There is no doubt in Manteca Councilman Mike Morowit’s mind that drivers on Lathrop Road routinely run red lights at the Union Road intersection.

A survey conducted by American Traffic Systems that preceded placing red light cameras at five intersections in Manteca verifies Morowit’s observation.

The Union/Lathrop intersection, however, didn’t make the initial cut for cameras.

That said, when the opportunity arises Morowit is going to advocate heavily in a bid to get red light cameras at the intersection.

There are two ways that could happen.

Red light running becomes effectively controlled at one of the existing intersections and the company and city agree to relocate the technology elsewhere.

The other would be to expand to six intersections.

Changes in red light camera

law, fine lowered to $100

Given changes in the state law that went into effect this year, automated red light enforcement violations are no longer treated as criminal penalties that can cost more than $500.

The new law shifts them to civil penalties capped at $100.

It also moves responsibility from the driver to the vehicle’s registered owner, and directs the revenue back to local communities for street safety improvements.

Manteca issued 9,824 red light tickets in 2025.

Based on the $490 fine, the tickets Manteca issued in 2025 collectively cost motorists $4,813,760 before the law changed.

Just over 80 percent goes to the court system and the state.

The balance of almost $900,000 goes to the city.

At the new $100 rate, 9,824 red light tickets represent $982,400 in penalties.

The new law, though, sends any appeal to the local jurisdiction for an administrative hearing.

That would send 100 percent of the fine to the city without it being split with the court system or the state.

Over the course of 12 months, the ATS contract has a maximum cost to the city of $873,600.

That means if Sentae Bill 720 was in place last year, the city still would have been able to make ATS whole and have money left over to divert to other traffic safety concerns.

The city’s contract with ATS complies to a state mandate that cities that employ the technology cannot lose money on the proposition.

As a result, ATS — if the city doesn’t collect enough in fines during billing periods to cover the monthly contract costs — dismisses the balance.

It should be noted the 2025 ticket numbers reflected seven months of all five red light camera intersections being up and running and not in a 30-day grace period when only warnings were issued.

Two months there were only some active and three months where there were no tickets per se issued.

The bottom line is the new law may still make adding red light cameras at intersections that have fewer violations tracked in the ATS survey pencil out for the company.

And if that’s the case, Morowit would want Lathrop Road and Union Road to join the list of the city’s red light camera intersections.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com