Published: 11.25.2006
Chandler boosts fines in day labor arena
The Associated Press

PHOENIX - Contractors who stop in no-parking zones in Chandler to pick up workers at a popular day labor area will need a thicker wallet.
The City Court now requires mandatory court appearances for violators, and the court, with the approval of the City Council, has raised the parking tickets to a $477 maximum for stopping along Arizona Avenue.
The fines and court appearance requirements also apply to anyone ticketed for standing along the road.
Not everyone would be hit with the steepest fines, said Leah Powell, assistant to the city manager. For instance, a driver whose car broke down could face no fine.
But people with prior citations for illegally parking to pick up day laborers could see the max, Powell said. The average fine would be about $75.
Chandler has been indirectly cracking down on the day labor market for the past year by slapping fines on contractors who stop illegally to pick up workers. More than 185 citations have been issued along Arizona Avenue since February. The former penalty was just $25.
The city's Human Relations Commission had been pushing for higher fines, but city Magistrate Mike Traynor said his decision to raise the fines had nothing to do with day laborers. He said the mandatory appearance rule also applies to tickets for speeding in school zones and failing to stop for a school bus.
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