We made the bold prediction right here that the LA red light scamera program would be “overwhelmingly voted down” by city council. Alas, we miscalculated a bit as it was UNANIMOUS, just as it was in the LAPD Commission and the council committees this week.

The city of Los Angeles is done with their red light cameras and the rest of the country is certainly taking note.

The council spent 80 minutes (video) discussing the vote which took place yesterday to end the contract with American Traffic Solutions. Councilman Bernard Parks desperately tried to save the program or the equipment, even suggesting that the ATS scam boxes be allowed to “monitor intersections to determine proper yellow light timing.” That would be a little like asking the fox how to make the hen house “safer.”

Councilman Dennis Zine opened the discussion by quizzing some members of the LAPD about what happens to motorists who ignore the $476.00 bills in the mail from ATS. He claimed that the council members were disturbed to find out just this week that the info is saved by the courts indefinitely and can be accessed by anyone who works for the LA County court system. Zine suggested these records should be purged. No kidding!

Where exactly is this information being used, or better yet, sold? 65,000 ticketed motorists, many wrongfully, have info in the court system supplied by ATS that admittedly (by LAPD and City Council) could “cost them their job.” This is truly a failure to protect the rights of the people of Los Angeles.

Another scenario yet to be determined is exactly how the ATS scrap metal will be removed from L.A. intersections and who will be responsible for the clean up.

We’d like to announce the formation of Scamera Enterprises, LLC and our intention to bid on that project. Don’t worry LA, this company is based “somewhere outside of Arizona,” so we won’t violate your AZ boycott. We’ll start the bid at $1.00 plus airfare for our volunteers.

Think about it Los Angeles… your red light scameras have been costing you $1.5 Million per year in losses and CALDOT is bidding $155k to remove them. Our $1.00 bid is extremely competitive and will help make up some of those losses.

All kidding aside, congrats to the people of Los Angeles and SaferStreetsLA.org for holding your Police Dept and City Council accountable. This victory is yours.

by CameraFRAUD

While the mercury in Phoenix is hitting upwards of 110 degrees in Phoenix, did CEO Jim Tuton finally decide it’s getting too hot in AZ for his taste?

Or is American Traffic Solutions so desperate to save their $80 Million scamera system in Los Angeles that they’re willing to relocate from Scottsdale to avoid the SB 1070 related boycott costing them a contract renewal?

You may remember the pesky little boycotts threatened by cities across California. Could they be rearing their ugly heads again, but this time in a positive manner for AZ?

In more heated debates over the red light camera contract in Los Angeles, Councilman Tony Cardenas let slip that American Traffic Solutions “may not be an Arizona based company by July 26th (2011).”

Could they be moving in to what one of their spokesman had earlier called “their California headquarters” in Burbank? What he was referring to was the office of bankrupt scamera vendor LaserCraft which ATS bought out in 2010.

This is getting more interesting by the day. Watch the video below and pay attention to the snickering as Cardenas realizes he’s probably giving a little too much info to the public. Oh yes, we’re watching you LA City Council…

by CameraFRAUD

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