Taking on the Government MURRIETA: Anti-red-light camera petition almost complete
http://www.pe.com/localnews/stories/PE_News_Local_D_sredlight05.3783411.html
MURRIETA: Anti-red-light camera petition almost complete
10:00 PM PDT on Monday, July 4, 2011
By JOHN F. HILL
The Press-Enterprise
A quest to ban red-light cameras from Murrieta has become nearly a full-time job for Diana Serafin.
On an oven-hot Friday outside a Stater Bros. grocery store, Serafin sat wearing a red "We the People" T-shirt at a table decked out in an American Flag tablecloth, asking people to sign her petition. She spends about four or five hours every weekday -- up to 12 hours on the weekends -- trying to get enough signatures to get a camera ban on the November 2012 ballot.
So far, the petition drive has netted 4,000 signatures. Serafin, who is currently unemployed, and the small group of people with whom she goes door-to-door need about 4,500 signatures of registered voters. Some signers are likely to be duplicates or people who aren't registered to vote in Murrieta, so Serafin is aiming for 5,000 to be sure.
Earlier this year, the Murrieta City Council decided to renew its contract with an Arizona-based company to keep its three existing red-light cameras and add them to two more intersections near Interstate 215.
City police officials said the cameras have reduced major accidents and red-light runners. Rear-end collisions have increased, though officials say some of that increase can be blamed on an overall increase in cars on the road.
But Serafin, and some Murrietans signing her petition on Friday, either don't buy the argument or don't think the cameras are worth the perceived loss of freedom.
Bill Stoody, 77, signed the petition because he sees the cameras as one more sign of the continuous erosion of Americans' constitutional rights.
"You need to be able to confront your accuser, and I can't confront a red-light camera," Stoody said.
Jennifer Von Boxtel, 37, said knowing that there are cameras, rather than people, watching her drive through intersections makes her nervous. A police officer might make a different decision than a camera, which she fears won't make a distinction between a reckless driver and someone who is just a split-second late going through an intersection.
"I'm always a little frightened of it..." she said, referring to getting a ticket, which can cost $400 or more. "It's a worry I don't need."
Murrieta police say an officer reviews the video of every car that is flagged by the system. That person, not the camera, decides if the infraction is worthy of a ticket.
Serafin, who earlier this year helped lead a protest against a Muslim group in Temecula that sought to build a new mosque, figures she'll have enough signatures by August. Her deadline is September.
Visit www.banthecamsmurrieta.com to view the petition.
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