Last week I finally received a copy of your new contract with Redflex. It was signed on Aug. 29, more than three months after the May 12 council meeting where you approved the continuation of the program.
The signed contract shows that you didn't get the price down, even though the long delay suggests there might have been some kind of a negotiation going on.
I am writing today to point out that it's not too late to get a better price and save nearly a million Dollars.
Section 6.2 of the contract allows the City to cancel on 30 days notice. May I suggest that you cancel, and see if Redflex offers you a lower rent - as has happened in other cities? As I pointed out in my Sept. 7 letter (copy below), getting a better price means you could save having to issue 9288 extra tickets to cover the extra rent.
After I sent you the Sept. 7 letter, a councilmember replied, "I love our red light camera program," and I replied to him, "I'm sure you love your car, too, but didn't pay nearly twice the normal price for it."
Some people fall in love with a car they see in a showroom, and blindly end up paying way more than other buyers do. But the Council is directing a municipal corporation, and red light cameras need to be treated like a business deal, nothing more.
Jim Lissner
Culver City
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