He just wanted to pay his red-light-camera ticket but couldn’t

Q. I received a red-light camera ticket for, in December, running a red light in Los Angeles. It said that I have three months to pay it. But it didn’t say how much to pay and how to pay it. Online, the citation still has not been posted, so I haven’t been able to take care of it. At one point I went to the L.A. courthouse and was told I have to keep checking for up to a year and that they would not notify me when it was posted. I am wondering what happens if it’s posted and I don’t check it in time. I would like to pay the fine and go to traffic school if necessary.

– Mark Einbund, Woodland Hills

A. Honk thought this scenario was ludicrous – Mark just wants to pay his debt to society and ensure the ticket doesn’t snowball into a bigger problem if he doesn’t tackle it.

Mark told him where the violation occurred, at De Soto Avenue and Victory Boulevard. Honk figured and confirmed the red-light cameras there were LA Metro’s because the Orange Line Busway is nearby and the agency wants to prevent tragedy.

So Honk reached out to LA Metro, and spokesman Jose Ubaldo told him the agency has a private contractor, Verra Mobility, process violations and pass them along to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.

A deputy reviews them and issues the citations when warranted. If so, a ticket is mailed to the vehicle’s owner and the courthouse.

Honk then contacted Los Angeles Superior Court and with Mark’s permission sent along the actual ticket.

Well, it turns out the box for Mark’s birth date was left blank when the Sheriff’s Department submitted the citation to the court, so the court rejected it.

Under the law, the Sheriff’s Department has a year from when the ticket was issued to resubmit the citation, Rob Oftring, the interim communications director for Los Angeles County Superior Court, told Honk in an email.

“The driver should receive a new notice if/when the (Sheriff’s Department) decides to file,” Oftring said.

It would be nice if the cited person was told either way.

Come on December – right, Mark?

Q. Hi Honk: I have a suggestion for Stuart. I keep my driver’s license inside the plastic cover of my cellphone. That way, I always have it with me, and if I need to show my license, I just take the cover off and voila!

– Christina Jans, Laguna Niguel

A. Pasadena’s Stuart Pfeifer had asked Honk if an officer would accept cellphone photos of his driver’s license because he doesn’t like carrying his wallet with him – a California Highway Patrol officer and spokesman said if pulled over, he would need the real deal.

Honk passed along your idea to Stuart, Christina, and he liked it.

HONKIN’ FACT: Signs will go up in rest areas and other spots along the state’s highway system to remember those Caltrans workers killed in the line of duty. Since 1921, 191 Caltrans workers have lost their lives while caring for the roadways. “One of the biggest hazards is from motorists who do not exercise caution while driving where highway workers are present,” the agency says.

To ask Honk questions, reach him at honk@ocregister.com. He only answers those that are published. To see Honk online: ocregister.com/tag/honk. Twitter, formerly X: @OCRegisterHonk

Source: Orange County Register