California Invalid Invalids

A common sight in Los Angeles these days: a nimble motorist hopping out of a parked car that bears a DISABLED PERSON placard on the dashboard. The explanation: a proliferation of illegally obtained placards. To get state- issued cards that let motorists park in reserved spaces, drivers have bought them at flea markets for as much as $400 or taken over placards from deceased relatives who came by them honestly. The legitimately handicapped pay $6. Cops abandoned one solution: ticketing all parked cars that displayed the placards. The city is pondering other approaches, including improving the data base so that field...

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