Audit: LA Mayor, Council Members Used ‘Gold Card’ To Erase Parking Tickets

May 19, 2011 12:24 PM

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LOS ANGELES (CBS) — An audit by the city controller’s office found the Dept. of Transportation squandered the chance to boost the city’s coffers and even ran a scheme that allowed the politically connected to have their parking tickets erased.

KNX 1070′s Jon Baird reports the failure of the LADOT to investigate complaints may have cost the city over $100,000 in much-needed revenue.

City Controller Wendy Greuel said on Thursday the audit also found the department failed to collect hundreds of thousands of dollars more for registration violations.

In a move she called “ridiculous”, Greuel said the city has been wasting even more money by paying a company to process parking tickets that had been voided by parking officers.

The investigation also found a so-called “Gold Card Desk” where the mayor, council members and their staff could lobby to get tickets reduced or dismissed for people who complained.

Greuel said the special treatment is clearly against the public interest.

“I believe very strongly that you should not need political pull to expedite the investigation of a ticket,” said Greuel.

During the period covered in the audit, over 1,000 tickets were canceled through the Gold Card desk — with no documented explanation accompanying the vast majority of dismissals.

LADOT has since shut down the Gold Card Desk.

Audit: LA Mayor, Council Members Used Gold Card To Erase Parking Tickets

TT

Thank You Again Wendy Good Job
Dave

I am so damn sick of Mayor Villaraigosa and the City Council raping us over and over again.

TT

when Wendy finishes cleaning up LA – we need to vote her into Sacramento

Villaraigosa is a rat

Fed up with his thievery!
He sure isn’t welcomed in his old stomping ground.
People have booed Villa during the East LA parade.
It’s a shame he gets away with things.
I’m sure the fines he paid recently were out of tax payer
wallets.
Thanks for the false representation

LUIS

i agree with you Villaraigoso is a rat pinch….raton

SylentDreamz

California is not the only state that does this, The city council are not the only people who does this. EVERYONE that has a state job has some form of “Hook Up”. It’s just that Villarosa is just being exposed but if you look in a lot more companies or establishment, this is nothing new.

Villaraigosa is a rat

I’m aware it happens at all levels. Regardless of where and when it happens, it is wrong. we as tax payers have the right to complain and demand justice

DP

It’s things like this I just don’t seems to understand, why is it that we the people keep having to suffer by paying for the corruption of crooked politician when they do things like this to put us in debt and the position we are in. I feel like if they cause this then they should find ways of correcting it without trying to get the public to make up for funds that was stolen by them. They raise our taxes, cut or education system and take away all types of programs just to balance a budget that was cause by them in the first place. There should be some kind of rule that says if you steel from the system then you the persons who is corrupting the system should be the ones responsible in fixing it from your own pocket not from the public; who work so hard to provided for their family. Maybe the corruption would stop then…..

TT

I agree with DP – But definately the loss of the position you are in (your employment) and not allowed to work in city or state jobs any more … there has to be penalties- or they just leave one job and go to another…

Astonished

Why am I NOT surprised! I’t okay for them to disregard the rules, but the city’s workers and taxpayers — Oh No! Have you ever tried to fight a parking ticket issued in the City? GOOD LUCK!!

More taxes, Higher fees, and less pay! This amounts to nothing less than defrauding the City. They should all be held accountable. If this were a taxpayer who tried this, or a rank and file worker they’d be shot on sight! We should demand our City taxes back. Especially since we have obviously not been getting the services those self-same taxes are supposed to pay for, for a very long time!!!!!
LOu

sounds like David Goldatein shouod have done this report?