As Villaraigosa takes helm, national mayors' group backs red light cameras

As Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa took the helm of the U.S. Conference of Mayors on Monday, the group endorsed red-light cameras as a traffic safety tool.   

Villaraigosa's own Police Commission recently voted unanimously to kill Los Angeles' program, one of the larger in the nation, because of doubts about its effectiveness and cost. The Los Angeles City Council is scheduled to take up the matter Tuesday.

Villaraigosa could not be reached for comment.

The mayors conference resolution said the cameras are valuable because they "help reduce red-light running and speed related injuries and fatalities."

The council previously considered a measure asking the Police Commission to extend the current camera contract on a month-to-month basis for up to a year while additional safety studies on the cameras are done. The matter will be taken up again Tuesday.

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-- Kate Linthicum