City of Sacramento – Parking ‘Services’ & Revenue Division

I paid my parking fare at the machine, it malfunctioned then gave me a bogus receipt apparently because the attendant wouldn’t accept it. I was a DD and had a car full of intoxicated people and no reading glasses to read what the attendant handed me and cars were in line behind me to get out, making me feel bad. Now I know it was a ticket for the parking fare. I told him to review the video to see we had credit from the restaurant we had been to and made up the balance with cash because nothing else would work. Anyway, I won’t be a patron of any downtown venues because of this.

I tried to file a complaint with the department and they do not even have a way to do this. So, I wanted to share my letter here. Not to mention that we sent in proof that we were not parked for 2 hours where they ticketed us. Copies of appointment verifications for that day etc. They finally wrote us back saying we contested too late. Even though the ticket was due March 14^th and we mailed out contest information in on March 11.
To Brad Wasson and Management,
I recently had a very poor experience with one of your customer service agents. She would only give me her first name and no ID number. She said she was the only Erin in the office. I highly recommend that you go back and listen to the recorded call.
I called to speak with someone about a parking ticket that we had contested on 3÷11÷2016 but your office marked the contested date at 3÷22÷2016 so I was confused. Erin was instantly irritated with me and the first time she placed me on hold at 10:33am she didn’t inform me to hold. I asked her a questions, she sighed loudly then put me on hold. I am not even sure why she was so upset.
We ended up paying the ticket right away because I asked if I could speak to someone else and she would not allow that. She said I only had two options, «To pay the ticket or come down to the office to contest the new amount.»
Then, when we finally said we would just pay the ticket, she was extremely rude, condescendingly asked if we were capable of paying that day. When we told her yes, she then made another rude assumption and said,” You live downtown and do not even have a parking permit?” To which we told her that we did.
I really do not understand why people choose to treat customers this way. Maybe it is because you know that no matter what, you are going to make us pay the ticket. But I feel that we deserve to be respected.
Sincerely,
Kathleen

I have been ticketed twice at 2-​hour posted signs, once with an hour and a half left, and the other time with a half hour left. I had ensured I was even more than two blocks away previously parked, out of their magical district boundaries that only they can see. I submitted a Public Records Act request for the activities of one of these «officers.» She ticketed seven people in a row in a half hour in this block, where it is next to impossible to prove. If anyone would like to send me the names of the officers who have issued illegal tickets, please do so. A class action lawsuit needs to be filed.

I visited the parking devision because I got a ticket for not having the proper neighborhood tag in my window. I had only been in midtown 2 days and forgot I needed it. Woopsie! Luckily, this building was super was super easy to find, parking was a breeze and once I got inside I only had to wait about 5 minutes before my number was called. I was given a temporary pass (good 14 days) until I could bring in a banks statement with an updated address on it. Once I bring in the proper updated doc’s I’ll be able to get a resident pass… which means I have to wait until next month when my statements will be updated :(The teller was helpful and the appointment only took about 10 minutes. All in all I was in and out in under 30 minutes. Awesome! :)

Be careful if you plan to dispute your parking ticket. My dispute took over a year. And then without informing me, it was settled, in their favor. By the time I found out, my $ 30 was now $ 118.

ZERO stars.
Parking enforcement does nothing but AGGRESSIVELY target drivers in Midtown, making it impossible to relax, shop or frequent small businesses in the area. If I have to worry about street parking constantly, being sought after by parking enforcement I am forced to take my business elsewhere. Plain and simple. If I can’t park, I don’t shop. Small business lose out.

they offer 2 parking on weekends for 2 dollars but close parking on holiday
So you go thinking that its open and it’s not then you have to pay for the private parking at much higher rates
I could’ve biked to midtown but since I thought parking was 2 I drive
Mistake because of Sacramento city
How do they think they are going to run an entire stadium.

So I’m putting quarters into the electronic parking machine for a 10 hour slot. I know it costs a little more than it used to (25 cents now buys you 12 mins instead of 15), but the machine does not indicate how much to put in to get 10 hours. I put in quarters until I thought the meter read 10 hours, so I hit the button and get my receipt. NO! It was an expiration time indication! So I’ve only got 3 hours. Ruined my day. I thought, once you put in enuf $ for 3 hours it rolls over to 10 hours. Of course, the person in the Parking dept. that knows what’s going on isn’t at work until 8am. This meter is like medical services… you don’t know how much you are going to pay until after you’ve committed. This has got to be illegal.

Officer Colby thank you for being understanding! Though the parking throughout Downtown is abysmal, ufair, and over priced it’s parking enforcers like this that take a wee bit of the sting out of our Downtown living expeience/​headaches.

«Let’s Meter The 15-​Minute Zones And Give More Tickets!»
[Just when you think our «most beloved» public agency can’t sink to new lows, they will find a way to do so.]
SITREP
So the NEW trend in the City of Sacramento (and others I’ve also noted) is to meter the actively used green curb 15 minute parking zones in front of bank/​credit union ATM machines.
THE SETUP
Now since many of the green curb areas are being «metered», that means if you do not put that quarter into the meter in front of your go-​to ATM machine when you get out of your car — and possibly have to stand in line behind one or two other ATM patrons — if that parking enforcement officer pulls up, they will give you a ticket automatically.
And what an irritating worthless exchange that will be for YOU when you were just trying to pull $ 40 out of the ATM, but now face a $ 52 parking ticket. It doesn’t seem fair nor equitable and is an absolute contradiction in terms to have a 15-​minute zone metered in the first place — THAT’s why it’s a fifteen zone.
You want to play fair? Then mark the tire, come around again, and if the car is still there after 15 minutes, THEN give the ticket. Plus most people aren’t going to b*tch about this to Unilocal like I do (since most people aren’t Unilocalers), nor are they going to bitch more rightfully to YOU because for most people they don’t know where the hell your office is. But instead they are going to be «that guy» yelling at the poor teller inside the Golden 1 office because he wants to take it out on someone.
Way to pass the buck of responsibility, you piece of sh*t Parking Enforcement office.
DISCREPANCY
I will never say that Parking Enforcement is stupid. But they are, in fact, EVIL. And MALEVOLENT. They are putting the meters up at 15-​minute zones where they will get «more bang for their buck».
* In front of a framing-​store on 22^nd street between J and K Streets? NO METER has been installed at the 15-​minute zone, because the «traffic» is not heavy there (how many of you go to framing stores all that often, right?):
* But just a half block away in front of the Golden 1 ATM machine on K Street between 21^st & 22^nd Streets, a meter HAS been set-​up, and luckily (for me) and Unluckily (for the patron there 3 minutes before me), the new meter was already installed, the ATM patron probably had not noticed it like I had noticed it yet, until the parking enforcement officer pulled up and left a ticket on his car while he was inside:
=
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And, by the way, how many of you use ATM machines? Yeah, my point exactly. Parking Enforcement is going after our Achilles’ heel, the f*ckin bastards.
THE LOWDOWN
To reiterate my introduction, just when you think this public agency can’t sink to new lows, they will find a way to do so.

No stars for you!
Last August, my husband got a bogus parking ticket for the meter being out of time. Except it wasn’t. So he took pictures of the meter showing he had plenty of time left when he got back to his truck. He took copious amounts of photos to show the meter number, the time and date, his truck, his spot, etc. He also took pictures to show the nearby parking kiosk was no longer in service — all wrapped up and out of order, just in case the parking enforcement tried to say he was supposed to pay and get a paper ticket rather than pay at the meter right in front of his truck.
Since he paid by debit card, we had banking proof of the amount and when he paid. The time stamp from our bank is in Eastern Standard Time, so our bank branch manager even gave us his card and told us to explain the EST in the letter to the city and include his phone number so they could call him to verify, if need be.
You would think photos, time-​stamped banking proof and the bank manager’s verification all wrapped up with a detailed letter explaining the evidence would be enough for the city to dismiss the ticket, right?
Well, that’s what I thought.
Until 10 months later we receive a letter saying we submitted no proof to show the meter had expired. (That’s the words they used. Pretty sure they meant, the meter HAD NOT expired, as that is what we proved.)
The letter states we have 21 days from the date of the letter to appeal, and in order to appeal, we have to pay the ticket by check or money order as a deposit. Of course, we don’t get this letter in the mail until 10 days before the payment and appeal is due. Absolute BS.
Worth noting, at the time of the ticket, the car parked next to my husband also had a ticket and also had time left on its meter. And the «proof» the parking enforcement submitted was just pictures of my husband’s truck in the spot, focused on his license plate. All that proves is that, yes, he was parked, in a parking space, somewhere in the world.

If you MBA experts want to know why downtown isn’t doing so well, thank these guys. They are a large part of the problem because of the way they enforce it here in Sacramento.
They have setup a lot of these 30 minute metered parking spots all over downtown with the premise of «convenience for the public».
The reality is that most folks assume that you can refill the meter or re-​park your car, but the ordinance is written such that you still will get a ticket for that because it has to be at least 2 blocks away. Plus they are incredibly aggressive so you’re forced to go to a $ 6-​$ 10 parking garage each time you go downtown, or simply go somewhere else. That is a lot of money for people over the course of a month. It is one thing when you are in the wrong forgetting to fill the meter and another to scam the naïve public with the ordinance.
It seems the city is most concerned with benefiting parking garage tenants as opposed to local restaurants, shops, etc, — unless they have their own parking pretty much are screwed. There are so many other options for folks elsewhere and that is what you see.
Until local businesses complain, they still keep wondering why nobody wants to go downtown anymore.

What a great experience! I can’t believe the other reviews… I must’ve gone in at a slow time. The receptionist lady was nice and gave me a number. She must have heard a joke or maybe she farted because she was smiling mighty big. I was called within 3 minutes and walked up to the front with my paperwork.
«Whatcha got for me dude?» she asked.
«Government Paperwork,» I says.
«Good. I eat that sh*t for breakfast!» And she snatched it out of my hands. A wry smile crossed her lips.
The nice lady processed my paperwork all while holding a joyful conversation about «working for the ‘man’». Took about 5 minutes. She was cool. She gave me my permit and a visitor pass. I said, «Later home slice» and she responded, «Not if I see you first Buster.» With my fist raised and her fist against the bullet proof glass, I exited the building. Our souls connected… I now have my parking pass.

The worst. I hate them. Thanks for taking $ 85 for 2 min of being late on my meter. Boooooo

I received a postcard entitled «Delinquent notice of parking violation» It claimed an amount due of $ 42.50 and stated that failure to pay may result in my vehicle being impounded. First reaction was that I have not visited Sacramento since 1968 and that the license # listed in the demand note referred to a gold Dodge truck. I have never owned a Dodge truck. The # belongs to my silver Hyundai which has never even been to California. Second reaction was how come letting a meter expire results in a $ 40+ fine? Anyway, question is can they impound any or all of the vehicles I own in Arizona and can they suspend current AZ registration as they are threatening?
It seems they are working under Napoleonic law whereby I am guilty until proven innocent. The onus should be upon them to prove that I own a similar vehicle to that described and that such vehicle was in California at the time stated (regardless of the driver). This is a real scam to extort money from people. I for one will avoid California in the future as I have no intention of paying their demands. Online research into this practice shows that I am not alone.
I sent them a dispute notice pointing out that the photo on their website shows a Dodge truck but with a different # license plate to what they referred to in their demand notice, Obviously I have had no response.
They have also threatened referral to debt collection agencies. Do they not have to prove a valid debt owing before they do that? Thank you Sacramento, California, nice to have neighbors like you!

Absolutely HORRIBLE customer service from the window clerks. I wanted to write a review after a few visits to this particular office because anyone can have a bad day, right? Unfortunately, my first visit was an accurate representation of the customer service, and repeat visits just affirm my initial trip to this office. This staff fails to recognize they are serving at the pleasure of the public, hence the term civil servants. Customers are not greeted when they approach the window-​the staff has zero communication skills. During my recent visit, which included an hour wait, I noticed not one customer left satisfied with the service they received. Unfortunate.

Super nice people work here, which is a plus with any place really. Ken helped me get my parking permit and he was very pleasant. The wait for my appointment wasn’t too bad– maybe 20 minutes, on a Wednesday afternoon. This place was really efficient and as long as you bring the right documents (new registration + a recent bill sent to your address) you should be in and out.
Glad I can use our family’s guest pass for guests now instead of for my car. ;)

I had to go renew my parking permit yesterday. I only waited 5 minutes to be called to the desk. I was required to have a utility bill with my name and current address but since everything is paperless nowadays, I could only manage to bring a pay stub with my address. The clerk informed me that they normally would not accept this document, but he let me slide. I then received my new permit and was off! In and out in about 10 minutes.
These stars are only for my good experience at the office. I woke up the next morning to find a ticket on my car for street cleaning. I can’t tell you how many dollars I’ve spent on those damn tickets and it is EXTREMELY frustrating, but to keep things fair, this is not a review for the dumb ass laws, it’s for how I was serviced in the parking services establishment.

This review sucks! My girlfriend and I were attending an event on L Street. We were fashionably late and when I found a parking spot along one of the side streets, I was quite happy!
There’s a meter and I walked across the street to pay, I paid for the maximum time which is two hours with my debit card. I get the receipt and place it on the driver’s side window, exactly the way it’s illustrated.
After our fun at the event, we walk over to my car and what the heck is on my windshield? A frickin’ ticket!!! Wow, this sucks cheese balls! It sucks because the receipt was properly displayed and now I’m gonna have to contest this. $ 42 frickin’ Bucks!
I have since then, made a copy of my receipt and uploaded and Emailed them. It’s great that they are online and I don’t have to waste unnecessary time at their office. It makes me wonder if they just issue tickets in hopes that people won’t contest?!

I think these guys go around on weekend nights and issue tickets to people that have no merit, just in the hopes that the people receiving the tickets will be too lazy to contest them and just pay up without thinking about it.
My husband and I were downtown for a wedding a few months ago. We had been drinking, so we left our car where it was and walked to our hotel. We had made sure when we parked that the spot we were in was legal to stay in overnight, just in case. But, lo and behold, upon returning to our car on Sunday morning, there was a ticket. It was issued at 10:20pm (parking is FREE AFTER 6pm, uhh what?) and the reason for the ‘violation’ was «unatt posted no pkg 10pm-​3am Fri-​Sun.» Which was a crock of steaming shit because the sign we were parked RIGHT NEXT TO actually read «1 Hour Parking 8am to 6pm Except Sunday». Soooo… after 6pm Saturday (we parked around 6:30pm) through Sunday, parking is free and not subject to the 1-​hour limit.
So I took a photo of the sign, a photo of our car parked there (which matched up with the photo they uploaded into their own system… talk about shooting themselves in the foot), and contested the everloving shit out of the ticket. And of course it was dismissed because the ticket should never have been given in the first place.
Why do I think they do this as a habit just to see if people will pay without making a fuss? Because on that same night, they did the same thing to another friend of ours who was also at the wedding. He also contested it and won.
What a fucking scam. I know California is broke, but lying and making up fake violations in order to squeeze fines out of citizens is not the way to fix that.