Los Angeles, Unsafe in Park

In the final days of 1983 or 4, one of California's finest, gave me a speeding ticket. I was the only car on that stretch of freeway, traveling exactly at 55, then the speed limit, and he turned on his lights while he was still on the interchange lane and didn't clock me one inch or use radar.

In the mid-80s, an LAPD decided I needed a ticket for something and kept me under close scrutiny until he made me so nervous that I made a minor mistake, then he jumped all over me. He referenced to the high traffic, only a few cars passed the location the entire time he was writing me up. He claimed that I didn't look before making a lane change (which I did) and he was 200 feet ahead of me by then on a motorcycle.

The last moving violation was driving home from the museum where I had just been volunteering, the first Sunday in January about eight years ago. The ticket said I was going 70 and driving in the #1 and #2 lanes. When I saw him get on the freeway two minutes earlier, I looked at my speedometer and was going 55, then the speed limit. When I noticed his light behind me two minutes later, I looked at my speedometer and I was going 55. I never left the lane I was in, was not tail-gating, passing, or weaving. I was driving textbook. I politely but firmly told him he was mistaken and he told me I was entitled to my opinion.

The last two I challenged in court and won both.

Ken Larson

No permit, I had a permit. Pomona about 1976.

No parking at that time, I read all three signs and believed I could park there, Beverly Hills, about 1979.

No parking any time, I was 30 miles away, Los Angeles, about 1986. Contested and won.

Not sure why, 15 minutes left on meter, Santa Monica, about 1995.

No parking that time, sign was wrong, Los Angeles, 1999. Contested and won.

Ken Larson

Ken Larson

I have thoroughly read this article, and highly commend you for the detailed account and the lengths you went to....besides your full understanding of what their outrageous revenue game is there with their might-makes-right "parking enforcement"....and your on-target philosophical conclusions. I've been going through it with them for 3 months. (Last time I was in LA was 4 yrs ago for a day and a half, and before that only a total of about 4 days in my entire life.) What I have uncovered so far has blown my mind. I don't know how or why the people in Los Angeles have tolerated that crap for so long. (Lockheed Martin IMS Corp IS the LA Parking Violations Bureau, under contract with the city since 1994 for purpose of increasing city revenue and profits for its stockholders from their cut of the take on parking violations, be they valid or bogus such as yours.) Lockheed, using the City's name and city seal, sends all the idiotic "you lose" form letters. No one is accountable there in thatracketeering game they've got going in parking enforcement....and as you experienced, there is a sweeping void of conscience. The City's hired hands and their superiors (like the stoneheaded ones deliberately writing wrongful tickets) work in concert with the PVB (Lockheed) whose methods and actions are downright unlawful. I've asked privately to others, "What planet are these people living on?" "Is all of Los Angeles filled with crazy people?" "Why hasn't there been an uprising there?"

My "story" isn't ready for publication yet, and is still not resolved as yours is (thanks to your tenacity). I would ask if you could put your "Los Angeles, Unsafe in Park" story, as is, on the consumer fraud website RipOffReport.com. It's gotten much attention nationally, and there are countless stories of rip offs from all over the country.....everything from government agencies to car dealers....to insurance companies, etc. The site's producer (who I know and have worked with) has been begging me to put my story of the LA parking enforcement rip off scam on the site, but I'd rather wait until more is resolved by my lawyers. (It involves almost $2,000.) What IS so good about the site is that it stirs reactions from others.......people who have been similarly victimized. The RipOffReport.com web site was begun 3 years ago and has mushroomed. If you click it on, you'll see what I mean. (No cost, of course, to put your story on it.).

The fellow who started it got royally screwed monetarily here in Arizona by local government and now offers everyone all over the world to tell their own stories of rip-offs from their personal experience.

Again, thanks for taking the time to write your story.

Hi, my name is Terri and I am in the middle of a parking ticket contestation similar to yours. I came up with your site when I searched under Los Angeles Municipal Code Section 80.69(a). I too received a parking ticket when I parked in front of an incorrect sign for no parking. My sign said no parking on Fridays and I received the ticket on a Tuesday. What I did not know was that there was supposed to be another sign on top which stated no parking, but that was missing from the sign that I took to be correct. So far I lost my appeal. The admistrative decision was that I should have been aware that the sign was incorrect. I am appealing it again, and now it is going to cost me $25 plus time off work. Maybe your letters will help me as I took them off your web site. Just wanted you to know there is another person frustrated with the bureaucracy out there.....Terri

In research on the Internet in preparation for the long delayed Administrative Hearing in Inglewood on three pending parking citations, I ran across your interesting web site. My series of tickets beginning last year primarily have to do with parking my motorcycles although the final citation was for an automobile with an alleged overtime parking meter violation.

Each citation has what I consider to be a fatal flaw in that the specific code and section violated is not shown on the ticket issued. There are additional cirucmstances on three of the citations which should lead to dismissals in the final analysis.

My score on the first three tickets is two dismissed, one taken to Superior Court and overturned. Two of the more recent tickets are based on the same circumstances as the one that I took to court. The parking meter violation is being contested on the failure to list the specific code and section. I note that the Los Angeles Parking Ticket, unlike those issued currently in Inglewood, does show a Code and Section.

I certainly have no objection to being properly cited when I am illegally parked and I pay those citations without a murmur. I do object to improper citations as you did. If you would like, I'll let you know the outcome of my Administrative Hearing set on the remaining three tickets, set for May 22.

Oh, and I discovered that all of my preparation for the court hearing was for naught since the Inglewood City Attorney does not appear on court contested parking violations.

F. P. Russell, Jr.

Mr. Larson,

Sir I have tried to read your letters to the city of LA and I have found I could not continue,,,the frustration level I was feeling was overwhelming. I really could sympathize with you. Recently I was issued a ticket early the morning of the city election last month.. I found a ticket on my car in my driveway for parking on my front yard. which was totally untrue.. my driveway was being repaired on one side so my left side tires were actually stopped on my lawn. In any event I thought restricted parking was by notorious posting of signage imagine getting a ticket for parking on my own private property.. I would appreciate any input from you...

. I actually saw those parking guys give tickets for unexpired parking on Colorado Blvd in OLD Towne... I wish I had a cam corder then.

K. Lee

Dear Mr. Larson:

Since my truck got towed for parking tickets I am not only not guilty of, but have been fighting diligently, I am embarking on a full-scale assault to fight the rampant corruption within the PVB.

O. Matlin

I too was cited for parking tho the ticket said if i can show it was disabled car, then it would be waived...they ignored my documentattion and the ticket keeps going up to over 100 bucks now.....not fair

Unidentified

Hello Ken,

What do you make of the common sight of "No Parking, street cleaning" signs that have white tape over the actual day and time parking is prohibited?

With no specific day and time how can one know when parking is prohibited?

Do you think the Parking Officers are putting tape on the signs? BTW, this does not stop them from ticketing.

Maybe I should remove the tape from the signs in front of a Parking Officer and see what happens?

G. Strickland

Ken,

Please add my name to your list. I have had 3 of these...

K. G. Norton

Hi, I too got a parking ticket which was not placed on my car. All of a sudden I got this delinquent notice with additional $130 on top of my $24.00 ticket. I wrote them a letter stating that I never recieved the ticket, however, I will pay for the ticket to resolve this issue but I will not pay for the additional $130 delinquent charges. They took the $24 and sent me a letter stating that they investigated and confirmed that the ticket is mine. How do I fight it? where do I go from here?

S. Kandasamy

Hi, Ken,

Yes, I. too, received a ticket for complying with two signs on the post near me, not knowing that on every other post there was a 3rd sign, requiring me to "curb my wheels", on a street that had such a gradual grade, I would never have though I was on a hill. This was, though, in West Hollywood. Although I protested the ticket with photos of "my sign", and conpared it to the next signs in either direction, and they said they would do a "field investigation", they still found that "the violation is valid", without giving me any explanation, whatsoever! In this particular case, though I was steaming mad, as you were, as the sign was still not replaced, and I just knew it was so some parking person could continue giving tickets there, my boss had paid for the citation, so I let it go.

This was also because I have been having my own running war with the City of LA for parking a trailer outside my house; being cited invalidly for being there over 72 hours (sometimes even a couple of hours after I have just moved it); being harassed by a very unstable parking lady (won't answer questions; won't look at me; just shouts accusations, who is "out to get me" (and, no, I'm NOT paranoid!); and having it towed twice which caused me to have to pay impound fees to get it out, all because of a neighbor 2 doors down, on a busy street, who thinks it "spoils the neighborhood", so calls relentlessly, causing the LAPD to do a "sweep" (this was admitted to me by the guy at the towyard). They didn't even ticket me (proving there was no violation), just impounded me. I requested a hearing in the very beginning, and no one ever contacted me. I'm supposed to be sent a notice to appeal the two, but it is never sent to me. Add to this, I had been given confliciting information by not only the DMV (I was told that a handicap sticker would exempt me from the 72 hour rule); then told, by a Parking Officer (supervisor), that the DMV was wrong, and also told that there was nothing illegal about having someone stay overnight in my vehicle. So I feel sorry for a VietNam Vet friend who has been given the runaround with disability benefits from the VA (talk about other government beurocracies), and let him stay, rent free in my trailer, while he's waiting for his checks, only to find out, when talking to LAPD, that THEY. instead, say that, NO, that's considered "overnight camping", and is, indeed, illegal, and that LA Parking is wrong. Then they explain to me, that for any parking issue, that the "most restrictive law" is correct, and that it is beholdent on me, the layperson, to figure out who to listen to, and if I am wrong, guess what, I'm SOL! The only advice I got from one policeman re: the nasty neighbor and the "sweep" was to "call my councilwoman"! (Please, tell me what happened to you when you contacted the Mayor -shold I just skip my councilwoman?) So, that's what I was about to do (I haven't paid ANY of my tickets, by the way, the whole situation just became too overwhelming, and my husband was sick and dying), when I thought I'd search for anyone else who might be in my predicament, and I found YOU! (By the way, I live in Studio City, so I'll check out that sign you were cited for on Weddington).

So, in short, yeah, let's start an expose on these crooks!

And, keep me "posted" (if you'll excuse the pun!)

M. Kelley

Hello Kenneth,

I'd just like to be added to your list. I got a parking ticket on Thanksgiving morning for parking in the alley behind my apartment, while I was loading my car. While I was loading my car! While I was going up and down the stairs, I got a ticket in an alley with no signs.

There were no places to park, since the area i live in is in Korea Town, cars fill the street. I actually moved my car from Vermont to load my car. I was really angry that morning after the ticket, but I'll pay the ticket, since I have no resources to do otherwise.

Thanks,
Ollie

Yesterday (12/24), I went to my mailbox and was surprised to find a collection notice for a supposed parking violation, commited almost a year ago (1/24/04), while my vehicle was parked in Los Angeles downtown. I was totally surprised as I've never seen this ticket on my car. Neither did I receive any subseqeunt notices, contrary to what this collection notice claimed.

Since the office is close, I tried to look up the citation to find out what the violation was (it just says "Display of"). Nowhere can I find any description of this citation, although I can get to an online payment option and the citation will come up for payment.

After reading about your experience, I become more convince that there must be some conspiracy by this private subcontractor to deliberately withheld this tickets, as well as not mail out notices (maybe even mail them to wrong addresses), in order to maximize their earning. I bet, they're getting a percentage of the collection. They probably also get more money when a citation is sent to collection.

The total amount is only $81.00 ($69.00 for fine & penalty and $12.00 for collection fee).

Ordinarily, it's not worth my time to even spend 10 minutes on this. It's tempting to just pay it and forget about it. But I'm really sick and tired of these corrupt City official conniving with private companies to milk the public illegally.

Also, I wonder if they're targeting specific profile. Those who will most likely not contest this and simply pay up. I wonder if owning a late model Lexus and living in Newport Beach in Orange County may have something to do with this as well.

It will be interesting to know how often this thing happen.

Andrew

Hello Ken,

I'm a writer/director living in LA. I just read your article online about how the LA parking patrol tried to scam you. Unfortunately, the reason I was looking for such an article is that I am in a similar situation at the moment. I don't want to take up too much of your time, but you might be the only one who can help me.

My situation is...
1. I committed no violation
2. A patrol attendant knew I committed no violation, yet decided to issue a citation after the fact, without my knowledge
3. I was fined additionally for late fees on a citation I never knew about
4. It took the city so long to tell me about the citation that I can supposedly no longer fight it

On November 30, 2004, I was moving a desk into my apartment in Los Angeles. My lease began December 1, so I wanted to have everything in the day before. I pulled my car into the alley behind my house and safely parked to the side of the road. I put my flashers on, just as a precaution, while we moved the desk. After about five minutes, my wife and I had the desk inside the apartment and I was ready to leave. I returned to my vehicle to find the LA parking patrol looking at my car. When I explained that I was moving a desk, the woman said harshly "You're lucky. Don't do it again." She drove off, and then I left to return to North Hollywood, where I was currently still living.

February 14, 2005, a citation was mailed to a former address of mine in Pennsylvania. [I had recently driven the car cross-country, and (at the time) had not registered for permanent residence in CA.] My parents forwarded the letter to me this past week, and I was furious to see what it said...

It said I owed $83.00 for a "standing in alley" citation on November 30. The letter gave no information on how to contest the citation, only how to pay. I called the hotline and talked to a rep who told me A) it is now too late to contest the citation, even though i was never made aware of it B) $43.00 of my fine were from late fees, which were the fault of LA taking 3 months to get in touch with Pennsylvania and C) municipal code 86.61 says that it is lawful to park in an alley to move "materials and people," which would include my desk.

I called again twice more, talking to 2 more reps, and all of them said that there is nothing I can do. Not one of them had sympathy for my situation, even though it was clear to them that I committed no violation.

WHAT DO I DO? I'm running out of options. If I don't pay within the next 10 days, the fine will double again. Any help you could give would mean the world to me, as I'm fighting a system that everyone tells me I can't beat. I'm not a rich man. I really could use that money. But, more importantly, I can't sleep at night. It bothers me to no end that we live amidst a system so corrupt. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
B. Martin

I was cited for parking violation on 28th November 2004, at Larrabee Street. The Citation Number was: 20173677. I felt that there were not enough signs to know that the parking spot was permit only. I immediately filed to contest this violation both on paper and then online.

Later I received a letter, dated 01/18/2005, titled "Reminder: Notice of Delinquent Parking Violation". I was surprised. I called the Customer Service Line. I was told that my appeal was under review and that I was sent a letter. I never received the mentioned letter. The person told me that I would be mailed the letter again.

I kept waiting for the result of my appeal until I received another letter, dated 04/05/2005, titled "Unpaid Parking Violation: Final Notice". The amount had also increased from $39 to $80.

I talked to the customer service again. The person told me that I gave the wrong address (didnt write down my apratment number) so I am responsible for not getting any letters and that I should pay up or the amount will continue to increase.

If the city can send me the reminder and final notice at the right address then why can't they send me the letter about the appeal at the correct address as well? I mean, I would have the amount, have I known that the appeal had been dealt with. I think the extra fee is unjustified. Also, the people I talked to at the Customer Service line were rude. I have already paid the original $39 (even though I still am not clear about the status of my appeal). They still want me to pay the late fee. They say there is nothing I couldnt do about it as I made the mistake of not writing down my apartment number and now I have to pay for it.

I feel so upset.

Regards, A. K.