[Fat Charlie]

That's nothing:

$20 traffic ticket? More like $150

Over the years, penalty assessments have grown to $26 for every $10 of base fine. Today, a $20 fine is increased by $52 in penalty assessments. But wait – there's more. After the penalty assessments are tacked on, there is a 20 percent surcharge, or another $4 on a $20 base fine. On top of that, there is a court security fee of $30, plus the conviction assessment of $35. And don't forget the $1 night court fee, which you pay whether you go to night court or not. All together, the penalty assessments, fees and surcharge jack up the cost of a $20 ticket to $142.
Of the $20 base fine, 83 percent goes to the city where the violation occurred. Another 15 percent goes to the county, and 2 percent goes toward court automation. Next, there's the state penalty assessment of $10 per every $10 of base fine. For a $20 base fine, the state penalty assessment is $20. Most of this money goes to various state funds, including the Victim Witness Assistance Fund, the Restitution Fund and the Peace Officers Training Fund. Some goes to the county. There's also the county penalty assessment of $7 for every $10 of base fine. For a $20 base fine, the county penalty assessment is $14. This money goes to the county. On top of that, there's an assessment of $5 for every $10 of base fine for the State Court Facilities Construction Fund. This adds $10 to a $20 base fine.

WHERE DOES THE MONEY GO?

Of the $20 base fine, 83 percent goes to the city where the violation occurred. Another 15 percent goes to the county, and 2 percent goes toward court automation. Next, there's the state penalty assessment of $10 per every $10 of base fine. For a $20 base fine, the state penalty assessment is $20. Most of this money goes to various state funds, including the Victim Witness Assistance Fund, the Restitution Fund and the Peace Officers Training Fund. Some goes to the county. There's also the county penalty assessment of $7 for every $10 of base fine. For a $20 base fine, the county penalty assessment is $14. This money goes to the county. On top of that, there's an assessment of $5 for every $10 of base fine for the State Court Facilities Construction Fund. This adds $10 to a $20 base fine. Then there are separate assessments of $2 for every $10 of base fine for the DNA Identification Fund and the County Emergency Medical Services Fund. Together, they add another $4 on a $20 base fine. The 20 percent surcharge ($4 on the original $20 fine) goes to the state's general fund. Finally, the court security fee, conviction assessment fee and night court fee, which together add another $66, regardless of the amount of the base fine, go to fund the courts.
At least 30 states also add surcharges and assessments to fines for criminal or traffic violations, but California appears to be the leader. With the state looking at a $20 billion budget deficit, don't expect these additional fees to go away.

Other states:

New Jersey - The fine includes about $30 in court costs; you'll pay additional costs if you challenge the ticket in court and lose. One dollar of the fine goes to a fund that buys bulletproof vests for police, $1 goes to a fund for spinal-cord injury research and 50 cents goes to a training fund for emergency medical technicians.

West Virginia - Generally, the base ticket cost for speeders who are caught going 1 to 9 mph over the speed limit is $115.25. Just $5 of that is the fine for speeding. Court costs take up another $10. The rest of the ticket cost goes to bolster state funds or programs -- $40 to build and maintain regional jails, $43.25 to defray costs of running the jails, $10 to aid crime victims, $5 to help with costs of running state courts, and $2 toward training costs at the state police academy.

I've read about radio usage fees, radar calibration fees, you name it.