Compton Court Will Pay to Keep Its Carson Traffic Branch Open

Compton Municipal Court officials have decided to keep open a successful satellite traffic court operation in Carson, opting to pick up a share of funding for the branch that the Carson City Council cut in March.

In a recent letter to Carson city officials, court officials said they intend to renew the building lease for the facility for three years. The lease expires Oct. 1.

Court officials had asked the city for $17,000 to help keep the satellite program running. When the council balked, the court officials said the branch operation might be shut down.

Instead, the court has opted to foot the entire estimated $140,000 bill for the satellite program for the 1991-92 fiscal year.

“It was a priority for us,” said Nancy Padilla, assistant chief deputy for Compton Municipal Court. “We didn’t want to see it not operate.”

The court was able to come up with the funding through a combination of savings in other areas and additional revenue, Padilla said.

The Carson branch opened in August, 1989, and provides Carson residents a convenient location to settle traffic tickets.

The branch serves up to 2,000 people a month, including residents of other areas. Officials said it has significantly helped reduce congestion at the Compton courthouse because Carson residents account for about 45% of the court’s traffic caseload.

The Carson City Council decided to stop paying for a share of the branch office’s costs as part of across-the-board cuts the city was forced to make to balance its budget.

But the council voted Tuesday to donate city equipment and furniture to Compton Municipal Court that has been used in the branch office. If the court closed the branch, the furnishings were to have been returned to the city.

“We try to help them as best we can, but we can’t subsidize them anymore,” Carson Mayor Michael I. Mitoma said.