I had a bizarre series of events spread out over 1/2 a year during which my vehicle was 'booted' twice and towed twice, the windshield was broken on drivers' side, further tickets, DMV wouldn't allow me to register the vehicle because BPD put a hold on it, and I finally lost it when they denied me my RIGHT to a 'tow hearing' thereby they just gave it to the tow company to sell. And all this after making an agreement with me, that if they had honored their end, to avoid all this. For what? I parked on a block that in the morn I was there a few minutes too late, and later that day, a street sweeping was going to come. No street sweeping was prevented nor interfered with. Or "Improper Display of Disabled Placard". I even had photographic proof that one of the tickets was just bunk, and violated their own published policies, but they wouldn't honor that. Because then they wouldn't have had enough tickets to do all they did to me. I was 'between places' at the time so lodging out of my vehicle. I am a senior citizen with disabilities. They knew this, but still just jerked me around for months then screwed me, stole my truck, making me homeless in the streets. The Sgt. that reneged on her 'agreement' with me (Murphy) has since retired from BPD and taken an exec job at an animal shelter. She'll double-cross a disabled senior to take his truck and put him on the street homeless, but now spares animals from that demise. You just can't even make this stuff up! Then they lied about it. They are crooks doing a scam. People, they try to avoid letting you know that you have a Right to both a 'boot hearing' and/or a 'tow hearing'. You CAN also make only a partial payment and have your vehicle released AT NO COST. I did. For traffic tickets, please note that the Federal Court ruled that 'administrative courts' (the kind Berkeley uses) are UNCONSTITUTIONAL and unlawful. read more

OMG, I didn't know there was a place to share stories about encounters with Berkeley Parking Enforcement (aka "meter maids"). You know, you would expect citizens to be treated better in one of the most progressive towns in the SF Bay Area. But no way, because parking enforcement is a form of revenue for the city. Let's see, I was somewhere in downtown Berkeley. I was parked, and I was playing with my GPS. I had put $$$ in the meter, but it had just expired as a meter maid pulled up behind me. Actually, it was a guy. He comes up and points to the meter. I told him I'm about to leave. Then he starts this complicated discussion about how I'm occupying a space and I need to pay to sit in that space. I felt like I was in a Physics class. As soon as he walked back to his scooter, I pulled away from the space. But of course, I find a ticket in the mail. Thanks alot, next time use BART. ---------------------------------------- BART- for you non-locals, BART is the electric train system or subway read more

Meter expired at 11:13, I get to my car at 11:14 with a ticket. Are you kidding me? Not to mention the time I was ticketed while picking up a to go order with my hazards on. Oh but the abandoned cars, vehicles parking in front of fire hydrants for days, and cars parked across my driveway never receive anything. Thanks ... read more

Less than one star. Parked legally, still got a ticket on Fifth St. Assholes. Do meter maids have friends?

There's no parking enforcement in our near Downtown communities. Our residents are constantly having outside cars parked for days and over a week. There's 2 hour parking limit, but has not been enforced for several years. People seems to know this, and our streets weren't even sweeped due to these blocked vehicles. However, you will see these meter maids constantly giving out tickets in front of Equinox. Berkeley government is no different than communist. read more

Berkeley Parking Enforcement is OK, now that I've figured out most of the rules and how to game them. It's actually great sport once I decided that getting even, rather than mad was a better way to go. Take my Cal Class tonight and my close attention to metered parking versus the neighborhood time limit. Those little City "golf carts" pretty much ignore the latter. However, life isn't perfect as I was recently caught up in the "Street Sweeping" ticket scam. What's next, snow removal days? My friend Tam's 2012 Sticker ticket reminds me of a small town Iowa cop who tickets everyone driving 5 mph over an artificially low local speed limit. It has nothing to do with strict enforcement and parking "equity", and everything to do with shameless revenue generation. read more

I would refer to them as Nazis, but for fear that I would inadvertently give Nazis an unfair rap. I heard both agents today speak to EVERYONE at their windows with unmasked contempt. Especially anyone with an accent. It was horrific. Oh, and they never received my payments for three tickets (though my online banking shows that they cashed my checks), so they say I now owe them all of the late fees on top of everything else... about $700. Are you ****ing kidding me? Seriously, these people are working here because they didn't have the science background necessary to spray cologne into kitten's eyeballs for cosmetics companies, and because the Klan doesn't have dental benefits. read more

Another bad review for Berkeley Parking Enforcement? It's not for the cops who have given me countless tickets. Instead, I'd like to talk about the bad practices here. You thought DMV was bad? Berkeley Parking Customer Service Center takes it to the next level. I've already paid for my renewal online; it's just that my permit hasn't come in the mail. Even so, with proof of purchase and everything, they said I would be ticketed if I parked on the street. As a returning customer and a resident with proof of residency, this is a horrible way to treat your customers. They even said I can't pick it up in the office and I'd have to wait for it to be mailed. The office is less than a mile away. Seriously? I've paid and done my dues as a citizen, let me have my parking. Even DMV allows exceptions and fix-it cases. Also, the people here are some of the rudest I've met. You thought DMV employees had a bad day? These guys honestly make me hate their jobs for them. At the very least, be cordial to your customers if they are asking genuine questions. No need for attitude. I can't wait to move out of this city, as dear as it is to my heart, if it doesn't get its act together. TIP: There's really no alternative. They have a monopoly. Welcome to the broken political system of America. read more

I'll keep it simple. The Parking Maid outside where I work waits for the clock to strike 4, when the street is then illegal to park on. We have an alarm set to alert our customers and employees to move their cars before 4. Sometimes someone runs out at 4:01 - and she is ticketing. Fine, its past time It IS the law... Sure. Reason I'M WRITING because she is the most unkind, downright AWFULLY MANNERED person I've ever dealt with in a payed position of work. Always rude, Always mad at us and our clients, like we've just committed an offense against humanity. She literally YELLS at us. Its an insult to us as citizens of a city that then we're treated like trash. And ticketed anyway, every time. Shame on Berkeley. Shame on the Maid who uses this as power to abuse people. Shame on all involved who pretend its not a problem. read more

I think it is poor that the enforcement spends their time going after people who can pay the tickets, however spend zero time cleaning up and taking care of moving along serious issues. A quick drive down Harrison st, adjacent to Gilman, and there are countless rvs, cars with blown out tires, and trailers thats do not move from weeks to months. There was even a dude with a wrecked boat on a trailer for a while who walked because he didnt have a car, and proceeded set up in front of our business making make shift forts and spewing trash into the streets. I watch both the cops and meter maids just drive on by daily. Also some of the meter maids who I have chatted to are flat out ass holes. There are a couple nice ones out there, but for the most part they are jerks. I think you need to fail a personality test to get a job with them. I just don't think its really fair if they target those who can pay for the ticket and ignore the other messes they don't want to deal with and won't get anything from. I get it, its a revenue thing. But I'm already paying an absurd amount to live here, and being a legit tax payer, seeing that makes it pretty frustrating to want to put a check in the mail for not getting back to your car because It was parked in one spot for a little over two hours, while others can spew their trash and live down the road for as long as they want. Case closed. Berkeley meter maids eat their young read more

Two tickets over the past year: 1. Ticket for expired meter when the meter wasn't expired 2. Legit ticket I paid, went to collections after I sent proof of payment. Tight ship, ya got there Berkeley. read more

Amazed to find that we can actually review these folks. Some years ago, while driving in the pouring rain with my toddler and looking for parking, I thought I had found a spot but saw it had a temporary "no parking/construction" sign. I pulled closer and slowed down to read the sign then was about to pull away when a large, angry woman in a meter cart pulled up next to me and started yelling that I knew what I was doing was illegal and she was giving me a ticket for it. I asked her what was she ticketing me for but she just kept yelling "you know what you was doing!" We both repeated this call and response a few times, and she refused to clarify what she was ticketing me for. I drove away, then later got the citation in the mail stating that it was for "parking too far from the curb". How about not even being parked at all? Total @$$holes. read more

So my fiancé just gave birth to our beautiful daughter. Went out to buy her some food. I parked at a parking space as I was downloading the stupid parking app thing got out my car was confused to how this thing works. I walked away trying to pay for this space. Not even 30 seconds later I walked back to look up the space number and I see a freaken ticket on my windshield. The city of Berkeley are just money hungry with obviously parking maids having nothing to do. They denied my appeal. Go worry about the homeless people and abandoned vehicles on the street and clean up the city jerks read more

Luckily, I don't have a car, so I don't have to deal with parking tickets. All my friends who do, however, have gotten 2-3 parking tickets each on average. One of my friends even told me about this one time where he came out to move his car less than a minute after his time was up, and there was already someone writing up a ticket for him. However, if you know when they do the checks, you might be able to get around this, although I think you have better luck winning the lottery. One of my old RAs in Bowles would move his car every morning at 8am, which was apparently when they checked the Bowles parking lot everyday. He woke up late one time and ended up getting a ticket that day. Pretty soon, people will probably have to start writing letters like these: http://www.dump.com/2010/04/09/man-gets-parking-ticket-less-than-a-minute-after-parking-pic/. read more

Sweet Street Sweeping Non-Ticketing: Jan.8 (Tues) I have no idea why these clowns are going through the motions -- today IS NOT the First Tuesday of the month for scheduled street weeping. They cannot legally ticket my vehicle (and did not, whew!). So today they ticket the "parked wrong side" -- actually, "parked more than 18" from [opposite side of street] curb; LOL. I reflect that last week, in anticipation of omg-the-first-tuesday-happens-to-be-new-years-day-holiday, the street sweepers motored down the middle of the street (again, "going through the motions") on the day-before (Mon, new-yrs-eve). As we all were parked here, knowing it is a city holiday, the sweeping would have been useless, save for the fact of the irreparably neglected asphalt: thanks for spewing the gravel. Have a great year y'all. Clearly gets 5-stars: "as good as it gets" (sadly) in Berkeley CA read more

I love Daniel A.'s review for this, suggesting that Berkeley Parking Enforcement (aka Meter Maids & ...? Meter Men?) doesn't like us because we're writing dissertations while they're writing tickets. So 5 stars for that review, just as an aside. That said, in the 8 weeks since I've been working at UC, I've gotten 6 parking tickets. Just to up the ratio a bit, about 1/2 of that time, I've parked in prepaid lots where getting a ticket was impossible. Now, you might think that at over a ticket and a half a week, I must not be trying. I must just park at an hour meter and go away for 3, or put the car in a 2 hour zone and park all day. But no, I'm actually trying! I'm running out there every couple of hours, checking, moving, putting in money, whatever it takes. Since I was unemployed for a bit, and haven't gotten a full paycheck yet, I'll admit, I was putting off paying these little suckers. So yesterday (a Friday, of course) I come out to my car, so that I can pick up my son from school, and ...huh? am I crazy? There's no car. Frankly, I was almost hoping it'd been stolen, but the writhing eels in the pit of my stomach told me the truth: I'd been towed. By the time I'd ascertained this, it was 4. The office closes at...4:30 (because so many people come out to their car after they get off work at, say, 1:00pm?) They said if I got in AT 4:30, they'd let me in. I got a ride, traffic was heavy, and it was...4:32. When they told me they couldn't let me in, I began, with all sincerity, to puddle up. We have little enough money as it is, and I realized that with a 3 day weekend my storage charges would mean that it cost more than the car was worth. The woman took pity on me. Not only did she let me in, she called the towing place, AND the city jail, where I would have to pay yet more money, knocked off what she could on the tickets that weren't actually overdue, and muttered, "They shouldn't have even towed you unless it was over $1000". She was a saint. While she was trying to talk to my bank to let them change the charges, another woman was making other calls on my behalf. I can't divulge their names, because they said their street cred would be shot, but these women were angels. If an agnostic sinners prayers can be heard, there is a place for them in heaven some day. See my next review for East Bay Tow, but in the meantime, the score is: Meter Maids: -5 Parking Violations Office Ladies: +6 read more

EDIT: 4.30.08 I am sitting in my car NOT EVEN PARKED in a spot, waiting for a parking spot... and the stupid parking enforcement chalks my tire anyway? Is he friggin anticipating me parking and just getting a head start on me or what? Seriously... is there a quota that they have to meet? do they get paid on commission? parking nazi's Free parking starts at 6pm (reads clock at 5:58) meter maid handing out tickets! wtheck? give people some slack gee wiz. It's because of you I have to leave class early to move my car. That I am thinking in my head while trying to get my educukashion if I am getting a ticket right now. Being a responsible person I parked my motorcycle on the street instead of blocking the sidewalk like the other irresponsible motorcycle riders... Needless to say you gave me a ticket even though I did not take up 1/10th of a parking spot. Next time I will just park like the other idiots and block the sidewalk off instead of NOT taking up a parking spot on the street. A@%holes, one day I am going to shove your little cart over. read more

The Berkeley meter maids - sorry, is Parking Enforcement Officer more PC now? - know my car. They don't like it. They say they just don't like the fact that it has no front license plate (in fact they say so very often). But I know there's more to it than that. Take Officer Boscoe, for example. I'm pretty sure he looks for my car when he can't fill his quota. "Oh, yeah... that funny looking SUV thing on Northside is probably doing something wrong right now." I once let a friend borrow my car and she got ticketed on the opposite side of Berkeley for a three-minute meter violation. It was Boscoe. Maybe he's just bored. Maybe he's evil. Do they think my budget accounts for a $25 donation to the City of Berkeley every week? But I know the real reason they're so mean to us. It's because they write tickets while we write dissertations. While we're proving the linguistic grounding of notions of the self and stipulating the placement of beams in the new section of the Bay Bridge, they're driving a golf cart around the same two blocks for eight hour shifts. Yet they get to make us criminals. Someday, Officers, we delinquent parkers are going to invent robots to do your jobs. And they're going to be a lot friendlier. read more

A few months ago, I parked on 4th Street, paid my meter and did a little shopping. I returned to my car with time still on the meter and a ticket on my car. Why? Well, I hadn't yet put my 2011 sticker on my car and was given a ticket for "expired plates". Yep, a parked car ticketed for ANYTHING in Berkeley. Instead of fighting this $25.00 ticket (I had the sticker in the glove box), I just sent a check in for the damn thing. Wouldn't you know it, but a couple of months later, I got a collection notice in the mail from the City of Berkeley for an unpaid parking ticket. WTF. I had a registered vehicle, I paid the friggin ticket and now this? I promptly called, and was informed that it was really a "collection company that can't report to a credit bureau" but to send a copy of my check to them from my bank. If there weren't so many cool things to do in Berkeley and especially on 4th Street I wouldn't go back. read more

In the past year, I've gotten to know Berkeley Parking Enforcement quite well. Expired meters, 2 hour parking violations, street cleaning citations, expired tags, tickets back to back: I've seen it all. Having just moved from a city that did not enforce residential parking, I was not initially aware of this urban phenomenon called street cleaning. That is, of course, until I got my first ticket. OK, got it now, I told myself: Just make sure not to park on the third Friday of every month and you'll be fine. But, because BPE is so thoughtful and kind, it just can't seem to let you go without a monthly surprise. Just as I was about to move my car the next month to a parking garage, I saw another citation. Street sweeping is on Thursdays now? Fine, I guess I can just park on the street. But for some reason, I decide to move my car to an open spot on the other side of the street, so that it'd be immediately in front of my house. And, lo and behold, I got another ticket the next day. That's when I realized different sides of the street were cleaned on different days. The next month brought me even more surprises: I lived on a T-intersection and BPE kindly taught me that the cleaning dates on the crossing street were different. I also learned that my residential permit did not apply to every spot on my street and that the sign needed to explicitly mention the permit exemption. And I once drove a friend to CREAM, just two blocks away from my house, and walked him home after, forgetting that we'd driven there: It was 24 hours and three parking tickets later that I realized I had inadvertently left my car in a metered spot. In many ways, parking citations are a tax you simply have to accept living in a city. But the sheer ruthlessness with which parking ordinances are enforced, the ambiguous and often obstructed signage, and the paucity of parking make these fines difficult to swallow. Get in your car to leave just as a parking enforcement officer is pulling up behind you? Well, you better get out fast because he/she might write you up as you are driving away! Forget to update the tag on your parked car and haven't driven it in 48 hours since it expired? Well, brace yourself for three little notes on your dashboard. It's not as if we don't try -- As much as the city needs the money, who wants to dish out $50+ bucks for a street cleaning ticket? Circling for a spot on the right side of the street the night before sweeping, making sure you've read all the signs within 100 feet from your car, parking 6 blocks from your home on the night of a football game, ensuring that your car doesn't creep into any colored curb territory: You do it all, yet somehow they manage to get you. It's not that I could have flown to Paris and back with all the money that I've spent on parking tickets that gets me the most: It's knowing that you've done your best, but being told you're just not good enough, even when you've followed the rules. That if you get an unwarranted ticket, it's best to pay it than waste an entire day contesting it. And that even in your own front yard, you're helpless. read more

These guys are real pricks. I went to my sister's house to pick up my parents for the airport. While my parents are packing, I tried to go to the pharmacy for pick up some stuff for my father, but found most surrounding streets are closed off due to a street fair on Solano. Under time pressure, I had to return to the house. By then my parking spot was taken. I had no choice but to park by the red curb, and I left my flashers on. Sure enough, 7 minutes later I came out with my parents luggage and found a parking ticket on the wind shield. I wrote in for an administrative review, detailed the situation I was facing, and told them my mother could hardly walk due to her diabetes and a stroke years ago. They wrote a one-liner back: "parking by the red curb is prohibited at all times" They probably didn't read my letter at all. I mean I didn't have a choice, I left the flashers on, and I left the car for only a few minutes. There's nothing else I could POSSIBLY do at the moment. These assholes are obviously out to make some money. When I drove my parents off to the airport I found all surrounding streets are PACKED, and dozens of parking reinforcement cars were out praying on their next victim. This is a TRAP. I suggest anyone who's considering going to the street fair on Solano realize the Berkeley Parking Enforcement is using it as a way to earn a few bonus bucks. I can afford the $51 parking ticket, but I won't let this slip till the mayor and the state representatives are aware of these pricks. read more

I was on Solano the other day, I literally watched a meter jerk walk up to a car and begin writing a ticket while this woman was loading a lamp into her car. The woman had literally just pulled over in front of the lamp shop to pick it up, she opened her hatchback, placed the lamp in the car and by the time she went to drive away this meter jerk was writing down her VIN. This entire situation from the woman stopping her car and her driving away was less than two minutes. This is wrong on so many levels: 1, when you first pull over, you should have more than 30 seconds to have the opportunity to buy a damn meter ticket before that jerk starts writing you a real ticket. 2, the minimum purchase is 12 minutes, if you are loading, you are required to waste extra money, sometimes up to 10 minutes if you're quick to load- this is brings in some serious ill-gotten revenue for the city of Berkeley (a bit disgusting, really.) 3, when the woman who was loading her lamp said "I'm here, I'm leaving/I'm going to buy a ticket" the meter jerk should have said "ok" and walked off, yet I don't think she stopped writing that ticket. Also, replace "jerk" with any expletive you'd like. I don't appreciate you running off customers in a DOWN economy, Berkeley. I don't appreciate your poorly labeled "pay to park over here" which most people don't see and expect the meters to be free. I also don't appreciate your RUDE and detestable meter jerks who have no common decency. And frankly Berkeley... I will never open another business in your city again... You think you're increasing commerce by fining people for shopping too long? You think you're creating a better economy by driving customers and business owners out of your city? Why don't you just make private business ownership illegal? Seems like the next logical step in your plan to destroy all commerce. And mind you, I didn't even get a ticket this year, it just pisses me off to see how disingenuous, underhanded and frankly prickish Berkeley parking enforcement is getting. read more

I parked over at a metered spot by Crossroads one day (second spot on Bowditch from Channing), and lo-and-behold, it was a broken meter (meter says FAIL on the little LCD). Saweeeeet, I thought, free parking for 2 hours, right? As I'm leaving the office about an hour later, I notice the meter is being fixed by the repair guy, and a parking meter-maid/hoochie is standing right there issuing a citation! I get there and ask why I'm getting a ticket, and she says "Your car is in this spot, and the meter says 00:00". Well why wouldn't it say 00:00, it just got reset!?!?! I even offered to put in money right then and there, but she was deadset on issuing me a ticket. The worst thing is, it's only a $20 ticket, and not really worth the 2 hours it'll take to contest it, so I'm going to have to end up paying it off. Eff you Berkeley, you have some of the worst roads, terrible traffic enforcement, and some of the dumbest people working for your city. Good lord, I wouldn't be surprised if they were all Berkeley High dropouts. read more

I don't see what all this backlash is about. I had a rather pleasant experience with these people. It was a monday afternoon and as I was walking around running errands I KNEW my meter would be running out. Despite the thought, I decided the risk was worth it and kept shopping. Sure enough I came back and had a ticket. The ticket was expertly placed on the windshield, so I wouldn't overlook it. Not too far to the right, not too far to the left. It was obvious that thought went in to its placement. When I opened the envelope everything was explained very clearly so I wouldn't be confused. I understood exactly what I had done wrong and how to remedy it. I appreciated all the thought that went in to the design and layout of the ticket, it was very thoughtful. On top of that, they made it very easy to pay for it! One could use the internet to pay online (the website was conveniently located at the bottom of the ticket) or mail it in by way of the US Postal Service. The address was clearly visible, so it was going to be easy for me to decide how to pay. Should you decide to mail it in, they even go so far as to provide a sticky strip on the envelope ( you don't have to buy your own envelope) so you you don't have tape it shut yourself. Also the address IS ALREADY PRINTED on the envelope! Very convenient. I decided to mail in a check, rather than online, mostly because I figured that they went to all the trouble preparing the envelope for me, I didn't want them to feel bad, as though it were in vein. Just when I thought things couldn't get better a notice arrived in the mail for me, reminding me of my citation. The customer service is so good they even follow up in case you missed the ticket on the windshield. There simply is no way one could complain about this business and I look forward to dealing with them again. read more

I'll start by saying I've gotten multiple citations that I deserved, and I have paid all of them. Annoying, but it's the way things work. However, a few weeks back, my girlfriend developed a severe kidney infection. The last time this happened to her, she went into septic shock and nearly died, so I was pretty concerned about taking care of this. Between checking on her, calling various advice nurses, and finally accompanying her to ugent care (she could barely walk) I managed to leave my car parked on an empty residential-permit-onlynstreet for 2.5 hours. I got a ticket--fair. I was clearly in violation of the law. However, I got a note from the urgent care doctor stating that I was in fact dealing with a life threatening illness at the time. I submitted a clear explanation of the mitigating circumstances as well as the doctor's note, and received a form letter back with no acknowledgment of my specific situation (I don't think they even read those things) stating that the law is the law and I broke it. While that is technically true, it really rubs me the wrong way that the city that claims to be so fucking compassionate can't seem to see that making sure someone I love doesn't die is more important than making sure I don't take up precious parking space in a residential area over 1 mile from campus for 30 minutes too long on a Tuesday. The general stuff: 1. $2 convenience fee to pay online. Eat an entire buffet of dicks Berkeley. Is it 1995? 2. Street sweeping: Clearly this only gets people who are new to the neighborhood. Maybe a one-time warning would be nice instead of "welcome to the neighborhood motherfucker! Give us $49 'cause you don't know how things work yet!" 3. Should the city be allowed to use parking citations to plug holes in their budget? Something about having the same entity be responsible for signage, reviewing protests, and profiting from the prior two items being done poorly just wreaks of a conflict of interest. read more

I pulled over to accept an incoming call while driving near Virginia St last April and a parking enforcement lady signaled to me it was a no parking zone so I drove off without even stopping my engine. A few days later, I received a ticket in mail with multiple incorrect information concerning my vehicle. I used their online dispute system and was told they had right to furnish information of the ticket as the staff could not finish the ticket before my car left! Since the next step was go to Alameda Court to proceed the dispute and I was busy at the time so I paid them $51 as they asked in mail. And a few months later, they mailed another bill with $82 and I explained I paid and asked them to cash the check but never got any reply. Until yesterday, a collection bill with $164 amount. See, I agreed to pay them $51 for just passing by Berkeley and paused for accepting a phone call, I was in the car all the time for the seconds the parking enforcement lady was present. Consider yourself lucky if you went away to get a coffee or something and got a ticket as well :-( As for the check, I have been mailing payments that way for last 18 years and have yet to see a "missing" payment. Given rampant complaints online that they sent to collection even when someone actually paid, I suspected they might hold the check and still charge me another $164. Now, I am supposed to write them a check again. I have filed a BBB complaint with them and will now see my lawyer for a small claim case or class case (if the lawyer see one fits). I have no issue pay them $51 at the very beginning as I gave up my rights to dispute the original ticket but the problem is hey if I mailed them another check of $164, next year, the bill doubles again, topping China's GDP increase rate! read more

Is it possible to give no stars??? I will not even go to berkeley anymore. There is nothing in Berkeley that I need or want to risk a parking ticket. I hope you read this "City of Berkeley Government", because you are shooting yourself in the foot. Wake up and smell the marijuana! I got two parking tickets in two weeks, not to mention the last random time I was there, about 8 months ago. You mean you really looked in front of my car when I was 6 inches away from a wall to give me ticket for no front license plate? Cummon that second ticket ... I was in a private parking lot (staples), and it was only a half hour wtf?? Is this even possible? Instead of wasting my time and losing money from skipping work I'll gladly pay your tickets and never go back to berkeley. You lost my presence and smile damn you! read more

PLEASE HELP! In Berkeley...i want to know if ANYONE out there knows...Is it possible to get two 2-hour parking tickets, back to back, (the same exact violation), within just over four hours??? I just did, so evidently it IS possible. I wouldn't think this could be done (i.e. i would think if they ticket you once, it lasts that day...next day they could ticket you again). This SUCKS! $49 each! CALIFORNIA is BROKE! read more

Here's another ridiculous story for you. So I've gotten a couple parking tickets from the Berkeley Parking Enforcement people and they were legitimate; I parked overtime or in the wrong zone. Ok. Fine. Paid the crazy $49 standard violation fee PLUS $2 "processing fee" because that is completely a necessary charge. But the reason for this next ticket is so ridiculous that I feel obligated to tell the rest of the world. I recently received a parking violation on my motorcycle for not paying the meter when I was BETWEEN the two metered spots. At the time too, there were cars parked in both spots. I put my motorcycle exactly between them, where the white painted divider line is. How am I, as a motorcycle, supposed to feed the meter when I'm not even in the spot, and cars can park on either side of me and feed the meter. I find this RIDICULOUS! And the real salt in the wound is the officer charged me $65 instead of the standard $49. WHY? I would attempt an appeal but reading the other reviews about how long, tedious, and hard the process is, I value my time more and I'm going to pay the fine. But I am not ok with this! read more

Just moved to Berkeley last week. I even left a note on my windshield stating I was new and obtaining a residential parking permit the next day. Did Officer Boscoe give a damn? Nope. I have been here 1 week and have already accumulated 3 tickets for a total of $150 for parking in front of MY HOUSE!!!! Scum of the earth these people are with no souls. I would of felt better if I had been mugged. read more

The signs were recently modified in such a way that I spent about five minutes trying to decipher between three different signs whether I could park in a particular spot or not. I figured that none of the restrictions applied to me but the little love note left on my windshield indicated otherwise. I don't mind adhering to parking laws but I do mind when they aren't clear to begin with. Learning of the new increased parking fines in this manner was also a slap in the face... and I don't enjoy getting slapped in the face. read more

I received a ticket on July 29th. Even though I had a one day parking pass displayed on my review mirror. I guess the meter maids in Berkeley are not required to look at the car head on. Perhaps you should make it clear on the permits that sun visors will require that the meter-maids move out and off their ass to make sure that a car does not actually have a permit. I had the sun visor on my car, but the permit was still visible I made sure of it before I left, but yet a few hours later when I returned i found myself with a ticket. I asked for a review and I included a picture of the permit displayed on my car along with my request for a review and still got denied. It's unfortunate that a city like Berkeley cant be an honest city. read more

Hell yes! Argued by mail, wrote a damn novel about how my ticket was given incorrectly, even had signed statements from my coworkers. Ticket voided, deposit returned, some amount of justice in this unjust world. Worth the time invested to fight a $40 ticket? Probably not, but damned if I don't feel good about it. read more

I stopped to get a coffee at Starbucks and parked on Oxford St near Berkeley Way. I paid for parking at one of the machines that print out a receipt and I placed it in on my dashboard/ windshield. Returned 15 minutes later and there is a $40 parking ticket in my windshield. I scanned the meter and printing machine- no warning or explanation- period. I called parking enforcement next day. It turns out that Berkeley is running two different parking systems on the same street. So one side may have traditional parking meters and the other side the printed paper ones. Even though I paid for my space I didn't feed the meter. I live in Oakland. There, the printed receipts are good anywhere, so I was quite unsuspecting. I disputed the ticket and was told it was "issued correctly". Again, no explanation as to why. Now I am being forced to pay the $40 with an option to have an "administrative review". It's one thing to get a parking ticket when you don't pay- it's completely another to be fined when it's perfectly obvious the space has been paid for. I want to award the Einstein parking scam award to the dickhead who thought up that brain child. Thanks for screwing people over Berkeley!! read more

I loathe Berkeley golf cart meter maids! This Sunday I had the brakes on my vehicle go out. I probably have a broken brake line. Thankfully I was able to pull over to a 2 hour parking space where I determined that there was no way I could drive the car. I left a note on the dash explaining that the car cannot be driven and that a tow truck was on the way. I left it there while proceeding to call a tow truck. I came back to a $40 ticket placed neatly under my note. Pricks. read more

I got a ticket for violating 2hour parking zone but in fact I had a one day visitor parking permit hung on the rear view mirror as instructed on the back of the permit. Apparent this was a second violation because the officer failed to see the parking permit twice. Update: My appeal was approved. I got another ticket for using RPP in the wrong zone, which I wasn't according to the RPP zone on their website. But I realized that they have recently changed the parking sign on that street where I got the citation. I am very disaapointed that they didn't try to notify the residence living on that street or post notice saying that the parking has changed and RPP would not be exempt. My appeal was of course denied because I parked there for more than 2 hours. I just never noticed they changed the parking sign. So sneaky. Will try to go for a hearing. Figure crossed. But still very dissappointed with the system. read more

I had recently received a parking citation and had chose to challenge it despite all the hopeless reviews posted about the Berkeley Parking citation appeal process. After filling out a few simple forms and waiting a few months I was able to meet with the Administrative Judge and have my citation removed. I don't want to get into too many details but I will explain my rating of three stars: I didn't like the fact that I had received a ticket for a poor reason; and I didn't like the fact that I had to first pay the $43 fee for the violation and pray that I win my appeal and get a refund. I especially hated the fact that I had to first do a written appeal and had an unknown officer claim to have driven out to the disputed location to check the validity of my claim and said that I was making stuff up. Pictures don't lie and I got to prove that in court. I DID like the fact that on my day at court the Administrative Judge was very attentive, impartial and ultimately agreed with my dispute and dismissed the parking validation along with a refund check. Filing an appeal was lengthy and not fun but it can be successful and I would encourage more people to exercise their rights. Tip: If you do choose to appeal, don't be discouraged if at first you don't succeed on the written appeal, you need to go all the way to the Administrative Judge. read more

Overpaid the meter after realizing it has an hour limit. Got there after 63 minutes. Found a $40 ticket on my windshield. That's almost a dollar a minute! Ok fine, I was late.. but 3 minutes?? No grace period? DO NOT PARK HERE, PERIOD. read more

When I've blown a parking time and come back to a ticket, it's bad enough. But I own it. What I am experiencing is simply a predatory tax on Berkeley residents. I have gotten notices of two violations for which I've been in the car, but not received the tickets. Both of these happened during drop offs at Berkeley public schools. What the hell is happening here? I've been charged 120 dollars for dropping off my kids! The money for Berkeley Parking Enforcement would be better spent directing traffic at these venues rather than 1) impeding traffic with their three wheelers and 2) charging fees for the impedance. I called the office of Linda Maio, my board representative, but there was no response to my questions. This is a terrible drain on public good will and works against making our city run smoothly. It needs to be overhauled and fixed! read more

Tried to reschedule an in-person hearing (1 allowed), spoke to 2 people to confirm and then found out it wasn't rescheduled after all and now if I want an in-person hearing, I have to go to court. I want to fight the ticket because I was NOT in the red zone, despite operating my vehicle to pick up my children from school with expired tabs (that were in the mail after it was sent to the wrong address). I was parked behind it in the barred unused driveway which meter maids don't like because they can't ticket parked vehicles there usually. So, when they saw the expired tabs, they must have decided to issue another more expensive ticket together with it as some sort of punishment. Witnesses agree with me that I shouldn't have gotten the red curb ticket, and helped me take pictures. I just want my chance to appeal the ticket in person! Regarding the expired tabs ticket, I got it corrected and included the $10 check that they cashed, but they then asked for the full amount because I asked them to reconsider the ticket since I was waiting for the paid stickers to arrive at the time. Then, in order to get my in-person hearing, I had to send in a check for $28 for the retainer, which was also cashed and now they deem that I've paid them in full, forgetting they owe me $10! I agree that meter maids are necessary, but not when they are not honest or vindictive, or prey on honest citizens. I was fighting these based on the principal of right versus wrong, but I guess evil will prevail in the city of Berkeley. Thank goodness I have Yelp to vent or I might go postal after getting a notice that all my efforts to contest the tickets were ignored. read more