LA County To Eliminate Criminal Justice Fees, Forgive Tens Of Millions Of Dollars In Debt

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – People going through the L.A. County court system will no longer have to pay certain administrative fees under a new law passed unanimously Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors.

The motion, which was proposed by Supervisors Hilda Solis and Sheila Kuehl, also immediately forgives millions of dollars in outstanding debt for thousands of people who owe those fees.

The law applies to work furlough fees, misdemeanor diversion fees, returned check fees, drug diversion program fees, emergency medical services fees, pretrial electronic monitoring fees, county jail booking fees, community education training program fees, probation supervision fees and public defender fees.

Solis noted a December report by the county Chief Executive Office which determined that since 2014, the L.A. County court system has assessed an annual average of $121 million in administrative fees, but has only collected an average of $11.4 million of that amount, a little over 9 percent. The unpaid debt has grown to $1.8 billion over 50 years, Solis said. About 20 percent of that total relates to active cases.

"Collection of these fees and fines drive people into debt and push low-income families and communities of color deeper into poverty and that is unjust," Solis said in a statement. "Most justice-involved individuals struggle to make ends meet once they reintegrate into society, even though they are eager to rehabilitate and rebuild their lives."

In 2018, the board eliminated juvenile detention fees and forgave $89 million in related debt. The current action relates to fees incurred by adults in the system.

Imposition and collection of fees will end immediately, according to the motion. However, the vote only applies to fees the board has the authority to eliminate.

Many fees are required by state law. Others are controlled by agencies outside of the county's jurisdiction. For example, community service hours imposed by courts in lieu of fees cannot be undone by the board's action.