Bill seeks impartiality for parking ticket disputes

A bill written by Assemblyman Chuck DeVore and recently signed into law aims to give people fighting parking tickets a fair shake at city hall.

The new law prohibits the agencies that issue tickets from contracting, directly or indirectly, with private vendors for reviewing disputed infractions, if the vendor provides processing services for that issuing agency.

DeVore hopes the law will ensure that disputed violations will be heard by impartial third-party agents.

“There is a conflict of interest when a parking enforcement company hired by a city acts as the judge, jury, and executioner when distributing violations,” DeVore said in a written statement. “If a company profits from distributing a greater number of parking infractions, there is no incentive to act justly by allowing for a fair appeals process.”

— Brianna Bailey