his stories read. Joining GV Wire in 2016, Taub covers politics, government and elections, mainly in the Fresno/Clovis area. He also writes columns about local eateries (Appetite for Fresno), pro wrestling (Off the Bottom Rope), and media (Media Man). Prior to joining the online news source, Taub worked as a radio producer for KMJ and PowerTalk 96.7 in Fresno. He also worked as an assignment editor for KCOY-TV in Santa Maria, California, and KSEE-TV in Fresno. He has also worked behind the scenes for several sports broadcasts, including the NCAA basketball tournament, and the Super Bowl. When not spending time with his family, Taub loves to officially score Fresno Grizzlies games. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Taub is a die-hard Giants and 49ers fan. He graduated from the University of Michigan with dual degrees in communications and political science. Go Blue! You can contact David at 559-492-4037 or at Send an Email

Planned Parenthood Sues Trump Administration Over Planned Defunding

42 minutes ago

San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Injures 1 Firefighter, Burns Over 80,000 Acres

43 minutes ago

Two Border Patrol Officers Injured After Gunman Opens Fire in Texas

45 minutes ago

Fresno Police Arrest 9 at Independence Day DUI Checkpoint

1 hour ago

Schumer Wants Probe of National Weather Service Response in Texas

1 hour ago

Israeli Guilt Over Gaza Lurks Beneath Silence and Denial

1 hour ago

Trump Criticized for Using Antisemitic ‘Shylock’ to Describe Bankers

2 hours ago

Iran President Says Open to Dialogue With US, Accuses Israel of Assassination Attempt

2 hours ago

Shy but Sweet Field Survivor, Poppy the Pup, Now Up for Adoption

2 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Douglas Wayne Brittain

2 hours ago

Trump Says Will Impose 25% Tariffs on Japan, South Korea

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump on Monday said he would impose a 25% tariff on goods from Japan and South Korea starting on August...

21 minutes ago

Containers on a cargo ship are pictured at an industrial port in Tokyo, Japan, July 2, 2025. (Reuters File)
21 minutes ago

Trump Says Will Impose 25% Tariffs on Japan, South Korea

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., June 30, 2025. (Reuters/Brendan McDermid)
23 minutes ago

Wall Street Knocked Lower by Tariff Jitters, Musk’s Political Plan Hurts Tesla

Protesters march near the campus of Columbia University in upper Manhattan to demand the release of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and former Columbia student, on March 14, 2025. A federal judge in Boston on Monday, July 7, 2025, will hear opening statements in a trial expected to present the foremost challenge to the Trump administration’s aggressive posture toward foreign students who espoused pro-Palestinian views. (Dave Sanders/The New York Times)
26 minutes ago

Trial Over Free Speech on Campus, and Trump’s Student Crackdown, Begins

Activists for Planned Parenthood demonstrate as the U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments in South Carolina's bid to cut off public funding to Planned Parenthood, in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 2, 2025. (Reuters File)
42 minutes ago

Planned Parenthood Sues Trump Administration Over Planned Defunding

The Madre Fire near New Cuyama has burned over 80,000 acres, prompted widespread evacuations, and left one firefighter injured as crews work to contain the blaze. (CalFire)
43 minutes ago

San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Injures 1 Firefighter, Burns Over 80,000 Acres

Photo of caution tape
45 minutes ago

Two Border Patrol Officers Injured After Gunman Opens Fire in Texas

Fresno Police arrested nine people for DUI and cited 20 others during a Friday, July 4, 2025, checkpoint that screened 227 vehicles. (GV Wire Composite/Paul Marshall)
1 hour ago

Fresno Police Arrest 9 at Independence Day DUI Checkpoint

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks during a press conference after the Senate passes U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping spending and tax bill, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 1, 2025. (Reuters/Annabelle Gordon)
1 hour ago

Schumer Wants Probe of National Weather Service Response in Texas

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend