tours in iraq. now he s fighting a new battle in california. it was a simple seat belt ticket at first. a no front license plate. with added fees his $25 ticket jumped to 300 and 600 when he missed a court date. for a $25 fine you re looking now at over $500. 7:00 a.m. tuesday, hundreds wait tfine. i have had a ticket that went up to $5,000 before. for driving without plates and proof of insurance. you do one of three things. you either go to jail [ laughing ] community service or you pay. i m a nurse and i still cannot afford to pay the ticket. i found out yesterday i have a warrant for my arrest. critics call the traffic citation system a racket that has nothing to do with justice. why? a $100 ticket jumps to 290 with state penalties. 416 with assessments.