Advice on Failure To Appear In Court

[FeelGoodUnInc]

hey there fellers...

so a few months ago I was pulled over for a fix it ticket on my rear turn signals (white bulbs) & I was supposed to appear in court to pay my bail amount of $35 on Oct. 17th.

well I know I messed up big time, but during the past few months I've been in the process of moving into a new house & I just had completely forgotten about my appearance. so I went back to the old home address this weekend to pickup my mail and I received a failure to appear in court letter, opened it up as I was pissed off at myself for not remembering... the fine.. from $35 to now to an absurd $898

i'm so furious, I understood I'd be hit with a fine, but adding on a $863 fine?? if I didn't appear for over a year then maybe it's justified but it hasn't even been past a month.

so I'm looking for any help I can receive on this topic.. perhaps I should hire a lawyer.. can anyone refer me to one?
I'm in Los Angeles, CA