Parking Fines

* Parking downtown in any major city can be challenging and costly, but I never thought my first attempt at it in Los Angeles would be like taking an eight-point hit on the Richter scale.

I parked one car-length beyond a bus shelter for five minutes and received a $255 ticket. That is an outrageous amount for the offense committed. None of the other infractions listed on the ticket were more than $55, except for using a handicapped space without a permit.

Worse, I had to pay my fine before being granted a hearing. With my money in the bank, the hearing examiner had no incentive to find in my favor, or even to reduce the fine, after considering the circumstances.

But there is something positive in all this. With the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum opening in Cleveland in September and the likelihood that the Angels could meet the Indians in the playoffs and the Dodgers could even meet them in the World Series, I would like to invite Southern Californians to visit.

If you can’t find a place to park legally and get ticketed, it will cost you no more than $30 for almost all violations. And if you wish to contest the citation, you pay nothing until after you have been found guilty in a hearing.

JOHN GRUNER

North Olmsted, Ohio