Vehicles: toll evasion violations.

(1) Existing law makes it unlawful for any person to refuse to pay tolls or other charges on any vehicular crossing or toll highway and provides that it is prima facie evidence of a violation of this provision for any person to enter upon any vehicular crossing without either lawful money of the United States in the person's immediate possession in an amount sufficient to pay the prescribed tolls or other charges due from that person or a transponder or other electronic toll payment device associated with a valid Automatic Vehicle Identification account with a balance sufficient to pay those tolls. A violation of these provisions is an infraction. This bill would require an issuing agency that permits pay-by-plate toll payment to communicate, as practicable, the pay-by-plate toll amount in the same manner as it communicates other toll payment methods and provide certain publicly available information on how pay-by-plate toll payment works. The bill would additionally provide that, for vehicular crossings and toll highways where the issuing agency permits pay-by-plate toll payment of tolls and other charges in accordance with policies adopted by the issuing agency, it is prima facie evidence of a toll evasion violation for a person to enter the vehicular crossing or toll highway without at least one of the following: (A) lawful money of the United States in the person's immediate possession in an amount sufficient to pay the prescribed tolls or other charges due from that person, or (B) a transponder or other electronic toll payment device associated with a valid Automatic Vehicle Identification account with a balance sufficient to pay those tolls, or (C) valid California vehicle license plates properly affixed to both the front and rear of the vehicle in which that person enters onto the vehicular crossing or toll highway. Where electronic toll collection is the only other method of paying tolls or other charges, the bill would provide that it is prima facie evidence of a toll evasion violation for a person to enter the vehicular crossing or toll highway without either (i) a transponder or other electronic toll payment device associated with a valid Automatic Vehicle Identification account with a balance sufficient to pay those tolls, or (ii) valid California vehicle license plates properly affixed to both the front and rear of the vehicle in which that person enters onto the vehicular crossing or toll highway. (2) Existing law provides that the officer or person authorized to issue a notice of toll evasion violation is not required to participate in an administrative review of the toll evasion violation and that the issuing agency is not required to produce any evidence other than the notice of toll evasion violation or a copy thereof, information received from the department identifying the registered owner of the vehicle, and a statement under penalty of perjury from the person reporting the violations. Under existing law perjury is a crime. This bill would require instead, for a toll evasion violation that occurs on a vehicular crossing or toll highway where the issuing agency allows pay-by-plate toll payment, that the required evidence consisting of a statement be from the officer or person authorized to issue a notice of toll evasion and include a statement that the tolls or other charges and any applicable fee were not paid in accordance with the issuing agency's policies for pay-by-plate toll processing and payment. The bill would not require that this statement be made under penalty of perjury. The bill would require that any officer or person who knowingly provides false information pursuant to this provision be subject to a civil penalty for each violation in the amount of $250 up to a maximum amount of $2,500. The bill would also authorize any public prosecutor to bring an action for a civil penalty in the name of the people of the State of California. (3) Existing law requires that any information obtained through the use of automated devices shall not be used for any purpose other than to identify, and obtain the mailing address information of, toll evasion violators, to facilitate the serving of notices of toll evasion violations and notices of delinquent toll evasion violations. This bill would additionally provide that this information shall not be used for any purpose other than to identify, and obtain the mailing address information of, persons entering a vehicular crossing and toll highway where pay-by-plate toll payment is permitted by the toll operator to facilitate the collection of tolls. (4) The bill would make other technical, nonsubstantive, and conforming changes to these provisions. Because the bill would create new crimes, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (5) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.