UPDATE: Is American Traffic Solutions picking up and moving their HQ from Scottsdale, AZ to another state in order to save their contract with the city of Los Angeles? Remember the SB 1070 related boycott? Could they be moving to California?

As it stands right now, the Los Angeles red light scamera program is set to expire on July 31, 2011. However, L.A. City Council can’t seem to make a final decision, mainly due to poor attendance at their meetings.

Los Angeles is not an easy city to commute in. Traffic jams, broken parking meters and apocalyptic predictions when freeways closures occurmake it one of the worst in the country. What makes it easier is, for example, a $180,000/year salary just like the L.A. City Council members enjoy. You’d think for that privilege they’d actually show up for a meeting every once in a while. When it comes to the vote on red light cameras, they can’t seem to muster enough people to make a final decision.

Of course, the so-called “safety analysis” period for red light cameras that they’re voting on is just a backdoor way for American Traffic Solutions to buy more time. And the LAPD commission doesn’t have to abide by it. City council voted against the measure yesterday, but there weren’t enough of them in the building (maybe a few were out spending some of that generous salary at The Grove, or The Promenade or Rodeo Drive, etc) to make the vote final.

Council meets again today at 10 a.m. and maybe this time they can actually make a decision, or just continue to delay until July 31st and the cameras will be shut off anyway.

This is your government at work Los Angeles. If any of you have some free time, you might call your council member up and make sure they know there’s a meeting today and offer a ride. Does 180k even afford you a car in that city?

More to come on this painfully drawn out conclusion to ATS’s lifespan in L.A.

by CameraFRAUD

UPDATE: After testimony, mostly by ATS employees, including Charley Territo and CEO James Tuton, LA City Council decided to delay even voting on the “suggestive measure” until Tuesday.

LAist has more details.

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American Traffic Solutions is clinging to life in Los Angeles for another 48 hours, but the likelihood of them surviving the month of June is extremely low.

Two council members have been persuaded by an ATS lobbyist to introduce a motion to continue the red light camera scam on a monthly basis while a “safety analysis” is conducted.

A 2/3 majority is needed to overrule the unanimous decision of the LAPD commission to nix the scamera system and 2 council members is not nearly enough. According to an LA Times piece from Tuesday, there’s a lot of doubt that the motion would carry any water at all even if it was passed.

The bottom line is that Friday is the deadline for the council to take action and the clock is ticking on ATS. One of the council members who now appears to be in the back pocket of ATS is saying that a vote on this measure to save the program is “likely.”

Calls by CameraFRAUD asking for an official statement this week were not returned. The city council seems to be in disarray over the police commission’s recommendation and the most likely scenario is that ATS intersection cams in Los Angeles will be turned off by the end of June.

More debate on this subject courtesy of Pajamas Media (PJTV) from last week:

by CameraFRAUD