Unlawful California motorists may get an unlikely break from policymakers if a bill to reduce fines for rolling through red lights is signed by the governor in the next two months.
Assemblyman Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, announced Wednesday that a bill he authored to reduce red light fines has been sent to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for approval.
The bill, AB 909, aims to reduce fines for motorists who do not stop completely, or make a “California stop,” before turning right at a red light, Hill said in a statement.
Hill said the bill is about correcting an oversight in 1997 legislation, which increased fines for motorists who drove straight through or turned left at red lights.
Motorists who rolled through red lights, but instead went right were inadvertently lumped into the 1997 policy, he said.
“AB 909 is about fairness to California drivers,” he said.
The base fine for turning right through red lights would drop from $100 to $35.
The bill is not yet on the governor’s desk, and the governor has not decided whether he will sign it, Schwarzenegger spokeswoman Andrea McCarthy said. She added he would likely make his decision in two months or less.
