Ventura to Go After Parking Ticket Scofflaws

There are more than 1 million reasons for city officials to hire a collection agency to go after 12,000 people who have not paid their parking tickets.

Up to 15% of the parking tickets issued by city traffic officers go unpaid each year, and over the past six years that amounts to more than $1 million.

The city has hired Collectech Systems, a Westlake Village company, to recoup the money. The company, which handles collections for 52 cities in California, will send notification letters for almost 12,000 outstanding parking tickets in Ventura, some dating back to 1995.

The letters will tell violators that an unpaid ticket could be reported to credit rating services as unpaid debts, said Lt. Don Arth, of the Police Department’s traffic division.

Ventura is taking a kid-glove approach compared to some cities. In parts of Los Angeles County, a “boot” is clamped onto the front wheel of cars if a background check shows outstanding tickets.

The boot makes the vehicle immobile and the owner must clear the fines before it is removed. Some cities report unpaid tickets to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, which tacks the fines onto yearly registration fees.

City officials expect to recoup 35% to 45% of the unpaid tickets, minus Collectech’s fee, for a total of $300,000.