LA Admits Fault in Street Sweeping Ticket Scandal
City to audit thousands of fines issued on days when street sweeping was not scheduled.
Los Angeles transportation officials are auditing the city's street sweeping ticket system following an investigation that revealed more than 12,500 tickets were issued on days when no street sweeping was scheduled, totaling nearly $1 million in fines. The Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) initially downplayed the issue, stating that erroneous tickets were occasionally dismissed proactively and reimbursements were sent to those who had already paid.
However, new data obtained by L.A. Material indicated that thousands of these questionable citations remained on record. Initially, only about 1,800 of the more than 12,500 identified erroneous tickets had been canceled. When questioned about this discrepancy, LADOT reported discovering nearly 4,600 additional cancellations but could not account for their prior absence from the provided data.
Following these revelations, the department announced it would conduct a comprehensive audit of the citations. "The department is conducting an audit of sweeping citations and will reimburse any paid citations determined to have been issued in error," LADOT spokesperson Colin Sweeney told L.A. Material. "LADOT is committed to fair and transparent parking enforcement policies."
The agency also stated that approximately 350 motorists who paid erroneous citations in 2025 had not been reimbursed for various reasons, including some drivers failing to respond to city notices. The impact of these incorrect tickets was particularly felt in South Park, one of the city's less affluent neighborhoods, where fewer than 5% of the roughly 2,000 questionable citations were dismissed. One resident, Rufina Estrada, 64, who collects recyclables for income, expressed concern that paying such fines would impact her ability to afford necessities like food.