This is yet another email this Oakland, California blogger has received on the Oakland Parking issue. In this case, an $83 ticket was given for an unmarked crosswalk and un-designated “no parking” area – a photo would help here, but it was not provided as of this writing.
Here’s the email, which I was asked to post in this space:
Hi Zennie,
I found you by googling “Oakland parking issue” and am in a dispute with the City of Oakland Parking Assistance Center because I refuse to pay $83.00 for parking in a crosswalk at a place where there was no crosswalk or red curb to mark that it was a no parking zone. They also wrote an address on the ticket that exists far up the road from where I was actually parked. I have written 2 letters to them, but they insist that their information is correct, despite photos (5) that I have also provided them with. I made sure they received my last letter by paying extra at the post office for delivery confirmation, because I felt like nobody really read my first letter.
They got back to me very quickly; I sent the letter on 8/29/11, and I received a letter today, 9/1/11, which was dated yesterday. I see people parking where I parked all the time, and if everyone is getting tickets like I did, then I feel like it is unfair because nobody knows they can’t park there. There is nothing indicating that you can’t park there.
If you feel like this story merits more action, please let me know if you want to help (in ANY way). I might ask my neighbors if they have also received ridiculous parking tickets like this, and if so, I’d like to take this matter further. Maybe the people who work at the parking office have forgotten the value of a dollar. To me, $83 would be the equivalent of 2 days of work, books for my college classes, a new pair of work shoes, groceries for a week, and the list goes on. I feel like this is really unfair, especially in tough times like these. I am sure I am not alone in this thought.
Sincerely,
Nikki Sitzmann
resident of Oakland
If you have a problem with parking in Oakland, California, please send an email to me at [email protected].