How to fight Lovely Rita the Meter Maid

September 19, 2006 5:20 PM

How do I beat a city of Los Angeles Parking Ticket?

There was a spot near my block that has, and still has, pointing to it (and only it) "two hour parking." There is a meter pole for the spot (minus the meter). It was a great default spot for a year for me. One night I came home, parked in it and, in the morning?

I discovered they'd painted the curb red.

They hadn't taken down the sign or the pole. Just painted the curb red on a block where the streetlamps are out a tree that hangs overhead blocks what little light there is.

So I contested the ticket based on the signage.

It went into the system, whatever system that is, and then, lo and behold, I got a "Parking: Final Notice" letter where my fine got upped to 160 bucks with penalties and fees. Turns out they'd never done the investigation because you can't charge signage if the ticket specified curb. So they didn't do anything and just charged me interest.

That's been waived and I've requested they investigate the paint (while hoping they look up and see the sign). But is there anything else I can do to fight this parking ticket in the city of Los Angeles? All scurrilous and shady suggestions to use the bueracracy of the city against itself are warmly welcomed.

posted by rileyray3000 to law & government (8 comments total)

So you went to sleep while parked in a two-hour spot, and when you woke up the curb was painted red, the meter pole (and sign) was still there, and you had gotten a ticket? I assume the ticket was for parking in the red zone? What does "you can't charge signage if the ticket specified curb" mean?

Is your argument that the sign takes precedence over the paint because it was there first? I'm a little unclear on when you actually got the ticket and what for, as well as your reason for contesting it.
posted by Doofus Magoo at 6:15 PM on September 19, 2006

I also can't figure out what you mean here. You're in a two-hour spot all night but you get a ticket for parking in a red zone. How exactly are you saying you're in the clear?

Are you trying to beat the rap by saying you were correctly in a two-hour zone and the curb was painted incorrectly?
posted by frogan at 6:40 PM on September 19, 2006

I think that the OP is saying that after habitually parking in the same spot based on the signage and an unpainted curb, it seemed like there was no reason to re-check the curb color every night. Then the ticket pointed out that the curb had at some point acquired a color change. And since the officer wrote up the ticket as a red curb violation, the bureaucracy isn't permitting a defense that addresses any issue other than curb color. i.e So there's no way to raise the dispute based on the presence of the sign.

OP: isn't the ticket contestable in traffic court? Skip the bureaucracy if they're refusing you any recourse, and apply for your day in court. Your local library should have the Nolo Press book and others about how to win a ticket dispute. Go in prepared with evidence and a legal argument more solid than "I didn't look down". Traffic judges are notoriously unwilling to suffer fools, and with throw the book at you if they feel you're just wasting the court's time.

Or...

...estimate the number of hours it will take to research, prep, and present your case, multiply by your hourly wage, factor in the chance of losing -- and just go pay the original fine off while they're still willing to waive the penalties. Yes, it totally sucks and is certainly unfair. But life is short. And, uh, you did violate the red curb and 2 hour limit, so you're on shaky ground at best.</small.
posted by nakedcodemonkey at 6:47 PM on September 19, 2006

Oh, on second thought, the OP is suggesting the curb color was missed because the street light was too dim to see anything.

Hmm. Yeah, I guess you might be able to argue that point. But it'll be tricky to prove how low the light was on the night, because the foliage has probably changed in the interim. Also, you'd better be prepared to give the judge good answers about why you couldn't have possibly have had opportunity to see the curb in better light, despite living nearby and having already argued that you parked in that spot all the time...
posted by nakedcodemonkey at 6:57 PM on September 19, 2006

I feel for you. I've had my run-ins with these people before, and it never ends well. Note that the LA parking nazis suddenly have a very user-friendly website, tho.

If they literally (not figuratively, but literally) painted the curb overnight while your car was in a legal spot, then you have a solid case -- you just need to explain it to them clearly and concisely in whatver forum they deem appropriate (see the website for info). You parked, the city painted, a parking officer ticketed -- end of story. (Forget the sign.) The parking officer had no idea when you got in the spot, but if you explain it, it all makes sense.

Anything else, however, and you gotta pay up -- they have arcane rules that they don't tell you about, such as the one that got me last time: On a 10-block long street, there was one (1) sign that indicated street sweeping hours, located about a quarter-mile from where I parked my car. But the city rules require only one sign per street, no matter how long -- which was explained to me by the ticketing officer, who said her only job was to police this particular "trap" (her word, not mine).
posted by turducken at 7:04 PM on September 19, 2006

I got out of a traffic ticket last week because I couldn't make the first court date, and when I appealed (traffic appeals are evidently granted automatically here), the officer didn't show up for the second. It was for a relatively small offense (rolling through a stopsign), so I imagine the officer just couldn't be bothered to waste another 2+ hours for it. I understand that this isn't uncommon.
posted by gsteff at 8:01 PM on September 19, 2006

estimate the number of hours it will take to research, prep, and present your case, multiply by your hourly wage, factor in the chance of losing

To be fair, don't forget to factor in the satisfaction gained from "beating the system" (obviously weighted by the percent chance of winning).
posted by Doofus Magoo at 6:49 AM on September 20, 2006

Call your LA city council field office. There are a number of employees there whose job is expressly to help constituents navigate the city bureaucracy, and they deal with unjust parking tickets all the time. They will know exactly who to call to resolve the issue--and, trust me, a call from a City Counselor's office will get things resolved a lot faster.

I forget what these helpful employees are called ("field deputies," maybe?) But when you call the field office, just explain that you were given an unfair parking ticket and you'd like to speak to somebody who can help you resolve it. They'll know who to connect you with.

One other tip... Remember that the field deputy is on YOUR side. Do NOT vent your frustration at him or her! No doubt they will try to do their duty no matter how rude you are, but they're human beings, and the more friendly and factual you can be with them, the easier you make it for them to help you.
posted by yankeefog at 1:17 AM on September 21, 2006