Vehicles: parking violations.

Existing law allows a vehicle to park, for up to the posted time limit, in a parking space that is regulated by an inoperable parking meter or an inoperable parking payment center. Existing law defines "inoperable parking payment center" as an electronic parking meter or pay station serving one or more parking spaces that is closest to the space where a person has parked and that cannot accept payment in any form, cannot register that a payment in any form has been made, or cannot issue a receipt that is required to be displayed in a conspicuous location on or in the vehicle. This bill would change the definition for an inoperable parking payment center to clarify that it applies to an electronic parking meter or pay station designated to serve the specific parking space where a person has parked. Existing law sets forth the procedures for citing a registered owner and driver, rentee, or lessee of a vehicle for a parking violation. Under existing law, if a vehicle is unattended during the time of the violation, the peace officer or person authorized to enforce parking laws and regulations is required to securely attach to the vehicle a notice of parking violation with specified information about the violation, including the procedure for the registered owner, lessee, or rentee to deposit the parking penalty or contest the citation. This bill would authorize a ticket to be served via first-class mail for a violation in a prohibited parking location, as specified. The bill would define "prohibited parking location" to mean a no parking area, fire zone, or loading zone. The bill would require a designated employee of a city, county, city and county, or contracted law enforcement agency for a special transit district to review photographs to determine whether a parking violation occurred prior to mailing a ticket. This bill would require the parking penalty for a registered owner who makes a payment to a processing agency, within a set timeframe, for these purposes to be limited to the original parking penalty, as specified.