Q: It has been decades since I got a speeding ticket, but I believe you are not including the fees/charges added on top of the fine [in the column about speed cameras]. I assume that those fees are going to be added to a camera ticket, just like they are for officer-issued tickets.
Rich Davis, San Jose
A: It remains to be seen. Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to reduce by half a penalty that California courts can tack onto traffic and minor citations. Some lawmakers want it gone.
What some call California’s “hidden” court fees can add hundreds of dollars to traffic tickets and minor violations, sometimes increasing their cost nearly tenfold.
Known as a civil assessment, the fee is imposed on hundreds of thousands of Californians as a penalty for failing to pay a ticket by a deadline or failing to appear in court on a charge.
According to a report by CalWorks, a maximum of $300 can be added to tickets that originally cost as little as $35.
Money collected from the extra charges bolsters court coffers, leading advocates to accuse the state of paying for its judicial system by charging those who can least afford it.
The fees generate nearly $100 million annually, and the courts retain more than half.
Newsom in his January budget proposed halving the fees, to a maximum of $150, and spending $50 million to backfill court budgets.
Some senators are unconvinced that the fees are an effective motivator to pay traffic tickets.
“If they don’t have the money … how is that any incentive to come in?” said Sen. Dave Cortese, a Democrat representing San Jose. “You either have it or you don’t.”
Q: Can you help me get a definite answer as to whether my French-born granddaughter can qualify for a California learner’s permit? She is a 20-year-old student with dual citizenship from the U.S. and France.
Her mother, born in Kansas, came to California at seven months, and lived at the same address until graduating from San Francisco State. She also has dual citizenship. California considers this home her California residence.
Barbara Colliver
A: If your granddaughter is a California resident, detailed information on how to apply for an instruction permit (over 18) can be found on the DMV website.
If she holds an out-of-state permit, she will need to apply for a California permit, and verify the issue date of the out-of-state permit.
As soon as she passes her knowledge test, she will be issued an instruction permit.
Because she is over 18, once the California permit is issued, she will not be required to complete any classes or meet a time limit in attempting to pass the behind-the-wheel test.
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