Posted on 11/29/2005 10:58:54 AM PST by BurbankKarl
LOS ANGELES -- Hundreds of angry car owners claimed their vehicles were unfairly towed Sunday during Hollywood's annual Christmas parade, but city officials said temporary "no parking" signs had been posted well in advance of the parade.
The towed vehicles were parked on local streets and were towed by the City of Los Angeles.
"We impounded 548 vehicles and issued roughly 600 citations for parking in a temporary no-stopping zone, which was prohibited on this particular day," said Jimmy Price, Chief of Parking Enforcement.
Many affected drivers said there was no way for them to know about the temporary no-parking zone.
"I'm very mad," one woman told NBC4. "There was no sign where I parked."
Hundreds of stranded drivers stormed official police garages to get their cars back. Many complained they should never have been towed because warning signs were blocked or missing.
"See this tree right here?" a woman asked, showing a picture she had taken on her cell phone camera. "Impossible to see the sign."
"We saw a police officer, and he wrote us a note that said there was no sign," another woman told NBC4.
Transportation officials said they ticket and tow hundreds of cars every year at events in Hollywood, like the Oscars and the Christmas parade. And every year, they said, drivers of towed cars complain about the department's efforts to clear the streets that absorb traffic when major boulevards are blocked.
"They are still in violation and still subject to a tow," Price said. "The law only requires we post a sign at the beginning of the block and that it is visible. But the policy is to post additional signs on the block."
Officials told NBC4 it is department policy to review photographs and witness statements if a driver requests a post-impound hearing.
One owner paid $200 to retrieve his van, and he said he has no plans to appeal.
"I'm OK now," Javier Valenzuela told NBC4.
Others are not so sure.
"$177, that's not fair," an angry woman said.
Owners of vehicles towed to official police garages have 10 days to appeal. The parking chief praises his staff but says if they don't have an ironclad case, the impound fee may be refunded.
In a snow emergency, residents in Boston clear their parking spaces and reserve them with lawn furniture.
I hate to say it, but the residents in Boston have it over the public officials in Hollywood. Close call,but they do. LOL!
This happens in Chicago all the time.
The city hall tyrants of Los Angeles at work. Hundreds of irate citizens all with exactly the same story are far more believable than the idiots at City Hall.
Their creativity never ceases.
IT'S THE MONEY, SUCKAH !!!!
CHA --- CHING !!!
That says it all. They come around & put up temporary cardboard No Parking signs & then start to tow the cars that are parked on the street. It happens all the time & is disgusting. Any time they want to do tree trimming or construction, they just slap up signs & tow. Especially around Westwood. You have to call around to find out which lot has your car & then pay impound & towing charges. If you are out of town, you may not know for a couple of days that your car has been towed.
While I was in college my car was towed & once they dented it, but I had no way to prove the dent wasn't there before.
CHA --- CHING !!!
Out of curiosity, what non-financial consequence do you propose that would create an incentive to avoid parking illegally?
I never get over it.
The names of the people that hold various offices.
I was once arrested by officer Lawless.
I swear it's true ... that was his name.
I'll never forget it.
I suspect that the citizens have a case here. I don't think that the citizens parked illegally. I think the city is looking for ways to generate more money. Since it may cost the citizen more money to fight it out in court, many will just "pay up" on the suspect tickets.
That is where I am coming from.
"Jimmy Price, Chief of Parking Enforcement."
That name certainly earns a double word score.
That is where I am coming from.
You don't think the city wanting to keep the parade route clear had anything at all to do with not wanting those cars parked in the way?
Here's another take on this story. I worked as a 911 dispatcher in a busy university town. On game day, most of our calls were from businesses with their parking lots full of people NOT shopping in their stores, from citizens who couldn't park in front of their houses, get into their garages, get through their alley, etc. When 'special events' are being held, SOME people choose to park their cars in the dumbest places. And then they have the 'balls' to complain about being towed. The ones that ticked me off the most were elderly people who had clearly designated handicapped places in front of their homes and some big rig would park in there. How nice for the elderly person in a wheelchair or on oxygen having to try and get home.
But by and large, most people follow the rules and try not to park illegally. Thank God for them.
ping
You betcha. These violators parked in conflict with a city ordinance. Their intentions may have been innocent but their actions were not.
Even a third grader in California can reasonably expect restrictions on parking at a large, outdoor, public event to preserve private property rights. Ignorance of the law is not an excuse ... unless you're a liberal ... and then it makes all the difference in the world.
The reasonable adults knew they were caught and paid their fine. Liberals and the MSM, just like children, whined to the world about their good intentions and blamed society for not protecting them from their own greed and laziness.
Thank God I'm surrounded by adults on this conservative forum.
There is a section of I-95 near me that "reduces" to 55 miles per hour through the city limits. At least once a month the State Police run a speed trap. They get about one car a minute for an hour or so. Big bucks for the state. They are positioned just over a little rise so you can't see them until it is too late. Oh, and it is right before the exit to a large mall, so always busy.
When it comes to local politicians and government officials, it is always the money.
Nothing but a big money maker for the city.
You need a change of government.
We just had a big change in government...he was the Grand Marshal of the Parade because "Hollywood Stars" refuse to participate without getting enticements.
Of course, the Mayor said that the City of LA is looking at a $250 million shortfall in 2006....so perhaps he ordered the confiscation scheme.
The motivation for the ordinance doesn't matter. The ordinance does.
Since when am I supposed to mindlessly rubber-stamp anything and everything done by government and when do I support petty tyrants and the ordinances they put in place for the sole purposes of revenue generation?
I'd suggest working to identify, motivate, and advance a suitable candidate for your local government body. Then exercise your franchise during the next election cycle.
There are natural consequences that even petty tyrants can't escape. If every one stayed home from the parade the parking restrictions would soon be lifted and the tyrants would be turned out of office.
/sarcasm
/looney lib rant
I agree but I was not there and the MSM, quoting an anonymous, angry women, is not a credible source. When Channel 4 quotes these same women, identified after emerging from their hearings, then the MSM gains some credibility and the point may be well taken.
The wuestion is : which came first - the parked cars or the signs? If the signs were up IAW the law, the drivers pay. If not - the city should.
LINCOLN PARK PIRATES
by Steve Goodman (may he rest in peace)The streetlamps are on in Chicago tonight,
And lovers a'gazin' at stars;
The stores are all closin', and Daley is dozin',
And the fat man is counting the cars...
And there's more cars than places to put 'em, he says,
But I've got room for them all;
So 'round 'em up boys, 'cause I want some more toys,
In the lot by the grocery store...To me, way, hey, tow them away,
The Lincoln Park Pirates are we,
From Wilmette to Gary, there's nothin' so hairy
And we always collect our fee!
So it's way, hey, tow 'em away,
We plunder the streets of your town,
Be it Edsel or Chevy, there's no car too heavy,
And no one can make us shut down.We break into cars when we gotta,
With hammer and pickaxe and saw;
And they said this garage had no license;
But little care I for the law!
Our drivers are friendly and courteous;
Their good manners you always will get;
'Cause they all are recent graduates
Of the charm school in Joliet.To me, way, hey, tow them away,
The Lincoln Park Pirates are we,
From Wilmette to Gary, there's nothin' so hairy
And we always collect our fee!
So it's way, hey, tow 'em away,
We plunder the streets of your town, Be it Edsel or Chevy, there's no car too heavy,
And no one can make us shut down.And when all the cars are collected,
And all of their fenders are ruined,
Then I'll tow all the boats in Belmont Harbor
To the Lincoln Park Lagoon;
And when I've collected the ransom,
And sunk all the ones that won't yield;
I'll tow all the planes that are blocking the runways
At Midway, O'Hare, and Meigs Field!To me, way, hey, tow them away,
The Lincoln Park Pirates are we,
From Wilmette to Gary, there's nothin' so hairy
And we always collect our fee!
So it's way, hey, tow 'em away,
Now citizens, gather around,
And I think it's enough, let's call his bluff,
Let's throw the bum out of town!
Forcing women (or their wives, in the case of men) to have sex with me.
IN THE MATTER OF THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES
v.
MARYANNE PARKER
The court hereby rules that you are sentenced to get in a
slinky nightgown and high heels, and visit the residence of
Lazamataz after January 7, 2006 but no later than January
14, 2006, and...
As a humorous aside, I got a ticket tossed and my towing fee refunded my last time. The cop checked the incorrect violation on the ticket (not surprising because it was about -10F that night), and I successfully argued that (for that reason) the towing company had no authority to tow.
The look on the traffic judge's face was priceless when the city attorney said "We are not challenging that argument." She responded,
"I think I'll just dismiss this one and let you get on with your work."
Ah, the Rock'n'Roll McDonald's. Good times. Good times.
You'd enjoy this thread.
LOL! It's been a long time - right now I'm missing the cheesefries at Gold Coast Dogs, the steak burrito at Taqueria Las Americas and the polish at Wiener's Circle.
My fondest memory of the car jail on Lower Wacker is the 30 min. or so I spent drinking with the winos under the Illinois Center. I had a half jug of wine in the car, and not wanting to drink it on the way home [smirk] I simply gave it away. They invited me to join them . . . I accepted [what the heck]. It was like a scene from a post-apocalyptic B-movie: water dripping from overhead, steam rising from below, dark, dreary, barren . . . I wished for my camera.
Nah, I was suitably (certifiably?) bulletproof.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.