LA Hikes Penalty For Disabled Parking Placard Abuse To $1,100
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — The penalty for misusing disabled parking placards was hiked from $343 to a whopping $1,100 by the Los Angeles City Council.
The fine, which is the maximum allowed by the state, was more than doubled Tuesday as part of the city's crackdown on misused disabled parking placards.
As recently as February, investigators from the California DMV cited 15 out of 195 drivers contacted for misusing disabled parking placards. The DMV says they have found 1,248 disabled person placards being misused since July 2018.
Los Angeles City Councilman Bob Blumenfield said the DMV caught 345 people abusing the placards over four days of the LA County Fair in September.
"Taking disabled parking spots from those who truly need them is unconscionable and we must increase the penalties now," he said in a statement. "These abuses happen every day and increasing the fine is the least we can do."
The new fine put Los Angeles in line with others across Southern California. In Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties, the fine is also $1,100.
