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Summerland Parking
updated: Aug 27, 2012, 9:49 AM

By Edhat Subscriber

I parked my truck on Lillie Avenue in Summerland on Friday, August 24th. Signs were posted regarding a paving project. The original days posted stated, "Monday to Tuesday." Vehicles were subject to towing if still on the street on the days posted. Upon my return Sunday afternoon I found my truck gone and all the signs changed. As you can see in the pictures, the days and dates have been changed and don't even coincide. I called the phone number posted and was told to call the CHP. The CHP says it has no knowledge of anything regarding my truck or the change of signs and to call the construction company. The construction company said it has no knowledge of anything either. My truck is gone. Signs have been changed. No one knows anything. Has anyone else had their vehicle towed from Summerland over the weekend? Seems to me that someone's palm is getting greased here.

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Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 313015	2012-08-27 10:01 AM
I think your truck has been stolen.
COMMENT 313017	2012-08-27 10:03 AM
you may have been in the path of the SB Triathlon-illegal to park in a race zone. Bummer for you!
COMMENT 313020	2012-08-27 10:05 AM
Even if you find it, they will charge you an arm and a leg to get it back. I think people in SB that were getting towed for exceeding the 72 -hr limit were getting charged $600 to get their car back. I stopped calling the parking division on cars on my street after I found that out. I don't really want the cars on my street but $600 seems to be too much to me.
D8VANILLA	2012-08-27 10:21 AM
If you don't want to call it in, then put a note on the vehicle along with print-out of the law. But, usually, the Police will "mark" the vehicle and wait the 3 days before they tow. So, one could easily leave the car for more than 3 days. ~~ And, they have to give 3 day notice sign of special "no parking".
COMMENT 313036P	2012-08-27 10:39 AM
It says "County of Santa Barbara, Department of Public Works" with a phone number. Why don't you call them today during business hours. Did you tear down the signs? They appear to be inside on the floor.
COMMENT 313041	2012-08-27 10:45 AM
Clearly the original sign said Mon-Fri and Aug 20-27, and was posted the required 3 days in advance. They may have changed the dates, but only to reduce the number of originally planned days, not to add different days. Therefore, no matter what, you are in the WRONG. Pay up, buttercup. An expensive lesson.
COMMENT 313045	2012-08-27 10:58 AM
041, there is nothing clear about it. It is wrong to call someone else wrong. That is one thing that is clear to me.
COMMENT 313050P	2012-08-27 11:12 AM
313040 - if community conversations are so puerile to you, don't read. Other people find it interesting to read what others encounter, and the feedback. That is what EdHat is all about.
COMMENT 313058	2012-08-27 11:39 AM
OP here. The truck was not stolen, it is in the tow-yard. As much as I appreciate the opinions, I was really looking for someone who had the same experience. The sign doesn't say anything clearly. 041, it says, "Mon. - Fue." On Friday it said, Mon. - Tue. The signs were changed. One of the many people I spoke with this morning admitted his crew changed the signs, but claims the changes were made Thursday morning. Not so. Either way, they hold all the cards ~ and the truck.
COMMENT 313067	2012-08-27 12:28 PM
041: Monday to Friday is 5 days. The 20th to the 27th is 8 days. Nothing about the signs is clear at all.
COMMENT 313076	2012-08-27 12:58 PM
020 - just to be clear here - if your car is towed for exceeding the 72 hour limit in SB City - you will be charged $198.00 for the tow and $44.00 per day storage. SB enforces their parking laws...as they should.
COMMENT 313080	2012-08-27 01:04 PM
I park on Lillie Ave for work. After the initial no parking signs (for Aug 20 and 21, they were changed early Wednesday morning to include Friday Aug 24 and Monday Aug 27. The paving company even stopped in Friday morning to ask if any of the cars parked on the street belonged to us... letting us know the county was going to begin towing soon.
COMMENT 313106	2012-08-27 01:50 PM
These signs are not clear at all. Sorry this happened to you. I would fight this.... The photo makes good evidence to prove your point.
COMMENT 313111	2012-08-27 02:01 PM
It won't do any good to fight it and will just add to your frustration. Pay up, get your car and move forward, lesson learned!
COMMENT 313132	2012-08-27 02:27 PM
SB can't enforce their parking laws at all! In my neighborhood the street sweeping occurs on Wednesday. The parking people have stopped marking or checking on the cars on the weekends. So the people who want to store their car in front of my house have learned to park it on Wednesday after the street sweeping, and then come on Sunday to move it. In that way they never can get caught violating the 72 hr limit on parking. One guy has 5 cars, can only park one at his house, and the other 4 have lived next to me for the past 3 yrs, duct tape and all.
COMMENT 313156	2012-08-27 03:56 PM
Get your car out quickly (to avoid more fees) and take the city to small claims court. You'll win.
COMMENT 313181P	2012-08-27 04:45 PM
had a car towed accidentally once at the orders of local LEO. they admitted the administrative mistake at the dmv and rescinded any fees associated with it but someone still had to pay for the tow and storage of the vehicle.... me.
RHS	2012-08-28 10:23 AM
If you are going to sue, don't sue the city. This is a county jurisdiction. Remember that you have to make a claim to the county risk management people in a timely fashion before you can sue them.
COMMENT 313434	2012-08-28 11:29 AM
Tow trucks are legalized theft. They act with impunity and can charge what they like and take your car with no reason what-so-ever... They are in the pockets of the police (paying kickbacks) and the city (nepotism) and are awarded monopolies. The worst people on the planet are in order 1) Child molesters 2) Parking enforcement officers 3) Tow truck owners 4) Politicians 5) Bankers 5) Anyone who is or likes Donald Trump.
COMMENT 313466	2012-08-28 12:18 PM
The budget deficits are great. I think we need to charge illegal parkers $500 fines, make as much of the area "NO PARKING" zones, tow those cars and make all of them have to pay at least $2,000 to get their car back plus storage charges. Of course I ride a bicycle, walk and take the bus, own a towing company and am in the process of saving the world, protecting the air and the environment and I am much better and healthier than the rest of you and I am also "green" and "sustainable", so there! (or maybe that is sustainable green $$$)
COMMENT 313496	2012-08-28 01:05 PM
434 - I've been a tow truck driver for many years - you are quite misinformed about the towing industry and how it works but that's okay - you don't have to like us. We serve a purpose, we meet a need and there are a lot of people who are happy to see us show up to help them - impounds are a pretty small part of our operation.

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