HomeMy WebLinkAbout14 AB1248 BOOKING FEES 03-21-05
AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE: MARCH 21,2005
TO:
WILLIAM A. HUSTON, CITY MANAGER
FROM:
SCOTT M. JORDAN, CHIEF OF POLICE
SUBJECT:
LEGISLATIVE REPORT - AB1248
SUMMARY:
Formalize the City Council's support for Assembly Bill 1248 which would dramatically reduce the
potential unfunded liability to the City if the County of Orange were to re-initiate a booking fee for those
prisoners lodged at the Orange County Jail.
RECOMMENDATION:
That the City Council take a position supporting AB1248 (Umberg).
FISCAL IMPACT:
None at this time. If the County of Orange were to once again begin charging booking fees, the
savings would be in the tens of thousands of dollars.
BACKGROUND:
Assembly Bill 1248, as introduced by Umberg, is related to jail booking fees. Existing law
authorizes a county to impose, among other fees with respect to criminal justice services, a
booking fee upon local agencies for county costs incurred in processing persons arrested by police
departments and taken to county facilities for booking.
This bill would specify that a county shall be authorized to impose a booking fee only with respect
to nonfelony offenses. In addition, specified misdemeanors (DUI, battery, and misdemeanors
related to domestic violence and/or sex crimes) would be exempt from a booking fee.
Even though the County of Orange has not charged a booking fee for several years, Assembly Bill
1248 is still an important bill on a statewide basis. Counties may still charge booking fees for most
misdemeanors and municipal code violations, but local law enforcement agencies would no longer
have to pay booking fees for providing fundamental community protection. This is particularly
important since there will be no booking fee relief subvention in this year's state budget.