By JEFF LIPTON
Weisenberg (D-Long Beach) said that during the past few years, many residents have complained about the "predatory towing of vehicles" in instances where there was inadequate "no parking" signs, resulting in vehicles being towed, lot owners receiving kickbacks from the towing company, and car owners being forced to locate their vehicle and pay exorbitant fees in cash to retrieve it.
The new law will prohibit lot owners from receiving a commission or share of the towing company’s charges for towing and storing the vehicle, and will require that signs be clearly posted and include the name and telephone number of the commercial tower and the address where the vehicle may be reclaimed.
Weisenberg said inadequate signage is particularly prevalent in Long Beach and Oceanside, where he has received many complaints from furious car owners. He said his daughter-in-law’s car was recently towed when she went to eat at a restaurant in the West End. In addition, a woman recently pulled into the parking lot of his office building in Long Beach with two kids and a tow company was already pouncing on her vehicle.
"The guy was standing there with her car on the hook wanting $245 in cash from her on the spot," Weisenberg said in a phone interview last Thursday. "It’s outrageous and predatory."
"People are entitled to a little dignity and respect," he added, "and this practice of predatory towing is outrageous. We have to do this in a fair and equitable way. For instance, the ‘no parking’ sign must be put in a conspicuous place."
Joan Henry, an office manager for Long Beach Transportation, 927 West Beech St. in Long Beech, which provides towing services, applauded the new law. She described "predatory towing" as "a disgrace" that has no place in the industry. She said that "there’s not enough money in the world" that should entice companies to resort to those underhanded practices.
Hadrick Ray of HR Towing and Transport, 515 Long Beach Rd. in Long Beach, also favored the new law cracking down on "predatory towing," saying that it is wrong for lot owners to receive kickbacks from towing companies. Ray agreed with the portion of the new law that stated signs should be clearly posted at all entrances to the parking lot warning that cars could be towed, and that the phone number of the towing service where cars can be reclaimed should also be listed.
One Long Beach resident, who did not want to be identified, said he has argued that the city lacks signs indicating that car owners have a two-week limit in which to leave their cars parked on residential streets or risk having them towed. His two cars, a 1996 Chevy Monte Carlo and a 1984 Chrysler 5th Avenue, were towed last year because they were parked on a residential street for more than two weeks. The resident said he went overseas to Israel for three months last summer and his mother was assigned the task of moving the vehicles, which were parked, one in front of the other, on East Market Street.
In Long beach, when residents complain that a vehicle has been parked on their block for an extended period, police are called and officers will place a pink warning notice on the cars’ windshield alerting the owners that they have two weeks from the warning to move their cars. If the cars are not moved after the two-week period, then they can be impounded. The resident said his mother returned after about a month and saw that the two cars had been towed to an Oceanside lot, costing him about $500 in out-of-pocket expenses to recoup the vehicles.
"My mother had to take a bus back and forth twice to get the cars from the impound lot in the heat of the summer," he said.
He said he has filed a notice of claim with Long Beach, which is a prelude to filing a lawsuit to at the least recoup his money.
The resident said there are no signs posted alerting drivers of the two-week rule and the City of Long Beach expects everyone to be familiar with it. "We need signs saying there’s a two-week limit," he said.
He said he spoke with police officials who told him that 200 warnings are issued per year and about 20 cars are towed away.
He said he could see why a law about leaving cars parked for an extended period is on the books, so that cars are not left abandoned on city streets. But he said he thinks the city is taking the law too far.
Long Beach Police Department Lt. Michael Tangney, who said he cannot address the resident’s specific complaint because it’s in litigation, defended the city’s practice of alerting car owners with a two-week notice.
"We do tow a number of vehicles that are parked for an extended period," Tangney said. "But we put a pink tag on the car [to alert the owner].
"We try to work with the public in cases where they are taking an extended vacation," Tangney continuied. "If someone is going on a cruise for three weeks and wants to park a car on the street, we can make special accommodations.
"You have to understand that these cars can be seen as an eyesore to the neighbors. Every one of these parking violations is generated by a civilian complaint. If you put a car in front of my house for a month, I will get annoyed, too."
Comments about this story? Jlipton@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 213.
