Fighting a traffic ticket in California will be easier under a bill signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Jerry Brown.
The measure, SB 405 by Sen. Bob Hertzberg, D-Los Angeles, bans courts from charging drivers up-front fees before scheduling citation hearings. It goes into effect immediately and applies to drivers with routine traffic tickets.
Mike Herald of the Western Center for Law and Poverty, sponsor of SB 405, praised the governor’s action.
“By allowing people to have their day in court without having to pay the ticket first, fewer people will get their license suspended and end up in dire straits,” Herald said in a press release from Hertzberg’s office. “The governor stepped up for the little guy today and for that we applaud him.”
