Out-Of-Work Preschool Teacher Gets $400 Parking Ticket Despite COVID Shutdown
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - Mayor Eric Garcetti told us that we are safer at home - so that's what Lisa Perelman has been doing for the past three weeks.
"Yesterday I walked out of my house and I saw that the entire street was completely empty, there were no cars whatsoever," she said - including her own car, which had been towed on Fuller Street in Hollywood.
"It was going to cost me $300 to get it out, and if I didn't get it out yesterday it would've been additional $50 a day," said Perelman - in addition to a $73 ticket.
The reason for the tow? Street maintenance.
While Garcetti has relaxed parking enforcement for things like street sweeping and abandoned vehicles, the city says street maintenance is still enforced.
But the city has to give proper notice, and Perelman says she didn't see any signs when she moved her car about 36 hours prior.
"I believe the city did not properly put up signs and residents didn't know about it, plus we are in quarantine and not a lot of people come outside," she said.
We reached out to Councilman Ryu's office, which confirmed for us that the Bureau of Street Services did not follow its own protocols for placing "No Parking" signs five days before construction begins along a portion of Fuller.
In an email exchange with Ryu's office, the bureau wrote: "This was an oversight on our part and we will stand down" and not tow any more cars.
A statement from Ryu said: "The traditional noticing practices of street work are not enough during a pandemic. While Angelenos are staying safer at home, they're less likely to see a sign on their street warning them that their car might get towed."
Perelman says she's out of work as a preschool teacher due to COVID-19 closures and nearly $400 is a lot of money to her.
"I am speaking out because I don't want this to happen to anybody else," she said. "The city takes advantage of people right now. It's money to them, but it's health to us."
