His website makes him look like the owner of a law firm, although I think it's just him? I'm not expecting the same number, but... california issues bigger fines for watering lawns or buying illegal fireworks. For a lawyer, a fine order of magnitude smaller than "hiring a paralegal" is less "historic" and more "cost of doing business, don't get caught"

California issues higher fines for littering than for abandoning an animal on the highway. It's listed right there on the highway signs as you enter the state. It stood out when I saw it for the first time.

Fines are arbitrary numbers set by some people not necessarily knowing about other fines for other offenses.