Attempt by Wright to Quash Own ’83 Parking Ticket Surfaces in Inquiry

Assemblywoman Cathie Wright tried to have Simi Valley police quash a parking ticket issued to her in 1983, according to information gathered by law enforcement officials.

The incident appears to undercut Wright’s claim that she was not seeking favored treatment from officials she contacted in regard to many of her daughter’s 27 traffic tickets. Wright is under investigation for allegedly seeking to improperly influence the outcome of those tickets.

Wright (R-Simi Valley) left her Dec. 6, 1983, citation with a watch commander at the Simi Valley Police Department headquarters, allegedly suggesting that the officer would know what to do with it. Police Chief Paul Miller returned the ticket to her with a letter advising Wright that once tickets have been issued, they must be paid or challenged in court.

Wright, a former Simi Valley mayor, apparently paid the fine, which was $10 to $12, although city parking violation records are no longer available for 1983.

Miller’s 1983 letter is one of the documents that Ventura County Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury’s special investigations unit has obtained as part of its inquiry focusing on Wright’s contacts with Ventura County Municipal Court judges, the state Department of Motor Vehicles and Simi Valley police on behalf of her daughter, Victoria Catherine Wright, 24.

Politically Motivated?

Cathie Wright said through a spokeswoman Tuesday that she will not comment further on these matters until Bradbury completes his investigation, which is expected next month. She has suggested that the investigation by Bradbury, a fellow Republican, is politically motivated.

Bradbury has refused to disclose details of the inquiry, which began earlier this month and has attracted widespread attention. Miller said Tuesday that he could not discuss any correspondence or records that may be under review by the district attorney.

Wright has previously maintained that her actions were appropriate as a mother and a lawmaker representing a constituent. She has denied that she sought to improperly influence the judges, state officials and law enforcement agencies she contacted.

It appears that Wright’s action did not violate any laws. It is not illegal to ask police to dismiss a ticket unless the request is accompanied by a bribe or an effort to intimidate, legal authorities say.

At the time, it was not against the law for a police officer to act on such requests. But in 1987, following disclosure of questionable ticket dismissals by the San Diego Police Department, the Legislature made it illegal for a police officer to void a parking ticket without going through the municipal agency that processes such citations.

Victoria Wright has received 27 traffic tickets, including 24 for speeding, and has had at least six accidents since 1981, public records show. Her license was revoked for a year by the DMV on Thursday. Her attorney, Lawrence C. Noble, said Tuesday that she has decided not to proceed with a planned appeal of the revocation at a DMV hearing that was scheduled today.

Noble appeared before Ventura County Municipal Judge Herbert Curtis III on Tuesday on behalf of Victoria Wright, who was to be arraigned on charges that she violated probation. At Noble’s request, the arraignment was postponed until March 29.

Suspended Sentence

In April, Curtis placed Victoria Wright on probation and gave her a 30-day suspended sentence after convicting her of two speeding violations and driving without a license. He also told her that the next traffic conviction would result in jail; she received five subsequent tickets for speeding and other moving violations. She also failed to report the offenses to the court as required under the terms of her probation.

Curtis has told Bradbury’s investigators that when the Wright case was pending last year, he received a phone call from Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco), who was acting at Cathie Wright’s behest, say sources familiar with the inquiry. Brown exhorted Curtis, a Democrat, that Victoria Wright “was a good person trying to get her life in order and deserved a break in the case,” one official said.

Curtis has declined to comment on Brown’s reported call. Brown denied last week that he had contacted Curtis but added that “even if I had, it wouldn’t be improper.” The State Bar has opened a preliminary inquiry to determine if Brown, who is a lawyer, engaged in misconduct.

Wright, one of the Legislature’s most conservative members, has been in the Assembly since 1981. She began her career in elective office as a Simi Valley City Council member in 1978. Victoria Wright, who resides with her mother, is the widowed legislator’s only child.