VOTE NO ON PARKING TICKET SCAM! VOTE NO ON PROPOSITION A

Two weeks ago my daughter called me crying. Her car got booted – the cost, $950.00, her entire two week paycheck, plus a loan from her Dad. I have been giving her lunch money ever since that day to help her out.

Today in the Mission District, it’s my turn. I was shocked when I got out of the restaurant to see my car was booted. I called the number on the notice. Nobody can help me unless I go to the newly furnished office of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) which oversees Department of Parking and Traffic on Van Ness and Mission. It was already 4:00 pm. Luckily, 3 elderly Latinas gave me a ride. God bless their heart.

At the MTA Office, there was a room full of people, worried and upset. Suddenly, the monies they thought they had to pay their regular household bills were gone. They now have to pay their other bills later in order to retrieve their cars, without which they cannot work. The room is set up like a theater. People were waiting for their numbers to come up. On stage, is a line of city employees paid by the tax payers, comfortably nestled in their chairs behind bullet proof windows.

I was no different from the others. I argued that I should not have been booted because I have challenged tickets which are under review. The clerk asked me for the proof. I said well, “the proof you are asking for is in the trunk of my car which is sitting where it was booted.” So I asked, “What do I need to do to get my car?” She said, “For $650.00 you can have your car back.” I asked, “Can I write a check?”… Oh, they only take cash, visa, MasterCard, or debit card. They don’t take checks. I told them “I only have checks and $20.00 in my pocket book. I had not planned to get robbed by the Department of Parking and Traffic today.”

"VOTE FOR PROP A, SAVE THE WORLD"

It was already 4:45 pm and my bank was 20 minutes away. Department of Parking and Traffic closes at 5:00 pm. So I asked, “What about my car?” She said, “It’s okay, you have 72 hours to retrieve your car.” “72 hours?” I asked. “How about if my car gets broken into sitting out there in the open?” She just looked at me cold like I was wasting her time.

I forgot. This bureaucrat’s sole mission is to part me from my hard earned money.

Then, I called Aaron Peskin’s office to see if they could help. I spoke to his aide. Though sympathetic, she told me that when she had a problem, she had to pay by credit card. I called Wade Crowfoot of the Mayor’s Office, who did not return my phone call.

Why did I call these people?

I guess I just wanted to know why having the MTA control parking tickets, fines, and parking issues and have them raise the fines to any amount they want without any oversight is a good thing. The MTA plans to raise an additional $150 Million per year. Where would these additional monies come from? …More parking tickets, higher parking ticket fines, higher meter rates, higher parking fees, etc.

The Mayor and Supervisor Peskin are pushing hard to win Proposition A – Proposition A is supposed to fix all our problems from global warming to making Muni better; to making our traffic problems go away. No, Proposition A is about control and money – more money from the tax payers.

So while we San Franciscans have to dodge bullets and be on the look out for street muggers, we have to be prepared to meet the biggest mugger of them all – the MTA.

Mayor, how does it feel being driven around by a limo without having to park at all? Supervisor Peskin, how does it feel not to worry about getting ticketed? So Mayor Newsom, Supervisor Peskin, please remind me again why we should vote for Proposition A?