BY ARIEL CARMONA, JR.
Walnut – Faced with the impending expiration of a contract with a company that maintains and operates the red light camera at the intersection at Temple, Grand and Amar, and with a growing trend of other cities taking down their cameras, the City Council voted to extend the City’s contract for another three months to further study the implications of retaining or dismantling the camera.
“I know making a decision about whether to terminate or to continue should be based on safety, whether its cost effective and what is the best for the community,” said Mayor Antonio (Tony) Cartagena as the Council voted 4-0 (Mayor Pro Tem Nancy Tragarz abstained) to extend the contract with RedFlex, set to expire on Feb. 27, 2014.
According to a report made public by the city staff, the City’s photo enforcement program was approved in 2006 and extended for five years in February 2009. The contract does not have a rollover provision, which means if the contract expires, RedFlex would remove the equipment, and the program would terminate.
The annual cost to operate the program is $141,116, with $140,016 going to RedFlex and $1,100 provided for training a Law Enforcement Technician (LET). The LET position is charged to a grant and does not come from the City’s general fund sources, according to a report by Senior Management Analyst, Rosalea Layman.
“It is difficult to determine the exact amount of revenue generated by the program because the City receives a lump sum from the county that includes all traffic violations, fines and fees received,” wrote Layman in the report. She said the City estimates it receives approximately $130,000 with $63,700 of the revenue restricted for public safety purposes.
City staff warned that if the program is eliminated, the City would realize a loss of associated revenue, in addition to a potential increase cost for additional patrol deployment of more than $260,000 per year. Walnut issued 5,053 citations to alleged violators in 2013.
Captain Jeff Scroggin said that he was concerned if the cameras were removed, that there would be an increase of people pushing across that intersection to try to get into Mt. San Antonio College. “The ability to police that area with the normal deployment would be difficult because of all the other calls we are responding to and the patrols we’re doing.”
The council also heard testimonies from residents and the public, some who favored the red light program and others who expressed concerns over possible 6th Amendment violations to pedestrian safety and the safety of Mt. SAC students crossing to reach the bus stop on the south side of the intersection. Others suggested the City install a countdown on the intersection instead of hand symbol.
Council Member Bob Pacheco questioned the efficacy of the camera, quoting the report which showed that accidents increased from 12 to 19 at the intersection between 2005 and 2013, when they were last reported. “I don’t understand, if the traffic light is to prevent injuries, and the cameras are basically to try to deter that from happening, I don’t see a reason why there was an increase,” said Pacheco. “We are always very concerned with the status of the economy and the impact on our revenue, this is a source of revenue for the City, but it should not be just a means for deciding of what we do with it, whether we make or don’t make money is not a question in my mind, it’s a question of is it providing the benefit that we’re supposed to be getting,” he added.
Jay Beeber, Executive Director of Safer Streets L.A., addressed the Council and disputed the City staff’s assertion that the intersection was less safe because there is more traffic flow. That‘s actually contrary to what you would expect with increased traffic flow. “In the five years before the program was started, there was one red light running collision. Since implementation, there have been five, a 400 percent increase. There were 24 rear-end collisions prior, 43 in the five years after, an 80 percent increase”, said Beeber.
In other actions, the Council heard a presentation on fraud and cybercrime prevention from Lt. Mark Stevens from the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, and also approved the adoption of 2014-2015 Community Development Block Grant Program funds for housing rehabilitation and senior citizen activities.
The next regular meeting of the City Council is scheduled on Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers, 21201 La Puente Road.
