SF couple gets $1,500 fine for parking in their driveway

Knight

Well-known Member
SF couple gets $1,500 fine for parking in their driveway despite doing so for nearly 40 years
San Francisco officials say the fine was based on decades-old city code.
By Kiara Alfonseca
Tuesday, July 5, 2022 11:27AM


SAN FRANCISCO -- For decades, Judy and Ed Craine parked their car in the driveway in front of their San Francisco home. Parking in the Golden City can be tricky with its steep hills and busy streets, and the Craines say they were lucky to have a spot that's all their own for the past 36 years.

That is, until they received a $1,542 fine for parking on their own property -- with the threat of a $250-per-day fee if they didn't get the car off their carpad.

Really off their CARPAD

The planning department was alerted to the Craines' use of their driveway by an anonymous complaint that was lodged against the Craines and two of their neighbors, who were also tagged with the same violation.

Hope they stay anonymous. Wouldn't want any friction due to someone complaining about a car parked on a carpad in front of their home.


In the end, the city closed the case against the Craines and threw out the fines after the couple agreed to no longer use the carpad, according to KGO.

At least it ended with the fines being thrown out.


City officials told the Craines that the couple can build a cover for the carpad, or a garage, if they want to continue to park there.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/couple-fi...anning Department,Craine violated a city code.


City officials could remove the ridiculous decades-old city code. But boosting the property tax due to improvements would go away.
 

Great example of why IF cities/ states or feds chose NOT to enforce a law they need to be REMOVED form the books ...
At any moment someone can dig up some long forgotten code/ rule etc and cause trouble.

IT is idiotic to leave laws/ rules on books that will only be triggered by some complaint by maybe a disgruntled neighbor etc.
 
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That city used to seem magical. Now it's a nightmare.

The voice over on the video is Michael Finney who has been a consumer advocate in the SF Bay Area for years.
 

SF couple gets $1,500 fine for parking in their driveway despite doing so for nearly 40 years
San Francisco officials say the fine was based on decades-old city code.
By Kiara Alfonseca
Tuesday, July 5, 2022 11:27AM


SAN FRANCISCO -- For decades, Judy and Ed Craine parked their car in the driveway in front of their San Francisco home. Parking in the Golden City can be tricky with its steep hills and busy streets, and the Craines say they were lucky to have a spot that's all their own for the past 36 years.

That is, until they received a $1,542 fine for parking on their own property -- with the threat of a $250-per-day fee if they didn't get the car off their carpad.

Really off their CARPAD

The planning department was alerted to the Craines' use of their driveway by an anonymous complaint that was lodged against the Craines and two of their neighbors, who were also tagged with the same violation.

Hope they stay anonymous. Wouldn't want any friction due to someone complaining about a car parked on a carpad in front of their home.


In the end, the city closed the case against the Craines and threw out the fines after the couple agreed to no longer use the carpad, according to KGO.

At least it ended with the fines being thrown out.


City officials told the Craines that the couple can build a cover for the carpad, or a garage, if they want to continue to park there.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/couple-fined-1500-parking-driveway/story?id=86181089#:~:text=San Francisco officials say the,on decades-old city code.&text=The San Francisco Planning Department,Craine violated a city code.


City officials could remove the ridiculous decades-old city code. But boosting the property tax due to improvements would go away.
The article says that the Craines rent the property out for short-term rentals, probably at huge rates, so they obviously don't even live there.

Sider told ABC News that the anonymous request about their property was made last year, but was not enforced until the Craines sought to renew their permit to use the property for short-term rentals. The Municipal Code bans new permits until outstanding code enforcement issues on the property are resolved.​

They're just a couple of rich people who got public sympathy and are probably driving up the cost of housing by using their property as a vacation rental, or at least adding to the problem.
 
Lived in resort town where people would get fined for boats in their driveway or yard. Others not allowed to park a truck with ladders or writing on it. Others want covers over night.

I think it was SF maybe not where car owners were getting dinged if there car was even an inch over the sidewalk but no obstructing.

This case I suspect is being driven by a homeowner or realtor that wants to sell a house with in sight of it.
 
....cities are the ultimate HOA, and I would never ever live in a house where there was a homeowners association.
I detest HOAs. My ex lived in one. Each year, she got a printout of the rules & regs. It was an inch thick. I found that HOAs acted like high school-there was an in group and an out group. When I was looking around at property, the first question I asked the realtor was there a HOA. I cannot understand why people put up with all that HOA nonsense. It's petty and BS.
 


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