SOUNDING OFF:

EDITOR’S NOTE: The editorial will return next week.

Recent letters written by Dennis Crowley (“Towing visitors’ cars about the money,” July 10) and Joanne Milichich (“Signage needed before towing cars,” July 17) had pointed the blame for Fourth of July towing onto one or more of the following: the Huntington Beach Police Department, our city, school district and the Metropro towing company.

Vehicles cannot be towed unless it is clearly posted as such. You’ve seen the signs, “Customer Parking Only,” “No Overnight Parking,” “Limited 2 Hour Parking” and the list goes on. Ticketing or warning citation of a possible tow is the only option when there is either no signage or improper signage.

To determine what happened here, you first need to find out who initiated the towing. I e-mailed Police Department Chief Ken Small links to the letters, asking his comments and root cause for the towing. Small wrote, “Neither the city nor the police department towed vehicles from any of these locations.” Fairly brief answer, but it removes two culprits.

So now the question comes down to who was looking for a buck: the school district or Metropro?

The locations listed in the articles (Edison Lot and Big Lot strip mall at Beach Boulevard and Atlanta Avenue) are more than likely privately owned, meaning the owners of the property could be the culprits. The Big Lots strip mall more than likely has a sign that says “Customer Parking Only.” If the parking lots fill up with beachgoers’ vehicles to a point where customers cannot park, the businesses lose; hence, towing is possible. The police department is there to document the tow. The documentation is to direct you.

The first thought that crosses one’s mind when their vehicle is gone is that it’s been stolen. One’s first call will be to the local police to file a report but one will hear that the vehicle has been towed. However, if there is no properly posted sign and it has been towed, then the police department should have stopped the towing from a legality standpoint.

So here’s the question that all those who had their cars towed should ask Metropro: Who requested and authorized the towing? Check the lots for signage and take pictures. Find out from the police department the legality of the tow (provided they were on site). If things do not quite match up, go to small-claims court and get your money back.

Whenever you have concerns with the department, I highly recommend e-mailing Small at [email protected].

CHUB DOMOTOR is a Huntington Beach resident.