beating the rap....

On the morning of November 19, 2006 I was ticketed for not having a current registration sticker and parking in an "illegal" spot in the presidio. The fines for both tickets were $184 which is a large amount of money. It was a crushing blow especially since I have been parking in the same spot off and on for about 1.5 years without incident.

I got my registration for my car on time, placed it in my glove compartment and subsequently forgot about it.... oops. It was now going to cost me $124 in fees and fines. Yikes. That is more than I paid to register my car in the first place! I decided to fight it! I figured that I had a good case since the spot were I was parked is not marked with a red line like the rest of the curbs in my neighborhood.
Here is the spot in question. Notice there is no grass growing near the the curb and obvious use of the area for parking.


This photo show the "scene of the crime" in a closer view. There is no red curb and obvious compaction of the soil where there is no grass growing, indicating impaction caused by multiple cars using the site.
This picture is from across the street with an obvious red line painted on the side of the road. I was in the right and I knew it...

Today I got up super early to go to court downtown and fight for dismissal. I have to admit... the process was smooth. I got there early and was the first to sign up and see the clerks. Everyone was so helpful and friendly and were accommodating to everyone. They were even smiling! It was a pleasant experience. Not at all like our lovely DPT folks who look at you with scorn as they help you...The clerks saw my photos and documentation verifying that my car was registered and dismissed both counts. I was so happy!