Is it dead yet?
After being given the ceremonial run-around by the Fullerton PD, our Friend at HighwayRobbery.net was finally able to dig up a copy of Jones and Mayer’s legal bills from the city’s infamous red light case. For those of you who are just catching up, the city lost an appeal last year after an alleged red light violator fought her camera ticket — based on the illegality of Fullerton’s contract with the now-bankrupt Nestor Traffic Systems.
Here’s some free advice to our favorite City Attorney: Give up! You lost the case because you allowed the city to break the law. We don’t need red light cameras:
- They don’t improve traffic safety
- The cameras are expensive and error-prone
- Most of the “proceeds” go right back to the vendor
- Fullerton can’t seem to negotiate a contract without breaking the law
- You wasted our money by selecting an incompetent vendor that is now bankrupt
- Santa Ana already lost a nearly identical appeal earlier this year.
It’s time to stop handing over our money to Jones and Mayer for this lost cause.
#1 by idiots! on July 29, 2009
That money could have put an additional cop on the streets for a few months. What a waste.
#2 by martin b on July 29, 2009
Or maybe another drought-tolerant garden in front of City Hall?
#3 by just a guy on July 29, 2009
The city attorney should be doing this work for free since they let the city sign the illegal contract in the first place.
#4 by The Fullerton Harpoon on July 29, 2009
Good point, jag. At least Jones can give the City some sort of “we f-ed up” discount, right?
#5 by just a guy on July 29, 2009
No, this is Fullerton, where you get paid to screw up and then paid even more to fix it.
#6 by Travis Kiger on July 29, 2009
Except they’re not really fixing it. They’re just dragging it out.
#7 by The Fullerton Harpoon on July 29, 2009
I must be missing something. Inovice 44184 is for $10.5K. Are there other invoices?
#8 by Travis Kiger on July 29, 2009
I didn’t post the second one. Here it is.
#9 by The Fullerton Harpoon on July 29, 2009
Woohoo! Never shoulda dropped out of law school.
#10 by R M on July 29, 2009
Mr. Kiger,
How about the legal costs that the City must have incurred as a creditor in the Nestor bankruptcy proceedings?
#11 by Joe Sipowicz on July 29, 2009
And what about any ancillary legal costs? Cities are always hiring outside lawyers to handle lawsuits.
#12 by Travis Kiger on July 29, 2009
RM and Joe, you are both heading in the right direction. I’m sure that there will be additional costs regarding the bankruptcy and the continued “appeal of the appeal”. In fact, I am told that there is an additional hearing tomorrow to “Recall the Remittur”, which means the city wants a do-over on the appeal since they didn’t show up the first time. Time is money, Ka-ching!
#13 by Chamber Star on July 29, 2009
Why are you making such a big deal about a few thousand bucks? The people in City Hall are not perfect but are doing a darn good job, if you ask me. They deserve praise, not ridicule.
#14 by Travis Kiger on July 31, 2009
Word from the courthouse on yesterday’s hearing:
Franco is optimistic. Judge grilled the city attorney, HEAVILY, said he would send decision by mail.