Redwood City visited during DMV crackdown on illegal use of disabled parking placards

During an enforcement operation in Redwood City last month, DMV investigators cited four drivers for the fraudulent use of the disabled person parking placard.

It was part of a yearlong DMV crackdown on illegal disabled person parking placard use that resulted in 2,485 misdemeanor citations being issued from July 1, 2017 to June 30 this year. Offenders face fines from $250 to $1,000, have their placard confiscated and the violation remains on their driver record.

Investigators went statewide looking for abusers, including at large sporting and music events such as the Los Angeles County Fair, where 477 drivers were cited, and at the Coachella and Stagecoach musical festivals in Indio, where more than 100 drivers were cited at each event.

“Large sporting and music events typically attract offenders who seek prime parking that is often offered at no cost,” according to DMV.

During the year-long crackdown, DMV increased enforcement by holding as many as 24 enforcement operations monthly, totaling 256 statewide. On June 19, the DMV conducted an enforcement operation in Redwood City where 116 drivers were contacted and four cited. Another operation in the city in March led to five citations and contacts with 85 drivers.

“We want Californians to understand that a disabled person parking placard can only be used by the person to whom it’s assigned,” DMV Director Jean Shiomoto said. “When you illegally use a placard, you disrupt the lives of those with disabilities and interfere with their mobility. I ask you to save the space.”

Here are the results of enforcement operations during Fiscal Year 2017/18:

Fiscal Year 2017/18	Citations Issued	Drivers Contacted
July	170	1,596
August	145	1,676
September	555	3,700
October	135	1,622
November	171	2,016
December	150	2,106
January	185	1,822
February	153	1,582
March	167	2,050
April	381	4,951
May	133	1,574
June	140	1,548
Totals	2,485	26,243

The following results are from enforcement operations held in June 2018:

Date	City	Citations Issued	Drivers Contacted
6/5	Delano	3	29
6/6	Oxnard	18	85
6/7	Oroville	12	85
6/12	Livermore	3	85
6/12	Rohnert Park	2	60
6/13	Hawthorne	7	61
6/13	San Diego	9	160
6/14	Northridge	5	40
6/16	Sacramento	8	92
6/19	Alhambra	7	60
6/19	Irvine	4	31
6/19	Redwood City	4	116
6/19	Watsonville/Capitola	1	30
6/20	Chula Vista	7	111
6/20	Mountain View	4	90
6/20	Oceanside	2	82
6/20	Pomona	7	55
6/21	Tracy	8	50
6/25	Fresno	2	73
6/26	Los Angeles	14	60
6/27	Rancho Cucamonga	5	91
6/28	Walnut Park	8	39
Totals:	22 operations	140	1,548