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.
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.
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