Politics & Government
No Increase in Parking Fines—Yet
The City Council considers raising fines $10, but Councilman Ming prefers to deter repeat offenders rather than use fines as a "fundraiser" for the city.
Laguna Niguel residents can breathe a little easier knowing that the City Council has nixed the idea of increasing parking fines—at least for now.
At Tuesday night's meeting, increasing the fines was discussed, but council member Robert Ming asked that the council instead consider a graduated increase in fines for repeat offenders.
"I'd like for us to remember that these fines are meant to be a deterrent, rather than a fundraiser for the city," Ming said.
Find out what's happening in Laguna Niguel-Dana Pointwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Most parking fines in the city are $35; the highest is $250, for parking in a bus loading zone or a space for the disabled. The proposal at Tuesday's meeting was a $10 across-the-board hike.
The council voted to direct City Attorney Terry Dixon to explore the feasibility of a graduated fine schedule. The discussion will continue at a future council meeting.
Find out what's happening in Laguna Niguel-Dana Pointwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Response to O.C. Grand Jury Report
The council voted to approve a response to a 2010-11 Orange County grand jury report that was critical of the city's website.
The grand jury found that information about pay and compensation for public employees is inconsistent in most O.C. cities and that there is no information about employment contracts on the majority of the cities' websites. The grand jury recommended that all cities make such information available.
The City Council will respond that it agrees with the report regarding other city websites but that Laguna Niguel already provides that information and has for years.
City Council meetings are held on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. in the council chambers, at 27841 La Paz Rd.
