Drivers in the city of Santa Maria may want to rethink running red lights as the City Council looks to implement a remodeled program to fine the scofflaws.

In a presentation Tuesday night to the council, Chief of Police Christopher Williams spelled out new laws and a proposal to install cameras at a couple of intersections on a trial basis.

A red-light runner camera program would aim at reducing traffic collisions and violations through deterrence and enforcement, Williams said.

“Just because a traffic collision doesn’t occur at an intersection doesn’t mean that we don’t have people running red lights,” he added.

“Our residents unfortunately are conditioned that when a light turns green for them, they wait two, three seconds before they proceed in the intersection because they know somebody is going to run the red light,” Williams added. “That’s baffling and that’s what we need to change here in the city of Santa Maria.”

He assembled a working group made up of police officers and other department employees to explore the possibility of relaunching a different version of the program that operated in the city from 2007-2009.

The previous effort ended when the vendor declared bankruptcy and the firm that acquired the assets decided not to continue Santa Maria’s program.

A new state law, Senate Bill 720, or Safer Streets Act, also helped lead to the revival. 

In the fall, the California Legislature approved modernized regulations. Additionally, in the years since the prior program, technology advancements have brought better quality photos and improved review procedures.

The traditional program levied a $486 fine and meant a point on the driver’s record with the Department of Motor Vehicles. Most of the fine proceeds ended up in the state and county coffers, leaving the city with less than 5%. 

The new program would create civil penalties, akin to a parking ticket, with fines ranging from $100 to $500.

The city would receive 100% of the assessed fine, which would not be handed by a judge, but as an administrative matter through the city.

The new camera program would capture the vehicle crossing the line and the rear license plate, putting the penalty on the vehicle’s registered owner and not the driver. It would not lead to a point on a driver’s DMV record.

The pilot program at two or three intersections and six to eight approaches could cost between $340,000 and $500,000, Williams said.

The revised program offers different financial models, such as revenue neutral, where the firm would recoup costs and excess funds would go to the city. The other two options would have Santa Maria funding the program outright or use a hybrid approach for the two options.

In addition to deterring dangerous driving behavior and increasing traffic safety, the program would reduce traffic crashes and increase compliance at high-risk intersections. 

Santa Maria typically ranks among the worst for traffic troubles, Councilmember Gloria Soto said. 

“From what I’ve read in the report, from the little research that I’ve done, it definitely seems like having these red light cameras can reduce the number of red-light traffic collisions,” she said. 

However, she questioned if the vendors share data with federal or other agencies. Some cities have found that federal immigration enforcement officers have accessed automated license plate reader program cameras, which Santa Maria also has positioned around the community.

Williams said the state law prohibits sharing any type of data with federal agencies. He said the city owns the information.  

The council voted 4-0 to move forward with the pilot program, which includes allocating funding and issuing a request for proposals.

Mayor Alice Patino said that when the chief started his job, the council pushed for a crackdown on red-light running violations.

“I know when we had those red light cameras before, all those accidents went down,” Patino said.

In a second and informational presentation, the police chief discussed launching a Drone as a First Responder program, where a small unmanned aircraft is sent to the scene ahead of officers to provide an early look at a situation.