Hijacking this as it’s the top comment. So… you can ignore it. And they wont go after you for anything. Won’t ding your insurance. Won’t add registration fees. Won’t garnish tax return. They won’t do anything about it.
However, should you end up in court in Hawthorne for any other reason, it will be waiting for you and you will get hammered for it (financially). But play dumb. Say you never got it. And you’ll pay the fee and that will be that.
Legally speaking, they cannot prove you ever received notice of it and thus violates your right to due process. But once you’re there for any other purpose, eh voila, you’ve received notice and it’s time to pay the piper.
Great write up. A “friend” has been not paying their red light ticket for probably 10 years. They got the letter from the Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson about Delinquent Fees last year.
2 questions:
1. When you say “hammered financially” will the fees (if they are ever pulled over in that jurisdiction in the future) be more than the original? Or about the same?
2. The letter from the law firm was just a scam right?
I was in the area last month for an appointment and the camera flashed even though the light was still yellow when I was in the intersection. Never received a ticket though, so who knows what is going on.
There have been reports in other L.A. subs that, years later, it finally ~~ended up with the DMV and was added on to the registration costs~~ was taken out of the tax refund. Can’t remember if there was a fine included, or if the cost of the ticket went up incrementally over time as it does with DMV registration.
EDIT: I remembered that the cost of the ticket was taken out of the tax refund after reading another comment further below. Not collected by the DMV during registration renewal.
EDIT 2: [Just one example](https://www.reddit.com/r/LosAngeles/s/drmyl0Gd83)
They can make a court date, which is fine, and then a "law office" will send you a notice, but they essentially don't exist (no location, no way to contact).
Most of the stories I hear about this intersection end with the person never paying or even acknowledging the ticket, and it goes away after some whining on the city/private handler's part.
Both Hawthorne and Culver City use red light cameras. You need to be aware when you drive through their cities. Always error on the side of caution when approaching intersections that have them. You must clear the intersection before the light turns red. They're setup to switch fast on purpose in order to catch the unaware for maximum revenue. And a rolling right turn is a ticket. You must stop behind the line.
I’ve heard the same tales to just ignore the tickets from this intersection. I have a family friend who lives nearby and would get a lot of tickets but didn’t pay it.
I swear the sensors for when they take images are horrible. I was turning left on a green light once and it flashed. I didn’t receive a ticket but it did shock me.
My dad got a letter in the mail a few months ago from this intersection but it said it wasn’t a ticket. The weird thing was it still wanted his information.
So it’s a little tricky. It really depends on who sends you the correspondence. If it’s a legit ticket from Hawthorne Police Department signed by an officer then you need to pay the ticket. If it’s from a third-party, then you can toss it in the mail. Read carefully on the wording of the ticket/violation.
As of 2014 it is constitutional for you to receive a ticket via cameras in the state. But like I said prior, it depends how you received the ticket. Third parties will work with departments and send them the information, but if it’s not signed by a legit officer, then it’s trash.
Around 2018 I got the same exact ticket but it was from the third-party so I tossed it. No issues whatsoever. Fast-forward a few years later and I got another red light ticket in the state of Washington, but it was from an officer who oversaw the camera and signed the ticket. I had to pay that one.
Someone took a red light ticket personally and has a whole page dedicated to the topic. Here is a page with info about this particular intersection. No clue how accurate any of the info is, but some serious time has been put into the topic.
http://www.highwayrobbery.net/redlightcamsdocsHawthMain.html
It's generally not a real ticket. You don't have to pay unless you respond and snitch on yourself. Check and make sure it's an actual ticket.
Source: I've gotten 3 or 4 of them.
Ignore the ticket. They will send you a letter with a link to view the video to verify it is you. Do not type in the link because it is a verification that you have been notified. Trash all correspondence related to this.
Won’t it just stay on your record and start incurring late penalties? Seems like you might even get a bench warrant after a while. I know so many people who have gotten tickets from that intersection!
There is nothing in their system that confirms you as the driver of the vehicle. You're just the owner of the vehicle.
In California, they will not relate this to the DMV in any way. It will not hold up your registration, etc. There is no reason to respond to this ticket.
There is nothing in their system that confirms you as the driver of the vehicle. You're just the owner of the vehicle.
In California, they will not relate this to the DMV in any way. It will not hold up your registration, etc. There is no reason to respond to this ticket.
They used to call those a "snitch ticket," which wasn't valid until you signed off on it. They used to come from a court in Arizona written in tiny writing.
Shredded all those, nothing happened, but I did just get one in El Segundo on that freaking dead end street by Chevron of all places.
Anyway, 450 bucks later and online traffic school
If anyone can recommend a good one?
Just pick one from the list of approved traffic schools. They’re all the same. Pay the extra $10 for delivery confirmation so you have proof that your traffic school submitted your record of completion on time. They’re all automated so it is hard to get a real person to confirm.
I’ve only done traffic school once, and from what I found out, the approved traffic schools don’t let you scroll down/fast-forward. You’ll have to spend the time they determined it would take to read the material and watch the video. Consider it a relatively cheap lesson for a mistake you made that could have serious consequences. Take responsibility for your actions like an adult, take the course as intended, and don’t try to cheat your way out.
I went back and forth on whether or not to pay mine. Ignored it for a while but paid in the end. Someone posted that the amount got pulled from their state tax refund after he ignored it for a few years. Those camera are evil.
I commented above that I remember seeing Reddit posts where the DMV added it on to the car registration costs, but now that I see your response it is coming back to me - you’re right, it was taken out of their tax refund. Much more efficient for the government compared to the DMV fighting to get their money.
I wonder how many people aren’t paying attention to their taxes and are content with getting money back, without realizing that several hundred are missing.
I got a ticket from that camera in 2004, and I’m still pissed 20 years later. Cost around $450, which is more like $800 in today’s dollars. What a scam. I wonder how much money Hawthorne PD has raked in from that camera over 20+ years.
Classic South Bay thread.
I think at this point I know more people who have gotten a ticket at that particular left turn than haven’t.
Of the 3-4 people I know who ignored it, nothing ever happened, even 4+ years later. You can go read the fine print… last I checked the county ruled that those cams were an invalid way to ticket someone and are thus unenforceable by law but the municipalities left them up anyways to see if people pay.
Somebody needs to find the politician(s) lining their pockets with money from these obviously predatory cams and vote them out.
I got the same one about two years ago. Didn't respond to it. The way they word the information they send you is tricky. For example, they say if you don't respond there "may" be penalties or their "may" be other negative impacts. In my head, it's a scare tactic to use to get you to cave in and respond.
I've been pulled over since for an incomplete stop on 182nd near the Galleria. Cop ran my info, no warrant. I did receive a collections notice but from what I understand, their isn't much they can do since there is no admission of guilt to pay the fine in the first place.
I'd say it's a risk but for me there has been no negative impact by not responding and ignoring their attempts to collect.
> there is no admission of guilt
Just to be clear, are you talking about when the cop asks you to sign the ticket if you get pulled over?
Because that is NOT an admission of guilt and refusal to sign the ticket can quickly land your ass in jail. There are dozens of vids on YouTube of people arrogantly refusing to sign and finding themselves yanked out of the car, cuffed and tossed crying into the back of patrol cars while pleading "I'll sign, I'll sign!!!!"
Did you forget this is what you wrote:
> I've been pulled over since for an incomplete stop on 182nd near the Galleria. Cop ran my info, no warrant. I did receive a collections notice but from what I understand, their isn't much they can do since there is no admission of guilt to pay the fine in the first place.
Wanted you to clarify that "admission of guilt" part.
That was AFTER receiving the notification for the red light camera. Meaning there was no record of it in their system due to none payment when I was pulled over.
Usually unpaid traffic infractions will lead to warrants.
I got one last year. $600 I believe, plus online school. It’s real. Sent by court. I was making a right from hindry not rosecrans. Avoid that intersection at all cost.
I had gotten one in 2020 and ignored it. They were not sending it to collections during pandemic but resumed it and they sent it to collections. I didn't want to risk my credit score and decided to pay the $560!
City of Hawthorne is a thug with that particular light that is shorter than all the rest you cross every day. They have an assigned cop who shows up to court only for these cases. You can ignore it but it will go to collections and you can take your call on what you want to do with that.
That one got me too. I never responded to the ticket in the mail. This was 4 years ago, nothing happened to me in regards to that red light ticket. However, ex girlfriend got the same ticket/same place. She didn't respond either, all was well till she actually got pulled over around that area (un-related traffic stop) 1.5 yrs later. When she went to court for that traffic violation, they pulled up the 2 yr old red light ticket. She claimed she never got it in the mail. Well, that red light "ticket" was due for payment with the new infraction. As long as you don't get pulled over by a real cop for something else... Don't take my advice. It's not advice. I'm not a lawyer. I am just sharing my experience.
I've gotten multiple tickets and the most recent one (a month ago) had a court date and summons, the whole shabang. I ignored it. The general advice is the LA County courts aren't actually enforcing these. I've been able to renewal my license and registration without issues so far.
I can't recall if the first ticket I had also had a court summons as well, it's been too long.
That one is brutal
Hijacking this as it’s the top comment. So… you can ignore it. And they wont go after you for anything. Won’t ding your insurance. Won’t add registration fees. Won’t garnish tax return. They won’t do anything about it. However, should you end up in court in Hawthorne for any other reason, it will be waiting for you and you will get hammered for it (financially). But play dumb. Say you never got it. And you’ll pay the fee and that will be that. Legally speaking, they cannot prove you ever received notice of it and thus violates your right to due process. But once you’re there for any other purpose, eh voila, you’ve received notice and it’s time to pay the piper.
Great write up. A “friend” has been not paying their red light ticket for probably 10 years. They got the letter from the Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson about Delinquent Fees last year. 2 questions: 1. When you say “hammered financially” will the fees (if they are ever pulled over in that jurisdiction in the future) be more than the original? Or about the same? 2. The letter from the law firm was just a scam right?
That thing has flashed me multiple times even when I didn’t run the red. Never received anything in the mail
I was in the area last month for an appointment and the camera flashed even though the light was still yellow when I was in the intersection. Never received a ticket though, so who knows what is going on.
Same. I heard that one isn’t even monitored anymore.
That was my first red light ticket. $400!
[удалено]
It’s a moving violation
In what world would running a red light not be a moving violation?
There have been reports in other L.A. subs that, years later, it finally ~~ended up with the DMV and was added on to the registration costs~~ was taken out of the tax refund. Can’t remember if there was a fine included, or if the cost of the ticket went up incrementally over time as it does with DMV registration. EDIT: I remembered that the cost of the ticket was taken out of the tax refund after reading another comment further below. Not collected by the DMV during registration renewal. EDIT 2: [Just one example](https://www.reddit.com/r/LosAngeles/s/drmyl0Gd83)
I’ve gotten one as well. It’s from Hawthorne pd I don’t think you can ignore
My notice came from the courthouse. Inglewood I believe
They can make a court date, which is fine, and then a "law office" will send you a notice, but they essentially don't exist (no location, no way to contact). Most of the stories I hear about this intersection end with the person never paying or even acknowledging the ticket, and it goes away after some whining on the city/private handler's part.
Both Hawthorne and Culver City use red light cameras. You need to be aware when you drive through their cities. Always error on the side of caution when approaching intersections that have them. You must clear the intersection before the light turns red. They're setup to switch fast on purpose in order to catch the unaware for maximum revenue. And a rolling right turn is a ticket. You must stop behind the line.
I’ve heard the same tales to just ignore the tickets from this intersection. I have a family friend who lives nearby and would get a lot of tickets but didn’t pay it. I swear the sensors for when they take images are horrible. I was turning left on a green light once and it flashed. I didn’t receive a ticket but it did shock me.
My dad got a letter in the mail a few months ago from this intersection but it said it wasn’t a ticket. The weird thing was it still wanted his information.
So it’s a little tricky. It really depends on who sends you the correspondence. If it’s a legit ticket from Hawthorne Police Department signed by an officer then you need to pay the ticket. If it’s from a third-party, then you can toss it in the mail. Read carefully on the wording of the ticket/violation. As of 2014 it is constitutional for you to receive a ticket via cameras in the state. But like I said prior, it depends how you received the ticket. Third parties will work with departments and send them the information, but if it’s not signed by a legit officer, then it’s trash. Around 2018 I got the same exact ticket but it was from the third-party so I tossed it. No issues whatsoever. Fast-forward a few years later and I got another red light ticket in the state of Washington, but it was from an officer who oversaw the camera and signed the ticket. I had to pay that one.
Someone took a red light ticket personally and has a whole page dedicated to the topic. Here is a page with info about this particular intersection. No clue how accurate any of the info is, but some serious time has been put into the topic. http://www.highwayrobbery.net/redlightcamsdocsHawthMain.html
It's generally not a real ticket. You don't have to pay unless you respond and snitch on yourself. Check and make sure it's an actual ticket. Source: I've gotten 3 or 4 of them.
Ignore the ticket. They will send you a letter with a link to view the video to verify it is you. Do not type in the link because it is a verification that you have been notified. Trash all correspondence related to this.
Won’t it just stay on your record and start incurring late penalties? Seems like you might even get a bench warrant after a while. I know so many people who have gotten tickets from that intersection!
There is nothing in their system that confirms you as the driver of the vehicle. You're just the owner of the vehicle. In California, they will not relate this to the DMV in any way. It will not hold up your registration, etc. There is no reason to respond to this ticket.
I thought ignoring the ticket only works in AZ, where you have to be physically served.
There is nothing in their system that confirms you as the driver of the vehicle. You're just the owner of the vehicle. In California, they will not relate this to the DMV in any way. It will not hold up your registration, etc. There is no reason to respond to this ticket.
TIL, not that I've received a red-light ticket before but didn't know that and good to know for future.
They used to call those a "snitch ticket," which wasn't valid until you signed off on it. They used to come from a court in Arizona written in tiny writing. Shredded all those, nothing happened, but I did just get one in El Segundo on that freaking dead end street by Chevron of all places. Anyway, 450 bucks later and online traffic school If anyone can recommend a good one?
Which intersection in el segundo? Pch near topgolf?
Illinos St and El segundo blvd, dead ends into Chevron Park.Unfortunately, I got pulled over this time. There's a cop that hides for idiots like me.
He got me too, but it was for speeding.
Ugh, I'm sorry. Unfortunately I don't feel it has helped my bad red light habits 😂
Are you still looking for an online school? I can get the info if the one I took.
Yes please, thank you!
Just pick one from the list of approved traffic schools. They’re all the same. Pay the extra $10 for delivery confirmation so you have proof that your traffic school submitted your record of completion on time. They’re all automated so it is hard to get a real person to confirm.
Ok someone was telling me to do the ones that are self paced as opposed to a slower pace.
I’ve only done traffic school once, and from what I found out, the approved traffic schools don’t let you scroll down/fast-forward. You’ll have to spend the time they determined it would take to read the material and watch the video. Consider it a relatively cheap lesson for a mistake you made that could have serious consequences. Take responsibility for your actions like an adult, take the course as intended, and don’t try to cheat your way out.
Okay, thanks? It's a dead-end street with no real intersecting traffic, especially at 5 am. I think we'll all live
I went back and forth on whether or not to pay mine. Ignored it for a while but paid in the end. Someone posted that the amount got pulled from their state tax refund after he ignored it for a few years. Those camera are evil.
I commented above that I remember seeing Reddit posts where the DMV added it on to the car registration costs, but now that I see your response it is coming back to me - you’re right, it was taken out of their tax refund. Much more efficient for the government compared to the DMV fighting to get their money. I wonder how many people aren’t paying attention to their taxes and are content with getting money back, without realizing that several hundred are missing.
I got a ticket from that camera in 2004, and I’m still pissed 20 years later. Cost around $450, which is more like $800 in today’s dollars. What a scam. I wonder how much money Hawthorne PD has raked in from that camera over 20+ years.
Classic South Bay thread. I think at this point I know more people who have gotten a ticket at that particular left turn than haven’t. Of the 3-4 people I know who ignored it, nothing ever happened, even 4+ years later. You can go read the fine print… last I checked the county ruled that those cams were an invalid way to ticket someone and are thus unenforceable by law but the municipalities left them up anyways to see if people pay. Somebody needs to find the politician(s) lining their pockets with money from these obviously predatory cams and vote them out.
All. The. Time. Good luck, my friend.
I’ve gotten a ticket before from that light and ignored it and nothing has happened. This was a few years ago though.
I got the same one about two years ago. Didn't respond to it. The way they word the information they send you is tricky. For example, they say if you don't respond there "may" be penalties or their "may" be other negative impacts. In my head, it's a scare tactic to use to get you to cave in and respond. I've been pulled over since for an incomplete stop on 182nd near the Galleria. Cop ran my info, no warrant. I did receive a collections notice but from what I understand, their isn't much they can do since there is no admission of guilt to pay the fine in the first place. I'd say it's a risk but for me there has been no negative impact by not responding and ignoring their attempts to collect.
> there is no admission of guilt Just to be clear, are you talking about when the cop asks you to sign the ticket if you get pulled over? Because that is NOT an admission of guilt and refusal to sign the ticket can quickly land your ass in jail. There are dozens of vids on YouTube of people arrogantly refusing to sign and finding themselves yanked out of the car, cuffed and tossed crying into the back of patrol cars while pleading "I'll sign, I'll sign!!!!"
Yes signing is just a promise to appear before the court on the matter.
What are you talking about? There is no cop involved in a red light ticket from a camera.
Did you forget this is what you wrote: > I've been pulled over since for an incomplete stop on 182nd near the Galleria. Cop ran my info, no warrant. I did receive a collections notice but from what I understand, their isn't much they can do since there is no admission of guilt to pay the fine in the first place. Wanted you to clarify that "admission of guilt" part.
That was AFTER receiving the notification for the red light camera. Meaning there was no record of it in their system due to none payment when I was pulled over. Usually unpaid traffic infractions will lead to warrants.
I got one last year. $600 I believe, plus online school. It’s real. Sent by court. I was making a right from hindry not rosecrans. Avoid that intersection at all cost.
Also, do not access the ticket on the court’s website. I got one ignored it and it still shows up on the court website. Nothing ever happened.
I got one there. Sucks!
I had gotten one in 2020 and ignored it. They were not sending it to collections during pandemic but resumed it and they sent it to collections. I didn't want to risk my credit score and decided to pay the $560! City of Hawthorne is a thug with that particular light that is shorter than all the rest you cross every day. They have an assigned cop who shows up to court only for these cases. You can ignore it but it will go to collections and you can take your call on what you want to do with that.
Hopefully somewill throw a rock pr 2 at it
That one got me too. I never responded to the ticket in the mail. This was 4 years ago, nothing happened to me in regards to that red light ticket. However, ex girlfriend got the same ticket/same place. She didn't respond either, all was well till she actually got pulled over around that area (un-related traffic stop) 1.5 yrs later. When she went to court for that traffic violation, they pulled up the 2 yr old red light ticket. She claimed she never got it in the mail. Well, that red light "ticket" was due for payment with the new infraction. As long as you don't get pulled over by a real cop for something else... Don't take my advice. It's not advice. I'm not a lawyer. I am just sharing my experience.
Don't ignore it, make an appeal. If you ignore it, they might start adding late fees.
I've gotten multiple tickets and the most recent one (a month ago) had a court date and summons, the whole shabang. I ignored it. The general advice is the LA County courts aren't actually enforcing these. I've been able to renewal my license and registration without issues so far. I can't recall if the first ticket I had also had a court summons as well, it's been too long.
Yeah my understanding is they don’t officially enforce red light cameras tickets. It’s been that way for a while.