{"id":2420449,"date":"2025-04-06T14:41:02","date_gmt":"2025-04-06T18:41:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/equity-cameras-go-live-in-california-if-youre-not-low-income-prepare-to-pay\/"},"modified":"2025-04-06T14:43:06","modified_gmt":"2025-04-06T18:43:06","slug":"equity-cameras-go-live-in-california-if-youre-not-low-income-prepare-to-pay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/equity-cameras-go-live-in-california-if-youre-not-low-income-prepare-to-pay\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Equity&#8217; Cameras Go Live in California &#8211; If You&#8217;re Not Low Income, Prepare to Pay"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fequity-cameras-go-live-in-california-if-youre-not-low-income-prepare-to-pay%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2420449&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>San Francisco has initiated a new traffic camera program that aims to provide reduced fines for low-income residents and those receiving public assistance. As of last month, 33 new cameras have been activated, but no citations will be issued for teh first two months; drivers will receive warnings instead. After this period, fines will vary based on income levels. For example, a driver speeding between 11 and 15 miles per hour over the limit would normally face a $50 fine, but this fee decreases to $25 for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/usda-increases-food-stamps-program-with-covid-relief-bill-funding\/\" title=\"USDA Increases Food Stamps ... With COVID Relief Bill Funding\">low-income individuals<\/a> and to $10 for those on public assistance. The structure of fines continues to favor lower-income drivers, offering significant reductions even for serious offenses.This program has sparked criticism, as some argue that different penalties for the same offense based on income could foster inequality and encourage reckless driving behaviors among those facing lighter penalties. The initiative is divided into various tiers that aim to benefit individuals below 200 percent of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oakland-to-enroll-600-families-of-color-in-guranteed-income-pilot-program\/\" title=\"Oakland to Enroll 600 Families of Color in \u2018Guranteed ...\u2019 Pilot ...\">federal poverty level<\/a>. Critics are concerned it may undermine the deterrent effect of fines on speeding, thus compromising road safety.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>San Francisco launched a controversial new traffic camera program through which residents with low incomes or receiving government assistance will receive substantial discounts in fines.<\/p>\n<p>City authorities turned on 33 new cameras last month, according to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/abc7news.com\/post\/san-francisco-speed-cameras-now-use-warnings-given-2-months-before-citations\/16054798\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KABC-TV<\/a> in Los Angeles, yet they will not give out citations for the first two months of the program. Instead, drivers will receive warnings during that time.<\/p>\n<p>Once citations do start, however, the income level of the driver will determine how much he or she will pay.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/san-francisco-officials-realize-handing-free-drug-paraphernalia-big-mistake\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">San Francisco<\/a> Municipal Transportation Agency revealed on its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfmta.com\/projects\/speed-safety-cameras\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">website<\/a> that the fees, as mandated by state legislation, differ quite a bit based on poverty level.<\/p>\n<p>For example, drivers caught going between 11 and 15 miles per hour over the speed limit will ordinarily receive $50 fees, but if they are &ldquo;low-income,&rdquo; they will pay $25, and if they are on &ldquo;public assistance,&rdquo; the fee will drop to $10.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>That pattern extends into much higher fines.<\/p>\n<p>The normal fee for driving between 16 and 25 miles per hour too fast is $100 for most people, but it is $50 for &ldquo;low-income&rdquo; and $20 for &ldquo;public assistance.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The rate for anyone going 26 miles per hour or more over the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/fetterman-fault-car-crash-driving-limit-investigation-ongoing-police\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">speed limit<\/a> increases to $200, but it drops to $100 and $40 respectively for less privileged drivers.<\/p>\n<p>Anyone going more than 100 miles per hour can expect to be fined a whopping $500, unless they happen to be &ldquo;low-income&rdquo; or are on &ldquo;public assistance,&rdquo; after which the fees once more fall to $250 and $100 respectively.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-san-francisco-tesla-owner-nearly-run-off-interstate-latest-seeming-attack\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">San Francisco<\/a> Municipal Transportation Agency even has another <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfmta.com\/how-access-low-income-transit-fares-and-fee-waivers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">webpage<\/a> showing residents how they can &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">access low-income transit fares<\/a> and fee waivers.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;SFMTA offers a number of discounts on transit fares and parking related fees for low income customers with a gross annual income,&rdquo; the agency emphasized.<\/p>\n<p>The rates benefit those below 200 percent of the federal poverty level.<\/p>\n<p>Some critics of the program asserted that charging different fines based on income for the same offense is inherently unjust.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">San Fancisco is launching a new &ldquo;equity&rdquo; speed-cam program, backed by Gov. Newsom. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Vtw324kDM0\">pic.twitter.com\/Vtw324kDM0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Thomas Sowell Quotes (@ThomasSowell) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ThomasSowell\/status\/1907057306220499179?\">April 1, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>An opinion <a href=\"https:\/\/www.silive.com\/news\/2025\/03\/hyper-liberal-newsom-california-just-made-speed-cameras-an-even-bigger-rip-off-opinion.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">piece<\/a> in the Staten Island Advance warned that traffic cameras have already proven unpopular in New York City, predicting that the initiative would be similarly hated in San Francisco, especially given the purported equity angle.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If you&rsquo;re caught driving too fast, you have to pay a penalty because you&rsquo;ve made the roads less safe for your fellow humans,&rdquo; the article noted. &ldquo;The fine is supposed to sting a little bit. It&rsquo;s supposed to discourage you from driving too fast in the future. Otherwise, why bother?&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;But how does that square with letting some people largely off the hook for their offenses?<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t. In fact, it might encourage some people to keep speeding,&rdquo; the article added. &ldquo;And it shows that only some of us, people of means, are responsible for safer roads.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;As if people with middle class incomes don&rsquo;t already pay their fair , and more, to the government in the form of an entire constellation of taxes and fees,&rdquo; the outlet observed.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>San Francisco has introduced a contentious traffic camera initiative that offers significant fine reductions for low-income residents and those on government assistance. Last month, city officials activated 33 new cameras, but citations will not be issued for the first two months; instead, drivers will receive warnings. Once fines begin, the amount charged will depend on the driver&#8217;s income level. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency&#8217;s website states that fees vary significantly based on poverty status. For instance, a driver caught speeding between 11 and 15 miles per hour over the limit typically faces a $50 fine; however, low-income individuals pay $25 and those receiving public assistance only $10. This pattern continues with higher speeds: fines increase to $100 for driving 16 to 25 mph over the limit but drop to $50 and $20 for low-income and public assistance drivers respectively. For speeds exceeding 26 mph, fines reach up to $200 but are reduced to $100 or $40 based on income status. Those exceeding 100 mph face a hefty fine of up to $500 unless they qualify as low-income or receive public aid, in which case their penalties decrease significantly again.<\/p>\n<p>The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency also provides information about accessing discounted transit fares and fee waivers for low-income residents who earn below twice the federal poverty level.<\/p>\n<p>Critics argue that imposing different fines based on income is fundamentally unfair. An opinion piece from Staten Island Advance cautioned against potential unpopularity similar to New York City&#8217;s experience with traffic cameras while questioning how reduced penalties align with accountability in road safety: &#8220;If you speed, you should face consequences,&#8221; it stated, suggesting this approach might encourage continued speeding among some individuals while implying that middle-class citizens already contribute adequately through taxes and fees<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2420450,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/San-Fran-Cameras.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4045,52942,52943,38835,14429],"class_list":["post-2420449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-california","tag-equity-cameras","tag-low-income-2","tag-public-policy","tag-surveillance"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/San-Fran-Cameras.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2420449","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2420449"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2420449\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2420453,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2420449\/revisions\/2420453"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2420450"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2420449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2420449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2420449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}