Oakland

Car Parked in Bay Area Gets Ticket in Los Angeles

Oakland schoolteacher Simret Fessehaie learned just how hard it can be to fight a city agency. But we helped her win.

Last summer, Simret received a ticket from the city of Los Angeles for parking in front of a fire hydrant.

The problem: Simret’s car wasn’t in L.A. It was in Berkeley at an auto shop getting repaired.

Simret sent the city of L.A. the repair estimate and her rental car agreement. The auto shop even wrote a letter stating the car was with them. But the city of L.A. wouldn’t budge.

In fact, over time, the citation escalated from $68 to $191 because of late fees and penalties. Simret finally gave in and paid the ticket. But she then asked us to help.

We contacted the city of Los Angeles to point out the 371-mile discrepancy. It quickly dismissed the ticket and apologized.

The staff there did some research and discovered that the officer on the street collected an "inaccurate license plate number."

Simret’s refund is on the way.

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