It's an idea that came from a constituent, says State Senator Joe Simitian. The Palo Alto Democrat says a woman contacted him after getting several tickets from red light cameras - for a car she didn't own, with a different model and a different license plate. The vehicle actually belonged to someone 300 miles away. Simitian says the system needs an overhaul.
Simitian: "The bill is designed to make sure that people's due process rights are protected as they work their way through the system, and frankly, to make sure that if somebody gets a ticket that they shouldn't have, they have a way out of the system that's relatively quick and convenient."
Simitian also wants to make sure the cameras aren't used just to snag more revenues. So his bill would require cities and counties to state at a public hearing that each camera fills a public safety need. It also requires signs posted at each intersection. The bill is working its way through Senate committees.
