Transit fare evasion.

Existing law authorizes certain transit operators to adopt and enforce an ordinance to impose and enforce civil administrative penalties for fare evasion or passenger misconduct, other than by minors, on or in a transit facility or vehicle in lieu of the criminal penalties otherwise applicable, with specified administrative adjudication procedures for the imposition and enforcement of the administrative penalties, including an initial review and opportunity for a subsequent administrative hearing. This bill would authorize the Southern California Regional Rail Authority and the North County Transit District to adopt and enforce such an ordinance. The bill would provide that a person cited under these ordinances adopted by transit operators shall be afforded an opportunity to complete the administrative process under the circumstances set forth in the ordinance. The bill would require an entity that adopts such an ordinance to submit a report to specified committees of the Legislature both 2 and 5 years after the adoption of the ordinance, as specified. Existing law requires fare evasion and passenger misconduct violation penalties collected by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority to be deposited in the general fund of the County of Los Angeles. This bill, with respect to penalties collected by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, would instead require the penalties to be deposited in the general fund of the county in which the citation is administered. The bill would require those penalties collected by the Southern California Regional Rail Authority to also be deposited in the general fund of the county in which the citation is administered and would require penalties collected by the North County Transit District to be deposited in the general fund of the County of San Diego.