L.A. to void 2 million minor citations and warrants that had kept people trapped in court system.

[Demovictory9]

L.A. vows to void 2 million court citations and warrants. Homeless people will benefit most

In a dramatic move designed to ease the challenges facing the region’s poor and homeless people, Los Angeles officials said Wednesday that they were voiding nearly 2 million minor citations and warrants that had kept people trapped in the court system.

The announcement is designed to fix a system that has led to many people being repeatedly ticketed and arrested for minor infractions, leading to growing fines and warrants. For homeless people, that has created roadblocks to accessing housing and services.

Nationally, big cities have been trying to move away from citations and infractions that according to critics “nickel and dime” those living on the streets into jail cells. Until now in Los Angeles, eliminating citations had been done on a limited basis.

A Times data analysis in 2018 found a vicious cycle of homeless arrests. Los Angeles has more than a dozen “quality-of-life” laws — restricting sleeping on the sidewalk, living in a car or low-level drug possession, for example — that police usually enforce with a citation. The tickets typically start out at less than $100, but often top $300 once court fees are added. Tickets pile up, and people go to jail.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-10-02/homeless-housing-erase-citation-fine-fees

[Bernardo de La Paz]

1. Penalizing people might help society sometimes, but it almost never ever helps the person.

But penalizing Citizen Vain would greatly help society.

[Thomas Hurt]

2. Poor conservatives, their "lessers" are getting something cons don't think they deserve, the horror

there will be wailing and the rending of cloth in the fascist circles.

[hardluck]

3. That's great news

I used to do pro bono work on skid row fighting those quality of life tickets with my firm's backing. The idea was to fight each ticket in order to clog the Metropolitan Courthouse and force city to change its practice. It worked for a bit - at one time, we had a deal with the city attorney to dismiss the tickets 1000s at at time. But as the area became more gentrified, the city attorney backed of the deal - they were getting pressure from the owners of the new lofts in the area.