Daniel Zapien was 20 years old when he first lost his drivers license. After two tickets, it took him more than six years and $5,000 dollars to be able to hold this card once again. He was in what California Governor Brown calls a "hellhole of desperation." A new bill, Senate Bill 405, was recently proposed for stories like his.
Getting my license back was an ordeal that took more than six years and nearly $5,000 dollars. I thought my situation was unique, but my story is one of the many tales from the four million Californians who currently have their license suspended, due to similar court fines.
Recently, Senator Bob Hertzberg proposed Senate Bill 405 for states to create amnesty programs for drivers who got stuck in fines like me, and would allow folks with suspended licenses to keep their driving privileges if they agreed to pay reduced fines on a sliding scale. His reasoning is exactly what anyone in this situation would call it, "a Catch 22 that traps people in a cycle of poverty.ā
It just seems like these courts don't have better things to worry about than someone who is already struggling in a place where I'm considered below poverty. I would honestly be on the streets if it wasn't for the help of my family. When my license was first taken, I was 20 years old, didn't have a job, and was doing odd jobs while attending community college.
[For more of this story, written by Daniel Zapien, go to http://newamericamedia.org/201...fe-for-six-years.php]
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