It pays to retain your receipts, especially if they involve parking fees. That truism was reinforced last month by an experience in downtown.
That community installed a new parking meter system several years ago. If you aren’t familiar with its computerized nuances, there can be problems. In my stumbling case, there were. In a nutshell, here’s what happened:
I had an appointment in the downtown business district on a late Friday afternoon. There were parking spaces available in the area. None had an individual parking meter. All on the block are governed by a single nearby machine.
To access the numbered parking slot, I entered it on the device’s little screen (with the afternoon sun obscuring the setup) and dropped in $1.05. I got my receipt and noted that I was good for only one hour and four minutes.
Hmmmmm. On further review, that didn’t seem like enough time. So I plunked in another 35 cents, getting me, I thought, past 5 p.m., more than enough time. I was wrong.
But the machine hadn’t added time; it had simply started all over again as if I was a new customer in that numbered spot. In all likelihood, I had failed to figure out the instructions and hit the wrong keys. I suspect I’m not the only twit who has done that.
In any event, you can guess what happened. I showed up back at the car just before 5 p.m., and sure enough, there was a $40 ticket on the windshield. Ouch. Flummoxed, I checked the two receipts and realized what had happened.
The next day, I followed the instructions to appeal the ticket, sent it and copies of the two receipts (and a short, polite letter) to the parking authority in Redwood City.
Late last week, I got the news: The ticket had been rescinded. The $40 fine was off the books. A letter to that effect was in the mail. It, too, will be saved. The system worked.
You can fight city hall, albeit with solid evidence in your favor. The next time in downtown Redwood City, however, I won’t make the same mistake.
Extra dough will be dropped into the machine right off the bat. Why take chances?
Portola remembered
Next month marks the 250th anniversary of the Spanish discovery of San Francisco Bay by the explorer Gaspar de Portola and his traveling party.
To commemorate that milestone (and to fete 10,000 years of Ohlone Indian settlement in San Mateo County), it will be Ohlone-Portola Heritage Day at the Pacifica Community Center on Nov. 2.
Two days later, on the actual date of the Europeans’ discovery of the bay, Mitch Postel, president of the county’s Historical Association, will lead a hike to Sweeney Ridge in San Bruno where Portola first gazed on the bay.
The trek will begin at 10 a.m. Nov. 4 at a trailhead located at the western end of Sneath Lane. Prepare for a vigorous stroll to the summit. The view is worth it.
Boozy SSF brushes
Let’s hear it for the Alta Loma Middle School PTA. The South San Francisco educational organization knows how to raise money.
It’s going to hold a benefit evening of painting instruction (with a light dinner and early nibbles included) on Thursday, Oct. 17, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Where will it be held? The school gym? A recreation center? The city’s multi-purpose building? A private home? No, sir. The event will be at hoary Molloy’s Tavern in Colma.
So get ready to mix your colors along with your next vodka tonic. Good times for a good cause in the Industrial City.
John Horgan’s column appears weekly in the Mercury News. Contact him by email at johnhorganmedia@gmail.com or by regular mail at P.O. Box 117083, Burlingame, CA 94011.