City may add cameras at intersections

The city of Costa Mesa may add more cameras to snap pictures of

drivers who run red lights, although officials still aren’t sure how

much money comes in from tickets issued using the cameras.

The city’s response to a May 31 Orange County Grand Jury report

says Costa Mesa is considering more cameras, and the city also will

take more steps to get drivers who are ticketed to pay.

The Costa Mesa City Council was scheduled to vote late Tuesday on

whether to send the response, which is required by Aug. 29.

The 16-member grand jury examined red-light camera use in five

cities -- Costa Mesa, Garden Grove, Fullerton, Santa Ana and San Juan

Capistrano -- to evaluate their effectiveness in promoting safety and

generating revenue.

Costa Mesa has had red light cameras since June 2003. The cameras

now monitor 15 approaches to four intersections -- Newport Boulevard

at 17th and 19th streets, Harbor Boulevard and Adams Avenue, and

Bristol and Anton streets.

The city has paid the camera vendor, a company called Nestor,

about $2.1 million for use of the cameras, Finance Director Marc

Puckett said.

The city’s contract with Nestor allows cameras at as many as 20

approaches, and the city is now billed for just 13 approaches, said

Costa Mesa Police Lt. Tom Curtis, commander of the police

department’s traffic safety bureau.

He wouldn’t disclose where new cameras could be added, but he said

the decision to put in more cameras could depend on whether the city

is making or losing money on the cameras it has. The finance

department should have an analysis finished in a few weeks.

The grand jury report found the cameras can help reduce car

accidents, and the city agrees. Curtis said the number of broadside

collisions in the city has gone down since cameras were installed.

“If it works, why not just expand [it]”, he said.

The city’s response to the grand jury also explains how the city

will use drivers’ photos from the Department of Motor Vehicles to try

to get more people to pay their citations.

When a driver runs a red light and the camera takes a photo, the

citation is sent to the car’s registered owner. If that person

doesn’t respond, Curtis said, the city will now compare the state

driver’s license photo of the car’s owner to the photo taken of the

driver who ran the light. If the two appear to be the same person,

the city can request a hold on the license.

That means the driver can’t renew the license. Also, the court can

charge a $250 civil penalty in addition to the $336 ticket, Curtis

said.

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